Games of the Week: Sheldon ready for a tough challenge against South Medford

Sheldon has steamrolled through its last three opponents, winning by a combined score of 159-6.

A tougher task is expected Friday as the No. 8 Irish host No. 5 South Medford at 7 p.m.

Both teams are undefeated at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southwest Conference standings, putting them in a three-way tie for first place with North Medford.

“We’ve done a good job of kind of keeping our eyes on the prize and trying to get better and move forward in a positive direction regardless of who we play,” Sheldon coach Josh Line said. “But this is an easy game to get excited for because South Medford’s really good.”

So are the Irish, who have the most prolific offense and one of the stingiest defenses in the state.

Sheldon has scored 250 points in their five games, the most by any team in Class 6A. The Irish have also allowed just 37 points, the second-fewest in 6A, with most of those coming in a 35-31 win at No. 4 West Linn on Sept. 8.

They also have three wins by shutout — 56-0 vs. Glencoe, 41-0 vs. Sprague and 56-0 vs. Roseburg — as well as a 62-6 win against McNary.

“We have good players and we have good plans for each game and our kids are executing the plan,” Line said. “Hate to make it overly simple, but we have talented players who worked really hard this offseason and who were prepared going into the season.”

Among them is senior quarterback Brock Thomas, who has thrown for 1,014 yards, 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is the second-leading rusher for the Irish as well, with 251 yards and five touchdowns on 38 carries. Thomas has also scored on a pass reception.

“Anybody going into their third year as a starter is going to be good, but Brock, he’s really good,” Line said. “He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s really accurate with the ball and he knows our offense front and back.”

Running back Grafton Robinson is one of Sheldon’s leading playmakers with 263 yards and four touchdowns rushing, and 218 yards and four touchdowns receiving.

Tight end Luke Leighton has a team-high 14 catches for 222 yards and four touchdowns.

The strength of Sheldon's defense resides on the line of scrimmage. Teitum Tuioti, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive end, is having a destructive season with 42 tackles, including 18.5 for a loss of yards and eight of Sheldon's 14 quarterback sacks. He’s also recovered two fumbles.

“I would say this is the best defensive line across the board that I’ve had since I’ve been the coach here," Line said. "And it’s not just Tuioti. (Defensive linemen) Josh Merriman, Ryan Yakovich, Will Haverland, Sam Kline, we just got good looking kids who’ve worked really hard and we have that blend of size and speed up front.

"We just cause a lot of problems for offensive lines and create timing issues in the backfield.”

Prep Central Week 6: Sheldon, Marist girls soccer continue run to playoffs

Sheldon will need that group to be on its game against the Panthers, who average nearly 40 points per game and have some explosive athletes on offense.

Quarterback Deacon Edgar has thrown for 1,177 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he's also rushed for seven touchdowns and 189 yards.

Receiver Andrew Walker has 28 catches for 505 yards and seven touchdowns.

“They’re certainly capable of driving the ball and scoring, but what we can’t do is give them the easy ones, and that’s something they’re very good at,” Line said. “They’re very explosive and they can get behind you quick. … We have to prevent them from having big plays.”

Other games Thursday

Thurston at Eagle Point, 7 p.m.: The No. 11 Colts (3-2, 3-0) have won three straight since opening the season with back-to-back losses. A fourth straight win will put them alone in first place in Class 5A Special District 2 and with the hardest part of their schedule behind them. The No. 5 Eagles (4-1, 3-0) have also won three straight.

Other games Friday

Churchill at Springfield, 7 p.m.: The Millers (3-2, 2-1) had a tough loss last week at Thurston, but need to put that behind them quickly as the Lancers (2-3, 2-1) come to Silke Field with some momentum having won two straight behind an offense that’s scored 60 points the last two weeks and a defense that’s allowed more than 23 points just once this season. Springfield's Dwayne Fotta is a big play waiting to happen. The senior receiver has 21 catches for 453 yards and seven scores and has also returned a kickoff for a TD in each of the last two games. Last week he had a 33-yard scoring run as well.

Monroe at Lowell, 7 p.m.: The Dragons (4-1, 3-0) and Devils (5-0, 3-0) will play for first place in Class 2A Special District 2. Lowell is averaging 50.6 points per game, while Monroe has won four straight since losing its season-opener to No. 5 Oakland 42-14.

Last Friday's roundup: Thurston flexes its muscle against Springfield

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. 

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon prep football game of the week: Sheldon, South Medford