Sheldon senior quarterback Kelsen Sperry has passed for 18 touchdowns with one interception this year. (Photo by Noreen Anderson)

Perhaps the biggest wild card in 6A football this season is the No. 4 seed Sheldon.

The undefeated Irish (8-0, 7-0 Special District 1) are outscoring their opponents by 46.4 points per game – winning every match against the clock – but have yet to face a team currently in the top 10 of the OSAAtoday 6A coaches are in state. poll.

“I haven’t seen any of those teams,” first-year Sheldon coach Tyler Martell said. “I think we can play with anyone, but it’s hard to say.”

Starting this week, however, the Irish will get a better idea of ​​where they stand. On Friday they will play visiting number 6 for the district title Sprague (8-0, 7-0) in the regular season finale.

“Our stars played one game of four-quarter football,” Martell said. “Our guys are just excited about the opportunity to play an 8-0 team on the road. It’s what you sign up for, to play games like that.”

Sheldon and Sprague seem to be on a collision course all season. Based on the comparative scores, the Irish appear to have the edge, especially considering how both teams fared Subsidy pass (5-3, 4-3) over the past two weeks.

On October 18, Sprague fell behind 28-7 to Grants Pass before rallying to win 41-40. Last week, Sheldon made quick work of the Cavemen, going 63-6.

Sheldon’s offense has kicked into high gear over the past month. The Irish are averaging 61.6 points in the last five games and operating with high efficiency behind the senior quarterback Kelsen Sperry.

Martell said the 6-foot-2 Sperry, last year’s JV quarterback, has made “incredible progress” this season. He flourished under the guidance of the former Irish head coach Marty Johnson and former Sheldon star quarterback Jordan Johnson.

Sperry has completed 74 of 105 passes for 1,128 yards and 18 touchdowns with one interception, doing most of his damage in the first half of games.

“He just doesn’t force anything,” Martell said. “He makes the right decision and got the ball where it needs to be. We have enough playmakers where he doesn’t feel like he has to do too much. He’s a smart kid, and he took that coaching and it translated.

Sperry has a cast full of talented targets. Senior tight end Brodie Thomas has a team-high five touchdown catches and senior receivers Kerek Kato And Rocco Graziano have four each.

“We didn’t throw it around last year either,” Martell said. “Our receivers were inexperienced, and now those guys have all grown into themselves.”

Senior walks back Mana Tuioti (5-11, 225), committed to Boise State as a linebacker, has rushed for 534 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tuioti, whose brother Teitum plays linebacker at Oregon and sets the tone for the Irish on both sides of the ball.

“Mana is impressive because he is our best player, but he also practices harder than anyone else,” Martell said of Tuioti, who leads the team in tackles and has two interceptions. “Teitum was the same, just practiced hard and enjoys playing football.

“He’s just incredibly smart. He can make plays and understand scenarios, even if we haven’t had time to go through those scenarios in practice yet. He’s just a football mind.”

Sheldon’s defensive line was dominant among the seniors Lucas Saraceno (seven bags) and Brody Borrevik at the tackle and Thomas at the finish. The Irish have 24 sacks and are holding their opponents to 150 yards per game, 30 of which are rushing.

“Those guys all caused a lot of chaos,” Martell said. “You combine the defensive line with linebackers like Mana, and teams have a hard time beating us.”

Sprague, who was inactive last week after beating Grants Pass, has a dynamic offense with senior quarterback Dukatti Weerspoon (6-4, 210) and seniors running Kenya Johnson (6-1, 200).

Weatherspoon has completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 1,739 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions. Johnson has rushed for a conference-leading 1,207 yards and 15 touchdowns and has caught six scoring passes.

“The quarterback is big and has a big arm,” Martell said. “He has the ability to throw the ball all over the field. The running back, when they needed a play, they gave him the ball and he made a whole bunch of plays. He will be a handful.”

Sheldon has an X-factor in Graziano, who has committed to Oregon as a kicker. He has made all 54 of his extra-point attempts this season and recently made a 53-yard field goal with room to spare in practice.

The Irish won 50-13 at Sprague last year.

Other top matches in week 9:

Thursday

6A No. 9 Sherwood (6-2, 3-0 Pacific Conference) at Newberg (4-4, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Since losing to Newberg in the COVID-shortened season in the spring of 2021 — when the Tigers lost 4-0 at Pacific — Sherwood has won 21 straight conference games. Now the teams are competing for the Pacific title.

