THE GORGE — Top-seeded Dufur High, Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat/Glenwood, and Sherman County highlight local Class 1A schools that have qualified for the 2025 high school football playoffs.
The No. 1 ranked Rangers (9-0) earned a first-round bye in the 1A eight-man playoffs. Coach Jack Henderson’s team will host a quarterfinal game on the weekend of Nov. 15 against the first-round winner of Powder Valley and Perrydale. Dufur finished the regular season unbeaten, winning the Special District 3 title with a 6-0 record.
On the opposite side of the eight-man bracket is Adrian, last year’s champion, which has won 21 straight games since losing in the 2023 quarterfinals to Myrtle Point. The Antelopes are going for their fifth state championship since 2014. Dufur has won 311 games and 10 state titles in Henderson’s 39 years as coach of the Rangers. The Rangers’ state titles included four straight from 2015 to 2018.
Dufur completed its regular season with a 62-14 win at Cove on Oct. 30. The Rangers led 26-0 after one quarter. Quarterback Chase Peterson threw for two touchdowns in the opening period and used a downfield block from Daylen Hammitt to run for another (34-yarder). Hammitt opened the game’s scoring on a 34-yard TD romp on the Rangers’ first offensive series.
Freshman Ian Pechanec’s interception and 76-yard return for a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half meant a running clock the entire second half.
Lyle (5-4) finished fourth in Special District 3 eight-man play with a 3-3 record. Coach Dave Devoe’s team earned the No. 9 seed into the playoffs by virtue of its difficult schedule; two of Lyle’s losses were to Dufur — one of them coming in league play. The Cougars play a first-round game on Nov. 7 at North Douglas (7-2), the runner-up behind Perrydale in Special District 2. Sherman is the No. 6 seed in the 1A six-man playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 7-2 record. Coach Paul Bish’s Huskies host North Lake (5-3) at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7.
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