Summit falls to Silverton in 5A State Championship game at Hillsboro stadium

HILLSBORO, Ore. (KTVZ)-- The game was a battle of the titans. The 1st-ranked Summit Storm came into the game undefeated after a great season from all three units. They met the 2nd-ranked Silverton Foxes, who defeated the defending champs and the hometown Mountain View Cougars en route to this championship game.

Summit looked poised to make up for their quarterfinal loss to the Foxes last year. Early in the first quarter, their defense was flying around and shutting the Foxes’ stellar offense down, forcing the Foxes to punt on their first three drives. Offensively, the Storm broke the game open after a 50-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Jude Anderson.

The Foxes were not going to be put away that easily. They responded quickly with a touchdown of their own in the 2nd quarter after a touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Dominguez to fellow senior wide receiver Gavin Aguero, tying it up at 7 late in the second quarter.

Summit stalled on their next drive and gave it back to the Foxes, who were looking to capitalize on their momentum. After a 3-minute drive, Chase Dominguez threw another touchdown pass to Nash Mosher to take a 14-7 lead heading into halftime.

Silverton came out determined to start the second half and moved methodically down the field. Summit held strong and forced a punt. Their offense was unable to find a rhythm early and punted it back to the Foxes. This pattern continued for the entirety of the 3rd quarter while the score remained 14-7 Silverton.

The 4th quarter began with the Foxes moving methodically down the field in what was a 7-minute drive. It ended with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from senior Logan Uitto, bringing Silverton’s lead to two scores as the Summit Storm went down 21-7 with under four minutes to go in the 4th quarter.

Junior quarterback Andrew Guthrie and the Storm offense were not going away quietly. In just five plays and 33 seconds, the Storm capped off a quick and necessary drive with a Jude Anderson rushing touchdown, giving the Summit sideline and the Storm faithful some momentum heading into the final minutes of the 5A state title game.

Summit coach Corben Hyatt tried to pull out some tricks from under his sleeve and catch the Foxes napping with an onside kick with just over four minutes left. Silverton was not fooled and recovered the onside kick in Storm territory. Their offense moved slowly down the field and was forced to attempt a field goal. It did not go as planned after a botched snap, but the holder made a quick move and was able to get inside the 10-yard line. After a few more plays and a stalled drive, Silverton kicked a field goal that would ultimately put them up 24-14 and win them the 5A state title.

It was a hard-fought game from both teams, who looked deserving of their 1 and 2 ranking in the state. The Storm have much to hang their hat on this season, and coach Corben Hyatt delivered a meaningful and heartfelt message after the game.