Jeff Hendrix

School: Santiam Christian.

Year: Senior.

Position: Kicker.

Height, weight: 6-0, 180.

Statistics: Hendrix kicked a 47-yard field goal to win the 3A state championship game. He was 55 of 57 on PAT kicks. He also had 1,205 yards and 15 touchdowns receiving and rushed for 624 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Honors: First-team all-PacWest Conference at kicker and receiver; PacWest Conference offensive back of the year; first-team Class 3A all-state at kicker; 3A co-offensive player of the year.

Jordan Lange

School: Santiam Christian.

Year: Junior.

Position: Linebacker.

Height, weight: 6-0, 175.

Statistics: Lange had 33 tackles, including 8.5 for loss, and one interception. He also scored seven touchdowns on offense.

Honors: First-team all-PacWest Conference at linebacker; PacWest Conference defensive back of the year; 3A state co-defensive player of the year.

Tyler Ropp

School: Santiam Christian.

Year: Senior.

Position: Tackle.

Height, weight: 6-5, 250.

Statistics: Scored a touchdown receiving on offense.

Honors: First-team all-PacWest Conference on offensive line and defensive line; PacWest defensive lineman of the year; first-team Class 3A all-state on defensive line.

Grant Schroeder

School: Santiam Christian.

Year: Junior.

Position: Quarterback.

Height, weight: 5-10, 160.

Statistics: Schroeder passed for 2,978 yards and 35 touchdowns with four interceptions on 144-of-265 (54 percent) passing and rushed for 527 yards and seven touchdowns on 101 carries.

Honors: First-team all-PacWest Conference at quarterback; first-team Class 3A all-state at quarterback.

Santiam Christian's 3A state football championship last month resulted in a strong showing on the all-state teams released this week.

The Eagles had nine different players named to the first team.

Santiam Christian senior Jeff Hendrix, a receiver and defensive back who kicked the winning field goal against Dayton as time expired in the state title game, was selected co-offensive player of the year along with Dayton's AJ Hedgecock.

SC junior Jordan Lange, a running back and linebacker, was named the co-defensive player of the year with Hayden Craig of Dayton.

Santiam Christian's Dave Lange was selected coach of the year.

Eagles on the first team offense were junior quarterback Grant Schroeder, senior receiver Anthony Alire, junior receiver Joe Pelley, junior lineman Cody Manzi and Hendrix at kicker.

On the first team defense were senior lineman Tyler Ropp, junior lineman TJ Hufanga and senior defensive backs Jon Faddis and Alex Hovelsrud.

Individual awards

Coach of the year: Dave Lange, Santiam Christian

Offensive players of the year: Jeff Hendrix, Santiam Christian, and AJ Hedgecock, Dayton

Defensive players of the year: Hayden Craig, Dayton, and Jordan Lange, Santiam Christian

Offensive lineman of the year: Mitch Staeffler, Rainier

Defensive lineman of the year: Skyler Emery, Nyssa

Read the entire list on www.democratherald.com by clicking the title above.

-KEZI CHANNEL 9 NEWS SPOT-

Santiam Christian kicker Jeff Hendrix kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to give the Eagles their first state championship Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium over Dayton.

Prolific kickers are not common at the high school level, but the Eagles used that unique weapon to finish off a state title run they could not one year ago.

After surrendering a 28-14 fourth quarter lead, the Eagles got the ball back with less than a minute to go to try to break the tie.

SC used a couple of plays to get the ball into Dayton territory before quarterback Grant Schroeder snuck one to the middle of the field to set up Hendrix.

Hendrix, who had rushed for two touchdowns up to that point, set up for the 47-yard attempt with two seconds left on the clock. His kick had plenty of distance and snuck just inside the right upright.

"Honestly, I didn't know until it went through because it was so close to the right said," Hendrix said of the kick.

"I just hoped for a good snap because I knew he would hit it," Santiam Christian head coach David Lange said. "I have faith in him, we practiced it every day."

Hendrix has already committed to play baseball at Oregon State next year, but there is a chance he might try out for the football team as well.

"I think they [the Beavers] have a kicker there if they want," Lange said with a smile.

HILLSBORO – Jeff Hendrix dropped a 46-yard field goal over the cross bar as time expired to lift #1 Santiam Christian to a 31-28 victory over #2 Dayton in the 2011 OSAA 3A championship game Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium. Hendrix’ heroic boot capped a thrilling back-and-forth game that saw the Pirates (12-1) come back from a late 28-14 deficit to tie the game despite turning the ball over five times to the Eagles (13-1). In a rivalry that stretches back to the former 2A West Valley League, these two programs battled literally to the end, giving a near capacity crowd plenty to cheer and cry about. The win gives Santiam Christian the school's first title in football after losing last year's championship game.

