<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1DrdW3_1GrunVNT00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1DrdW3_1GrunVNT00" width="1014" height="720" ><figcaption>1/8 Cascade Christian's Bryson Walker breaks away for a 97-yard touchdown run Friday against Marist Catholic in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson/for the Rogue Valley Times)</figcaption></figure>Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...Senior darts for 97-yard TD to turn tide in 6-score effort vs. Marist; Crater, Ashland, St. Mary’s fall in openersWith potential disaster averted, top-seeded Cascade Christian did what any team worth a salt would do, and turned to their senior superstar in Bryson Walker.All he did was flip the script immediately on a 97-yard touchdown run that rocketed the Challengers toward a 58-28 win over No. 16 Marist Catholic in the first round of the Class 4A football state playoffs.“When we get on the field, he’s the best player on the field,” said Cascade Christian head coach Jon Gettman of the veteran running back. “Not only with his effort and how hard he plays, but he’s just dynamic. When in doubt, just get it to him and let him do his thing.”Walker was prolific in a second meeting with the Spartans, running for 231 yards and five touchdowns on 13 carries to go with two catches for 63 yards and another score for a six-TD performance.While every score was notable, it was what Walker did in the waning moments of the first half that truly put a charge in his team at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point.Cascade Christian (10-0) had just lost a rare fumbled snap at its own 10-yard line while holding a slim 21-14 edge with three minutes left in the second quarter.The Challengers’ defense rose to the challenge to get four straight defensive stops to keep Marist (5-5) out of the end zone and force a turnover on downs at the 3.Enter Walker, and seconds later see him exit the opposite end zone as the 5-foot-9 wonder took a simple handoff up the middle, got great initial blocking to form a hole and allow him to get up to speed quickly, and then his instincts took over.Walker never broke stride with a sudden shift toward the left sideline and then let the jets take over as he outran everyone without need of another block to paydirt inside the final minute.“That absolutely changed the game for us,” said Gettman. “They have a chance inside the 10 to tie it up going into halftime, and the defense makes a huge play and gets a huge stop, and then Bryson Walker just had a night.”“That guy’s just unbelievable,” added the coach. “You’re just trying to get the ball from out of the goal line and he takes it to the house. It was blocked up and you get like 10 or 15 yards with anyone else. The O-line opened the hole, but he did the rest.”That 28-14 halftime lead ballooned in the third quarter with three more touchdowns by Walker to create a 49-21 edge entering the home stretch.Walker scored on touchdown runs of 2, 16, 97, 25 and 62 yards, and turned in a 59-yard TD reception from Jacoby Gettman.The sophomore quarterback also finished with a 27-yard TD pass to Hutton Walker and 8-yard TD connection to Jackson Fralich to more than provide a complement to Bryson Walker’s exploits. Gettman completed 28 of 36 passes for 322 yards and no interceptions.Five different Challengers recorded 43 receiving yards or more, with Hutton Walker netting 57 yards on seven catches and Channing Driscoll adding six catches for 48 yards to lead the way.Cascade Christian previously beat Marist in the third game of the season on Sept. 18, but the Spartans certainly weren’t pushovers Friday night after senior QB Brody Gilliam was 12-for-25 passing for 194 yards and three touchdowns — including a 77-yarder to Grady Hazen in the second quarter and 54-yarder to Bodey Drennan in the third.“We played them earlier and they’ve got talent and they’ve got some kids that are tough,” said Gettman. “They challenged us in a couple different ways. It’s always nice if you just blow it out and everything, but to get pushed and the way that these guys were and their ability to respond was incredible. It wasn’t like there was any panic or what are we going to do, it was just, ‘OK, next play,’ and that’s what you want to see.”In their debut season at the 4A ranks after earning three 3A titles in the last four years, the Challengers will certainly need more of that resolve as they trend deeper into the playoffs. Cascade Christian will play host to No. 9-seeded Junction City next Friday in the state quarterfinals after the Tigers (7-3) earned a 24-20 win over No. 8 La Grande in the first round.“There’s going to be a game in these playoffs where you face adversity, and we got it today,” said Gettman. “You’re going to see it throughout the rest of these playoffs because you’re playing good teams week-in and week-out, and it’s going to be a battle. That goes a long way when you’re able to handle that adversity and just do your job.”Hutton Walker and Rowan Erickson came up with interceptions to help thwart the Spartans, while R.J. McNair supplied a team-high seven tackles and Bryson Walker had six tackles.SILVERTON 44, CRATER 14: At Silverton, No. 16-seeded Crater faced a tall task in keeping up with top-seeded Silverton, falling behind early to see the Comets’ season end with a 4-5 record.Crater had won three of its last four games to earn the final at-large berth in the 5A state playoffs, and earn consecutive trips to the 5A state playoffs for the first time since the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.Silverton improved to 8-2 overall.CASCADE 56, ASHLAND 14: At Keizer, Ashland junior Cole Iwamoto carved out a prolific receiving night but it wasn’t enough as fourth-seeded Cascade used a 28-0 run in the first half to separate from the 13th-seeded Grizzlies in the 4A first round at McNary High.Iwamoto pulled in a 13-yard TD pass on a fourth-down adjustment to trim Ashland’s deficit to 15-7 with about 2 ½ minutes to go in the first quarter. When he found the end zone again on a 21-yard TD pass from Colton Hernandez, it finally broke a string of scores by the Cougars (10-0) that included an 80-yard kickoff return by Josiah Hawkins.Cascade, which has been No. 1 in the 4A coaches poll throughout the season, opened the scoring with a blocked punt by Jay Erickson that was scooped up by Travis Conklin for a 22-yard special teams return.The Grizzlies were making their first state playoff appearance in three years.ST. PAUL 30, ST. MARY’S 8: At St. Paul, St. Mary’s junior quarterback Mason James tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Zeke Beitler and completed 17 of 27 passes for 171 yards as the Crusaders made their 2A state playoff return after a four-year hiatus.James also ran 14 times for 55 yards to try and spur the 14th-seeded Crusaders (6-4), while Sam Soter made four receptions for 72 yards and Isaiah McFarlane had five catches for 38 yards.St. Paul (9-1), the No. 3 seed, was able to limit the running attack of Beitler to 16 yards on eight carries to help control the line of scrimmage in a contest played at the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds.Reach sports editor Kris Henry at kris.henry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035</div></body>

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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Senior darts for 97-yard TD to turn tide in 6-score effort vs. Marist; Crater, Ashland, St. Mary’s fall in openers. With potential disaster averted, top-seeded Cascade Christian did what any team worth a salt would do, and turned to their senior superstar in Bryson Walker.

PREP FB: Walker wows to begin Cascade Christian’s playoff run

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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Senior darts for 97-yard TD to turn tide in 6-score effort vs. Marist; Crater, Ashland, St. Mary’s fall in opene

PREP FB: Walker wows to begin Cascade Christian’s playoff run

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