Sunset football will lean on an experienced line in 2024

Last year was an interesting year for the Sunset High School football team.

After what would likely have been described as a mediocre start to the season, the Apollos strung together six straight wins en route to a 34-21 win over South Medford in the Columbia Cup championship game to end the year.

In what was just its second year, the Columbia Cup consisted of Oregon 6A teams ranked 17-32 and was designed with the idea of allowing more teams a memorable playoff experience. While reaction to the secondary bracket has been mixed, Sunset head coach Damien Merrick said it was hard to find anything wrong with the experience his team and players were afforded as part of their championship run.

“These kids love each other, and they love playing with each other, and they just look at it for what it is,” Merrick said following his team’s 2023 win over South Medford. “After losing to Jesuit and Mountainside, they realized some things had slipped away, so they embraced this. They got to play four more games and spend four more weeks with each other, so how can that be bad?”

This year, however, is a new year, and with new years come new challenges.

The 2024 Apollos are tasked with replacing first team all-league quarterback and second team all-league kicker and punter Drew Nees, who graduated and is playing football at California Lutheran University this fall.

Sunset will also be without first team all-leaguers in tight end and linebacker Blake Hurley and receiver and defensive back Derek Craigwell. A couple of second-teamers are also gone in center Jackson Fox and defensive back Griffin Jevning.

But the cupboard is far from bare for the Apollos who return six starters on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, including up front where they’re anchored by returning all-leaguers in senior Adrian Machic, junior Alex Esuk, senior Miles Rice, junior Tony Semchuk and senior Quinn Wilson.

Rice and Machic started all 13 games on the offensive line last season, while Wilson, Esuk and Semchuk accounted for a combined 80 tackles from their defensive line positions in 2023.

“I believe the strength of our team, currently, is our front kids on both offense and defense,” Merrick said.

That offensive line will be blocking for returning second team all-league running back Owen Scholes who led last year’s team in rushing, accounting for 917 yards and eight touchdowns.

Scholes is also expected to help anchor the defense at linebacker as well.

They’ll also be protecting a new quarterback, who could end up being senior Andrew Knight who was a valued contributor on both offense and defense early last season before being sidelined due to injury.

“He played safety and tight end for us and will be huge again on both sides of the ball,” Merrick said. “A true leader for us and will be in the mix in the quarterback battle.”

Other players Merrick believes will be valued contributors this season include but aren’t limited to; senior receiver/defensive back Macklin Petitt; senior tight end/linebacker Calvin Emms; senior receiver/defensive back Max Waldrip; senior receiver/defensive back Matthew Lohman; senior lineman Chad Duchek; senior quarterback/receiver/defensive back Gavin Riley; senior running back/linebacker Nathan Kim; and senior receiver/defensive back Chris Richardson.

In the end, much of the Apollos’ success will be dependent on how quickly they can acclimate new starters to the varsity game. But while the experience may not be there, the talent is — and that has Merrick encouraged by their prospects.

“We lack experience at the quarterback position and in our defensive backfield,” Merrick said. “But we have a lot of young players that are more than capable, but just lack experience.”

Sunset opens the season against Lake Oswego on Friday, Sept. 6, at Sunset High School.