Clash of Undefeated in Oregon Girls League

04.21.2023HS Girls

The top two teams in Oregon's girls HS league face off Saturday with plenty on the line.

Both the Valley Panthers and East County Grackles are 4-0 and both have generally controlled their games this season. Both defenses have been exceptional. East County has given up only 22 points, of which 17 were in one game, a 34-17 victory over Salem.

Valley has given up 38, 26 of which came in their 61-26 victory over Summit.

Now these two powerhouses face off against each other.

"We always look forward to playing Valley," said East County Head Coach Traci Flitcraft. "Our team is looking really strong this season because the players have done a lot of recruiting themselves. We pull in from a lot of the Portland area schools and depend highly on our players to recruit their friends and classmates."

Numbers is a big issue as Oregon has as a state taken a longer road out of COVID than other regions. So many teams can't really field a full 15, and in fact this coming weekend will be the first game of the season that East County has played with 15 players on each side.

East County has 26 on their roster, Valley has 25.

"We have had a few injuries and illnesses over the last couple weeks so our numbers at practices have been low," lamented Flitcraft. "Our strategy year over year is to ensure that our team can play as a team regardless of who is on the field. We have seen success in that as our roster is changing week to week with players' availability. Going into this weekend we are hoping to have a good game with the players who are healthy and have been showing up to practices. We will be playing our best game and looking to have a fun, competitive game with Valley, as we always do."

The Panthers are in the same situation. They have had injuries—notably hooker Brooklyn Parks, who is a young player with a ton of potential. But, like East County, a strong team ethos means players step into new roles when needed.

"They players have just embraced it and are learning really well," said Head Coach Michael Fair. "We have players like Jada Andrade who can almost play anywhere and that helps us. But everyopne is eager to learn."

With two seasons lost to COVID, the Panthers went into the 2022 season with their senior veterans having only really played as freshmen and then maybe some 7s in the fall of 2021. Now the veterans this year also have just the one season under their belts.

Still keep an eye out for captain Grace Barnes and Katie Barnes at lock. Isabel Chavez is a force at No. 8 while Mia Medina-George returns a year after holding up two potential tries in-goal in last year's state final.

Dakota King, meanwhile, has 20 tries in four games, even though often she is subbed off early just to prevent a runaway.

How she and the Panthers will handle East County's staunch defense is another question.