The Sprague Olympians''s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by South Salem at home and fell 50-14. While losing is never fun, Sprague can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oregon football rankings (they are ranked 59th, while South Salem is ranked fifth).
South Salem had a senior duo take command as Athan Palmateer threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns and Esteban Mendez picked up 85 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Mendez is on a roll when it comes to receiving touchdowns, as he's now hauled in two or more in the last three games he's played.
Sprague's loss was their fifth straight at home (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 2-7. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 6-3 South Medford and 6-3 Sheldon (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 72.3% over those games). As for South Salem, the win for they keeps them at an undefeated 9-0.
Sprague will head out on the road to face off against McNary at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. McNary is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for South Salem, they will be playing in front of their home fans against North Salem on Friday.
