HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley overwhelmed host Parkrose, 54-0, in a Class 5A, non-league football game Oct. 16 in east Portland.
It was the first shutout for Coach Caleb Sperry’s team since a 51-0 drubbing of Putnam in September 2025.
“We talked all week about continuing to play at the level that we did versus Gresham and not playing down or changing how we played depending on the opponent,” Sperry said. “I felt like we did a good job of that, of coming out and establishing our identity in who we are; (and) took care of the ball and kept the chains going.”
The Eagles (4-3) took advantage of good field position and scored on their first four possessions to take a 28-0 halftime lead. The game went to a running clock in the third period after HRV scored on its first two possessions after intermission. The second score came on a 20-yard pick six by Jose Betancourt with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Betancourt added another interception for a TD in the second half — from near midfield.
“That was really cool; I’m excited for him,” Sperry said of Betancourt. “He plays a role on our team that maybe doesn’t get an opportunity to do that all that much. To put himself in position to do that is really cool for him. He played it well … he put himself in a good position to be where the ball was.
“When you do things the right way and then you end up with a score that makes it even better. He’s been a huge grinder for us this year.”
Parkrose (1-6), one of the younger varsity teams in Class 5A, had one first down in the first half. The Eagle defense swarmed the Bronco offense all evening, sacking freshman quarterback Trashaun Fluker five times in the first two quarters. Senior defensive end Milo Bielen led the way in that category with two first-half sacks which led to minus 25 yards. Bielen played a part in another 12-yard loss where he flushed Fluker from the pocket and senior teammate Aaron Smith finished off the Bronco signal caller.
Offensively, five different players scored touchdowns for HRV. Kase Sietstra, who rushed 10 times for 91 yards, opened the scoring with a seven-yard run in the first period. Fellow sophomore Grady Sperry caught a 23-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Ian Wells later in the period. Sperry’s one-handed interception led to HRV’s third score, a Wells-to-Peter Downing 10-yard pass.
Wells, who finished nine for 15 passing for 152 yards, added a one-yard score late in the first half. Davin Snyder, who has caught more passes (115) than anyone else in Hood River Valley football history, caught a 25-yarder for a TD to open the third period. The senior caught four passes for 69 yards on the night. Jace Meyers scored on a six-yard run in the quickly moving fourth quarter.
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