Exactly three months ago Santiam Christian and Dayton participated in the inaugural Pure Focus Kickoff Classic on a warm September afternoon at Hillsboro Stadium. The Eagles were matched against Rainier in a rematch of the 2010 3A title game, while Dayton was paired with defending 2A champion Scio. Fans of small class football were not surprised to see three of those four teams play in their respective championship games. Santiam Christian lost that afternoon to Rainier, 20-14, while Dayton snapped Scio’s 28-game win streak, 28-6. Both the Eagles and Pirates went undefeated from that point until they clashed three months later on a clean and brisk December afternoon.

Dayton and Santiam Christian high schools were separated in 2006 when the former West Valley League opponents were moved to different conferences by OSAA reclassification.

But the football teams have played at least once each season since.

Saturday's OSAA Class 3A state championship game, which will be held at 11 a.m. at Hillsboro Stadium, will be the sixth time in as many years the teams have played, but the first time they have met in the state playoffs.

Santiam Christian is 4-1 in those meetings, including a 28-14 win when they met early last season.

"I think the core group of kids are relatively the same," Santiam Christian coach Dave Lange said. "They're all a year older, a year stronger, a year smarter.

"I think there is some sense on each side that they know we can beat them and they know they can beat us. It's not an unknown so to speak."

In last year's game Grant Schroeder, then a sophomore, came in for the injured Brian Kessi at quarterback and completed 8 of 9 passes for 141 yards.

HILLSBORO - Jeff Hendrix kicked a 47-yard field goal in the final seconds of play Saturday afternoon to give Santiam Christian a 31-28 victory over Dayton in the 3A State Football Championship at Hillsboro Stadium.

It is the first state title in football for the Eagles, who finish the season at 13-1.

Hendrix produced 19 points for Santiam Christian. He scored on touchdown runs of 2 yards in the second quarter and 8 yards in the fourth quarter, and he kicked four PATs.

Quarterback Grant Schroeder got the Eagles on the board first with an 8-yard TD run with 7:51 left in the first half.

SC's Anthony Alire scored on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles get another shot at a state championship.

Santiam Christian High's football team defeated Cascade Christian 56-36 on Saturday in the semifinals of the 3A state semifinals at Cottage Grove High.

SC (12-1), which advances to play Dayton in the championship game Dec. 3 at Hillsboro Stadium, is in the state championship game for the second year in a row and third time overall.

"That's been our goal to get back there and take care of business this year," Santiam Christian quarterback Grant Schroeder said.

Dayton defeated 2010 champion Rainier 52-20 to advance.

SC senior receiver Jeff Hendrix rushed for four touchdowns - on carries of 77, 30, 12 and 14 yards - caught a 25-yard pass for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and had 275 all-purpose yards.

On the first offensive play of the game Hendrix took the ball on a sweep going right and sprinted 77 yards for the TD. Reese Schaffner's two-point conversion run gave the Eagles an 8-0 lead 25 seconds into the game.

Santiam Christian will be short-handed today against Nyssa in a 3A state quarterfinal at Adair Village.

Tyler Ropp, who was named the PacWest lineman of the year, is out for the season with a knee injury.

Fortunately for SC, several key playmakers are still healthy, including quarterback Grant Schroeder and wide receiver Jeff Hendrix. Both players were awarded first team All-PacWest honors.

Nyssa, the Eastern Oregon League champions, enters today's game with an undefeated record at 10-0, but the Bulldogs have not played a difficult schedule. Last week, Nyssa downed Creswell 52-7 in a play-in game.

The Bulldogs have a prolific offense and are averaging 54.5 points per game.

"(Nyssa) is a strong team. They are fast and I think they will give us a big challenge. We are going to have to bring our ‘A-game' to win," said Hendrix, who was the co-offensive back of the year in the PacWest.

Hendrix said the Eagles will not alter their offensive game plan if weather turns nasty in Adair Village.

"We are still going to try to pass it around. I guess we will see," chuckled Hendrix.

SC coach Dave Lange believes the Eagles are prepared to handle the weather. Earlier this year, SC's offense functioned well during downpours against Toledo and Jefferson.

"We are fortunate because we have played in a lot of wet games. We have already played in wet and windy conditions," Lange said.

Nyssa had the ball second-and-goal at the Santiam Christian 5 with 1:01 left and the Eagles holding on to an 18-14 lead in a state 3A quarterfinal game on Saturday at SC.

Nyssa quarterback Austin Wagstaff tried to hit Reb McDaniel in the end zone, but SC defensive back Alex Hovelsrud stepped in front for the interception that sealed the win for the Eagles.

