MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Yoncalla football

It’s been a long struggle for the Yoncalla (Ore.) football team over the years. Since 2003, the Eagles had won just 13 games heading into the 2013 season.

But coach Matt Bragg finally has something to boast about.

Following a 70-26 win at Crow, Yoncalla improved to 7-2 heading into Friday’s home game with McKenzie (Finn Rock).

The Eagles, led as usually by the state’s leading rusher Geoff Payne, piled up 636 total yards to turn the tables on a decisive loss the following week to Triangle Lake, 52-28.

For their turnaround season and remarkable high-scoring offense — they average 51.3 points per game — the Eagles are the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

Payne, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior, rushed 30 times for 346 yards and five touchdowns, pushing his state-leading totals to 204 attempts for 2,097 yards and 29 touchdowns.

It was the sixth time Payne broke the 200-yard rushing barrier and that included a remarkable 440-yard, 7-touchdown performance in an 80-26 win over Mapleton.

"Geoff is such a leader. He knows that everything he does is a product of the other guys on the team," said Bragg. "His hard work reflects on the team; it gets us noticed and pushes his teammates to do their best. It's his third year in the program and he has grown so much since he first got here, getting stronger and faster. He plays hard nonstop."

Against Crow, sophomore quarterback Will Shaw completed 9 of 13 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown and junior Joe Keller hauled in five of those passes for 107 yards.

The Eagles’ superb offensive line paved the way for 494 rushing yards and a 9.88 yards per carry.

Leading the defense was senior Kevin Szelong, who had 10 tackles, junior Trevor Early with six and Payne and sophomore Rob Stewman added five tackles apiece.

Another sophomore Zack Van Loon added three pass deflections and an interception, one of three by the Eagles. Freshman Michael Stevens and Keller added the other two.

With a 3-6 season last year, the Eagles had their best season since 2003. During that time the team had three winless seasons and three one-win seasons.

"Mostly the kids got together and said this is our team and we won't let any outside influences affect us. In July they were already begging me to get into the weight room, so they wanted to get bigger and stronger," said Bragg. "We had fewer injuries than last year. The players also believed what the other coaches and I were preaching this season, 'If we do our job and work hard, we will be successful.'

"This year it is more about the team and not about individual stats. This goes back to Geoff; he isn't concerned about his stats, but more about if the team gets the win."

The Eagles were a powerhouse more than 50 years ago, capturing state titles in 1959 and 1961. They play a McKenzie team that is 1-7, before heading into the playoffs.

"Our first goal this year was to make playoffs, which has now been accomplished," said Bragg. "We wanted to still be playing that second week in November. The last time Yoncalla made play-offs was 2001.

"I graduated in 1992 and every year we made playoffs, so we really wanted to reach that goal of getting there. Since we are a smaller school, with only 80 kids, it is harder to get a competitive team, but the smaller number makes us a very tight-knit group that sticks together."

MaxPreps editorial assistant Kirstin Beal contributed to this report.

Do you know a team that deserves consideration for Oregon Team of the Week? Email us with your nominations at ORteamoftheweek@maxpreps.com.