High school football roundup: How Sheldon returned to prominence

Across Lane County this week, seasons could turn.

At the top, programs cruising through their seasons — hey, Sheldon and Thurston — can continue to hold the pack at bay in 6A and 5A with wins. Lower down, there are eyes on two-loss teams in tough matchups — what’s up, Willamette and Springfield — needing victories to stay in the picture for the league race.

We’ll be out at Sheldon to check in on the Irish for the first time this season, where quarterback Ryker Rohaley and his weapons are tearing up 6A just a year after they won only two games. But there’s more, too; don’t forget about undefeated Lowell, or 5-1 Siuslaw-Mapleton. South Eugene plays a varsity game for the first time since Week 1, if you’ve been following along with our series covering the Axe’s revival.

We’re at the business end of the season, but it’s all parties for anyone looking for a great storyline in high school football. We’ve laid them all out here.

All games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, unless otherwise noted.

Murray’s pick: Sheldon (5-1 overall, 1-0 league) vs. South Medford (1-5, 0-1)

Since a season-opening nonleague loss to Thurston, the Irish have been on a tear. They framed this year as a redemption opportunity. But they have blazed past simple redemption for their 2-7 season in 2025 and are headed straight toward the top of 6A football.

Five turnovers in that Thurston loss, including the game-sealing pick-six, led third-year head coach Tyler Martell to hammer an emphasis on ball security over the Irish’s initial five-game nonleague schedule.

Junior quarterback Rohaley has developed his ability to pick shots down the field, Martell said, and he’s paired with junior running back Cody Hall and senior wide receiver Barry Myles to form a balanced offense which is mowing down opponents.

Since the Thurston game, where Rohaley threw three interceptions, he has tossed just one — in the Irish’s 27-6 win over Grants Pass Oct. 2. He’s crossed 200 passing yards in four of Sheldon’s six games, and hit a season-high 346 yards against Summit on Sept. 11 to total 1,410 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Five of those touchdowns and 531 of those passing yards have gone to Myles, who committed to Nevada Oct. 13 and Martell said is “one of the best guys in the state.” Hall, meanwhile, has become a dual-threat weapon in the Irish offense with 494 rushing yards, 161 receiving yards and five total touchdowns through six games.

“Cody Hall has run really, really well,” Martell said. “He’s got great vision, he’s explosive out of his cuts, he’s a strong kid, so his success has been really cool.”

The Irish have played just one league game — the win over Grants Pass — so far. Their league is small, just five teams, and that makes every game vital. South Medford went 8-4 (5-3) in 2025, including a shutout win at Sheldon. But the Panthers lost significant production since then, and Martell said he’s got eyes on their trenches.

“They’re a well-coached team,” Martell said Monday. “Coach [Bill] Singler’s done such a good job down there that they’ll be ready to go. We’ll talk about it with our guys today, but last year they came here, and they ran the ball 50 times and ran for 314 yards and just shoved it right down our throat. It’s one of those deals where I don’t think it’ll be hard to get our guys motivated.”

Other home games in a sentence

• Elmira (1-5, 0-2) vs. Madras (1-5, 0-2), Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:15 p.m.: Elmira, winless in two and looking for a spark, faces a Madras team off a pair of multiscore losses. 
• Willamette (4-2, 2-0) vs. Grants Pass (4-2, 1-1): The Wolverines are surging back after their slow start, but Grants Pass is another strong team in 6A and played Sheldon close.
• Thurston (5-1, 4-0) vs. North Eugene (0-5, 0-3): Emmit Distefano and the Colts look to keep rolling against a Highlanders team coming off multiple blowout losses.
• Springfield (4-2, 1-2) vs. Roseburg (5-1, 2-1): A 35-0 win over La Salle last Thursday slowed the skid of the Millers, who lost two straight after starting 3-0, but Roseburg started 5-0 before a loss to Churchill last Friday.
• Cottage Grove (1-5, 0-4) vs. Sweet Home (6-0, 3-0): The Lions haven’t won since their opener, and bring a dominant Sweet Home team, which has scored at least 30 points in every game, to town.
• Creswell (2-4, 1-1) vs. Klamath Union (6-0, 2-0): Undefeated Klamath Union stands in the way of the Bulldogs’ first back-to-back wins of the season.
• Pleasant Hill (4-2, 2-0) vs. Sisters (2-3, 1-1): The Billies stacked back-to-back wins for the first time last week in a 28-18 win over Madras, while Sisters comes off a season-high 21-point performance.
• Siuslaw-Mapleton (5-1, 1-0) vs. Sutherlin (6-1, 2-0): Two teams with losses only to Vale meet as Siuslaw-Mapleton looks to extend its four-game win streak.
• Lowell (6-0, 2-0) vs. Toledo (4-2, 1-1): The Devils, still undefeated and not challenged since Sept. 25 against Myrtle Point, take on a Toledo team which bounced back from a pair of losses to demolish Central Linn last week.
• Triangle Lake (2-3, 2-0) vs. Country Christian (2-3, 1-1): Two dominant league wins have the Lakers rolling after an 0-3 start.
• McKenzie (2-5, 1-3) vs. Days Creek (4-2, 3-1): The Eagles have lost four straight, and Days Creek is coming off a 65-6 win over Gilchrist.

Away games in a sentence

• Churchill (3-3, 3-1) at Crater (2-3, 2-1): The Lancers dealt previously undefeated Roseburg its first loss, 30-22, last Friday and can stay hot against Crater.
• South Eugene (3-2) at Horizon Christian-Tualatin (4-2, 2-2): The Axe take on their first varsity challenge since a season-opening loss to Phoenix.
• Marist Catholic (3-3, 2-1) at North Bend (3-3, 2-1): In their first game under interim head coach Jake Lowther after their former head coach was removed, the Spartans face North Bend.
• Junction City (4-2, 3-1) at South Umpqua (3-3, 1-2): The Tigers have shone in league play, while South Umpqua has faded following a blowout opening win but put up 48 points at Hidden Valley last week.
• Mohawk (4-3, 1-2) at Vernonia (2-4, 1-1): The Mustangs look for a league win on the field — their one league win so far this season came from a forfeit.
• Forfeit: Crow (4-2, 2-2) at Gilchrist (0-7, 0-4): After a heavyweight fight went the wrong way against Elkton, the Cougars get an automatic win over Gilchrist after a forfeit Crow head coach Nick Nevins was told comes because the Grizzlies don’t have enough available players.