Silverton won the Mid-Willamette Conference opener against Dallas 38-22 Sept. 15, breaking away from a 14-14 tie at half.
The Dragons couldn’t stop Hunter Meissner, who bolted for 191 yards and two touchdowns. The 190-pound junior had 63-yard and 37-yard scoring runs, simply out-distancing the Dallas secondary as defenders miscalculated their angle of pursuit.
Silverton quarterback Levi Nielsen, starting for his third season although still a junior, gave the Foxes poised leadership and solid passing. He completed 7 of 16 passes for 126 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
Dallas showed some fight in stopping Silverton on a fourth-and-goal run at the one-yard-line in the first quarter (though on the next play, Silverton recovered a fumble in the end zone).
The run-oriented Dragons are going to the air a little more often this year, and getting sporadic results. Quarterback Jaret Stewart went 4-10 for 62 yards, with one interception.
Still, on third or fourth down and long, they are likely as not to run.
With Silverton and three other NWC teams that were ranked ahead of Dallas going into the game, the Dragons will have a stiff challenge making the first division.
