Previews
The Main Event
Cottage Grove Lions at Pleasant Hill Billies
Game facts: Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. … 84455 N Enterprise Rd. … Forecast is 76 degrees with scattered showers. … Tickets are adults ($5), students ($3), seniors ($2).
What2Know: Fans will see a new-look Cottage Grove as Steve Turner, a coach with two state titles, takes over the program and looks to turn around a team on a 14-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Billies are hoping to continue an upward trend in Jeremiah Heacock’s second year.
Pierre’s take: Lots of questions will be answered on both sides in Week One. Neither team had a ton of success last year, and both were still searching for their starting quarterback a week into fall camp. The Billies won this game 26-0 last season and want to start same way this year.
TAFT TIGERS AT CRESWELL BULLDOGS
■ Game facts: Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m., either at CHS or CMS. … Forecast is 76 degrees with scattered showers. … Tickets are adults ($6), Creswell students with ASB card (free), students without card ($2), students from other school ($3).
■ What2Know: Head coach Scott Worsham said last week he won’t know if the high school’s new field will be ready in time for Week One. If it’s not, the Bulldogs start their season at the middle school. Either way, Creswell faces off against Taft, a team that went 7-3 last year in Class 2A, but made the move up to 3A this season.
■ Pierre’s take: Creswell has a favorable Week One game against an opponent who moved up in classifications and lost 11 seniors from last season. The Bulldogs lost lots of talent as well, but Worsham is confident in new QB Darien Dewey and the returning weapons around him. Dewey’s big offensive line should help out as they have multiple lineman over 250 pounds.
SPRINGFIELD MILLERS AT RIDGEVIEW RAVENS
■ Game facts: Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m., 4555 SW Elkhorn Ave, Redmond. … Forecast is 72 degrees with scattered showers.
■ What2Know: The Millers and new head coach Frank Geske start their season at Ridgeview. Springfield beat Ridgeview 40-33 to open last season and will try to repeat the strong start to the season with its potent offense.
■ Pierre’s take: Springfield has four players who made Scorebook Live’s top 200 list for Oregon football in Jackson Babbitt, Connor Dye, Caeleb Kasperek, and Sam Keen. Expect Springfield to dominate the trenches with Keen (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) and Nate Williams (6-5, 270), allowing Dye to run rampant and open the passing game.
THURSTON COLTS AT WILSONVILLE WILDCATS
■ Game facts: Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m., 6800 S.W. Wilsonville Rd. … Forecast is 80 degrees and partly cloudy.
■ What2Know: Thurston heads to Wilsonville for a rematch of last season’s Week One thriller at Thurston. Wilsonville earned a 38-35 victory in OT and ended up making the state Class 5A championship game before falling to Summit 35-28. Both teams should be playoff contenders again this season, setting up an epic Week One game.
■ Pierre’s take: Thurston throws many of their young players into the fire as the Colts need to quickly learn how best to replace a stellar group of seniors from last year. Wilsonville will especially test the Colts defense as they return QB Kallen Gutridge, one of the top QBs in the state last year as a junior. Thurston’s offense returns enough key players to hold up, but the defense will be the big question Week One.