Friday

6A No. 5 Lakeridge (7-1, 3-1 Three Rivers League) at 6A No. 1 Lake Oswego (8-0, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Lake Oswego can claim the outright Three Rivers title by defeating the rival Pacers in the Battle for the Lake. However, if Lakeridge wins, the Pacers will share the title with Lake Oswego and possibly the No. 3 seed West Linnit plays on Oregon City on Friday.

Clackamas (6-2, 5-1 Mt. Hood Conference) at 6A No. 10 Nelson (6-2, 5-1), 7 p.m.: The rivalry game is not just for bragging rights in Happy Valley, but could also determine who gets a spot in the 12-team 6A Open playoffs. Heading into the game, Clackamas is ranked No. 8 and Nelson is No. 11 in the OSAA 6A power rankings.

Glencoe (6-2, 6-0 5A SD1) at 5A No. 10 Hood River Valley (7-1, 5-1), 7 p.m.: Glencoe, who dropped down from 6A this season, must polish off Hood River Valley to complete a perfect run through Special District 1. But the Eagles can share the district title with the Crimson Tide with a win.

5A No. 9 Thurston (7-1, 6-1 Midwestern League) and 5A No. 8 Willamette (7-1, 6-1), 7 p.m.: The teams were tied for second place behind number 4 Churchillhave secured their spot in the 5A playoff bracket. Willamette, who has made a dramatic turnaround from 0-9 last season, is looking to knock off the perennial league power Colts.

Molalla (4-4, 3-0 4A SD2) at Estacada (4-4, 3-0), 7 p.m.: After struggling in non-league play, the Indians and Rangers have found their footing and will compete for the district title. Molalla, who defeated Estacada 36-14 last year, has not won a league title since 2015.

4A No. 1 Marist Catholic (7-1, 4-0 Oregon West Conference) at 4A No. 5 Philomath (7-1, 3-1), 7 p.m.: Marist Catholic rose to the top of the OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll this week after being ranked No. 1 at the time Cascade 47-0 last week. The Spartans can win the Oregon West title outright with a win, but the Warriors still have a shot at a share of the title.

4A No. 7 Mazama (5-3, 4-0 SD4) at 4A No. 2 Henley (7-1, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Emotions will run high as the South Side Series rivalry game determines the league title. Last year, Henley defeated Mazama 42-14 to end the Vikings’ 27-game winning streak en route to their first state championship in 41 years.

3A No. 5 Santiam Christian (7-1, 6-0 SD2) at 3A No. 7 Taft (7-1, 6-0), 7 p.m.: It’s been a magical season for Taft, which went 4-5 last season, and now the Tigers will play perennial power Santiam Christian for the district title. Taft has not won a national title since 2003.

2A No. 2 Gervais (7-0, 2-0 SD2) at 2A No. 7 Colton (6-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Gervais’ defense has five shutouts and has allowed 34 points all season, 27 against Salem Academy. Now in the district title game, the Cougars must hold off a Colton team that is averaging 54.0 points in its last five games.

2A No. 6 Lowell (6-2, 4-1 SD5) at 2A No. 9 Lost River (6-2, 4-1), 7 p.m.: First place Culver arranges things against Slidingthen this game will settle the No. 2 automatic playoff berth for Special District 5. It matches last year’s state champions, Lowell in 2A and Lost River in 1A-8.

2A No. 10 Enterprise (5-2, 4-1 SD6) at 2A No. 3 Heppner (8-0, 5-0), 7 p.m.: Heppner, will play his final year for the legendary coach Greg Grantcan cap off a perfect regular season and a district title with a win. But Enterprise, which suffered consecutive losses to Culver and Stanfieldcan earn a share of the district title by beating the Mustangs.

Saturday

1A-6 No. 4 Eddyville Charter (8-0, 5-0 SD2 North) vs. 1A-6 No. 2 Powers (8-0, 6-0 SD2 South) in Creswell, 6 p.m.: The top teams from the North and South divisions meet for a showdown. Eddyville is coming off a 13-12 nonleague victory over reigning state champions Echo. The teams haven’t played since the 2022 quarterfinals, when Powers went 59-6.