Finally, football season is upon us

Sherman vs. Heppner, 5:30 p.m.

Sherman vs. Dufur, 7 p.m.

Prep Boys Soccer

Redmond at TD, 4 p.m.

Prep Girls Soccer

TD at Redmond, 4 p.m.

Eight Man Classic – September 5 & 6 (Games at Dufur)

Friday, September 5 Triad vs. Dayville, 1 p.m.

Lummi, WA. vs. Adrian, 4 p.m. Dufur vs. Lowell, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 6

Lyle, WA. vs. Hosanna Christian High School, 10 a.m.

Gilchrist vs. Alsea, 1 p.m.

Touchet vs. Triangle Lake, 4 p.m.

Powder vs. Sherman, 7:30 p.m.

Once the calendar flips to September, rabid fans across the globe let out a sigh of relief that the great game of tackle football is back in its full glory.

One of the more interesting matchups of the weekend involves The Dalles Riverhawks hitting the gridiron against the Molalla Indians at 7 p.m. Friday at Sid White Field in The Dalles.

Overall, Molalla returns nine offensive starters and six defensive starters on a team that won five games in 2013, but missed the playoffs for the second consecutive campaign.

Offensively, the Indians run a single back spread offense led by bruising running back Isaiah Bilbrey, a 2013 first teamer.

In two-back sets, Cody Kibbons will fill in a role to provide a little pop to an offense that scored 260 points in nine games last year.

Quarterback Austin Alexander has weapons Reed Aylett, Dalton Kibbons, Payton Dobbs, Austin Salley and new tight end Keaton Franco ready to stretch the field.

It will be another reunion of sorts for Molalla, as former Sherman head coach Todd Swan will be on the sidelines as the new defensive backs coach.

With the help of Swan, the Indians will look to lower its point-per-game totals from 29 to a better drop to make a playoff appearance.

The Dalles breaks in a new quarterback in Dominique Seufalemua and two new backs in a full-time role in Payton Eaton and Devin Wilson.

Last season, The Dalles mustered 1,683 yards on the ground on 331 attempts to go along with 19 touchdowns. Through the air, the team amassed 2,203 yards and 20 more scores for 286 points, an average of 28.6 points per game.

Behind a bolstered offensive line and influx of youth and speed, the Riverhawks can definitely fill the void left by a large crop of graduated seniors.

With a rebuilt linebacker corps and a deep defensive line, the keys will be on shutting down Bilbrey and his tendency to run between the tackles.

In five categories last season, The Dalles saw an uptick in totals, including interceptions, sacks, tackles for loss and time of possession and with the depth at line and the trio of Addison Smith, Eaton and Wilson at linebacker, this defensive unit could very well take another leap forward.

Radio station KODL 1440 Am will broadcast the game live at 7 p.m.

Rangers set to hit ground running

Historically, Dufur athletic director and head coach Jack Henderson likes to test the mettle of his football team early and often.

The story remains the same at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dufur High School, as the Rangers host defending state-runner up Lowell.

The Red Devils endured a bit of a facelift since graduating Josh Cardwell, Austin McNichols and Chasen Clayton on a team that scored a state-high 946 points in 13 games.

The cupboard is not bare by any means, as running back Tanner Harvey is penciled in to take the reins as the bell cow.

In addition to Harvey, Lane Gilliland, Alex Norris, Luke Kinnamon, Ryan Sinnett and Tommy Harvey.

That core won 12 games last season, with the only loss coming in an 88-76 championship setback versus Imbler.

Along the same lines as Lowell, Dufur went on a long winning streak of 11 games and had an undefeated record before a playoff loss to Triangle Lake ended the season.

Dufur rushed for more than 3,000 yards a season ago, and all of the top rushers except for Cole Parke are back with Trever Tibbets, Nick Little, Kurt Nuevo and Hagen Pence forming a slick quartet.

Last year, the Ranger offense averaged 60.7 points a game average and steamrolled through their first 11 opponents, so points could be flying at a rapid rate.

With the newly-formed offensive group that Lowell possesses and the returning foundation of players on the vaunted Dufur defense, the big question is whether or not Lowell has enough sustainable firepower.

All told, the Rangers allowed 19.8 points a contest and gave up 16 points or fewer in seven games.

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