No. 1 Santiam Christian (11-1) will play Cascade Christian next week in the semifinals.

"The last pick was a one-on-one play for me against (McDaniel)," Hovelsrud said. "I knew he was going to get the ball so I just had to make a play on the ball, otherwise our season was done."

It was Hovelsrud's third pick of the day.

It allowed the Eagles to run out the clock, but the first two allowed the Eagles to win.

The first he returned 17 yards for a touchdown to get the Eagles within 14-12 with 1:03 to go in the third.

"I just read (Wagstaff's) eyes, he was really telegraphing, so I just stepped in front and took it to the house. Got us six, so it was really exciting."

Dave Lange and his coaching staff have had to get creative this season.

That continued Friday night as Santiam Christian rolled to another win, this time a 66-0 victory in the rain against visiting Corbett in an OSAA 3A football round-of-16 game.

"It is tough because your kids work so hard and then your kids get two quarters a week," said Lange, whose team scored 30 points in each of the first two quarters Friday and held Corbett (3-7) to 123 yards of offense.

Since a 20-14 season-opening loss to Rainier, the Eagles have won 10 straight games all by 36 points or more.

They've allowed more than seven points just twice and have five shutouts.

Not surprisingly, they find their best competition Monday through Thursday.

"We go really hard in practice. Coaches expect a lot out of us," said senior running back and defensive back Alex Hovelsrud, who scored on a 17-yard run and a 40-yard interception return.

SC moves on to the quarterfinals next weekend to host the winner of today's game between Creswell and Nyssa.

Santiam Christian relied on its passing game early and often as they defeated Toledo 52-16 in a PacWest conference contest.

“We just decided to work on our passing game, and get some execution going early, fortunately we were able to do that,” said Santiam Christian coach David Lange.

Santiam Christian’s Grant Schroeder threw three first quarter touchdowns while finishing 9 for 16 with 169 yards and one interception.

The Eagles defense was able to stall the Toledo offensive attack throughout the game.

“We were playing solid defense in all phases and that has been our theme all year,” Lange said.

The Eagles know they have more work to do in preparation for the playoffs.

“We’ve just got to get better and be fundamentally sound for the playoffs,” Lange said.

Santiam Christian’s (9-1, 7-0 PacWest) play-in round opponent will be determined over the weekend.

Santiam Christian 52, Toledo 16

Santiam Christian 46, Jefferson 0

The Eagles held Jefferson to negative 3 yards of total offense and Grant Schroeder connected with Jeff Hendrix twice on touchdown throws in the PacWest Conference game at Adair Village.

Jefferson managed 15 yards passing, but had minus 18 yards rushing.

Schroeder completed seven passes to four different receivers for 175 yards. Hendrix had four catches for 133 yards.

The Eagles (8-1, 6-0) play at Toledo next Friday, while Jefferson (1-8, 0-6) will host Harrisburg.

Santiam Christian 46, Jefferson 0

There were plenty of "atta boys" in the Santiam Christian huddle after the game and for good reason.

The Eagles spread the ball around and allowed visiting Blanchet just 111 yards of offense in a 49-0 win to open PacWest Conference football play.

Seven different players scored for Santiam Christian and three ran for more than 50 yards in a game that included a running clock the final 21-plus minutes due to the 45-point rule.

"We're just trying to get better every week. It's coach speak, but it's true," said Eagles coach Dave Lange.

The Eagles have outscored their last three opponents 164-20.

HILLSBORO – In a rematch of the 2010 3A title game, Rainier (Lewis & Clark League) defeated Santiam Christian (Pac West), 20-14, in the second of four games in the inaugural Pure Focus Kickoff Classic at Hillsboro Stadium on a warm Saturday afternoon. The last game either team played was last December 4, on the same artificial turf – albeit with air temperatures 50 degrees colder.

In large part, this game was one of contrasts, ranging from style of play even to uniforms. Rainier came out decked in all black with green helmets, while SC wore its road white tops

Santiam Christian plays a hurry-up spread offense that was surprisingly effective against Rainier. The result of this clash in style and talent was an entertaining first half but a scoreless second half.

Brycen Stutzman helped lead the West team to a 20-6 win in the 59th-annual Oregon East-West Shrine Game in Baker City on Saturday.

"It was really cool. I have never been a part of a team with so many athletes, and it was a lot of fun to bond with them," said Stutzman, who graduated from Santiam Christian in June.

Stutzman had a four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put the West on the board.

"It was pretty cool (to score) because we had been shut out for the first half," Stutzman said.

Stutzman was the 3A co-offensive player of the year and is attending Oregon State next fall, but will not play football.