A Friday Night We Almost Missed

Dallas Dragons 17 — Silverton Foxes 14
October 16, 2026 | Dallas, Oregon

Sometimes the best memories come from things we never planned.

It was late Friday afternoon when my wife came home and mentioned something she had seen while driving through Dallas.

“I just saw a busload of football players coming into town,” she said.

Then she asked a simple question.

“Why don’t we go to a football game tonight?”

“Who’s playing?” I asked.

I knew our Dallas Dragons were having a terrific season, with a 5–1 record. But there was one team I particularly wanted to see them play: the Silverton Foxes, the defending Oregon Class 5A state champions.

Please be Silverton. Please be Silverton.

Sure enough, it was!

And just like that, our Friday evening plans were made.

The Stadium Comes Alive

We arrived at the Dallas High School stadium right around kickoff time.

The stadium had recently undergone some welcome renovations. Gone were the old wooden grandstands, with their uncomfortable seating and occasional splinters. In their place were newer composite seats and flooring, making the experience much more enjoyable.

One thing hadn’t changed: those big support poles holding up the roof. Depending on where you sit, they can block portions of the football field. You might see a play develop, only to have the action disappear behind a pole!

But this is Oregon, where a roof over your head during football season is worth a few obstructed views.

And what a crowd!

The grandstands were packed. We ended up sitting close to the student section, where the cheering, shouting, and excitement were practically nonstop. Silverton had brought plenty of supporters too, with people lining the fences around the field.

The high school band kept the atmosphere alive with familiar college fight songs, including music that reminded me of USC. The students were enthusiastic, the parents were cheering, and the whole stadium seemed to be buzzing.

At halftime, the local Pop Warner football youngsters received their own special recognition. It was wonderful seeing those little future football players sharing the spotlight with the high school athletes.

There was something special about watching an entire community come together for a Friday night football game.

And we hadn’t even reached the best part.

Ten Years in the Making

Silverton arrived with quite a reputation.

The Foxes were the defending state champions, sporting a 5–1 record and riding a five-game winning streak. They were accustomed to winning and scoring plenty of points.

Dallas was also 5–1, but Silverton seemed to carry that championship aura—a team that always found a way to win, even when things weren’t going its way.

And there was another interesting piece of history.

Dallas hadn’t beaten Silverton since 2016.

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dragons last celebrated a victory over the Foxes. An entire generation of high school players had come and gone.

During the eight years my wife and I have lived in the area, we’d never experienced a Dallas victory over Silverton.

But from the beginning, the Dragons showed they weren’t intimidated.

The Dallas defensive front played an outstanding game, repeatedly shutting down Silverton’s rushing attack. The Foxes simply couldn’t establish the kind of ground game they were used to.

Having watched football since I was in eighth grade, played the game myself, and spent years attending games as a season ticket holder, I’ve learned to appreciate a good defensive performance.

And Dallas was delivering one.

As the evening progressed, something remarkable was happening.

Dallas wasn’t merely hanging around with the defending champions.

Dallas was beating them.

Four and a Half Minutes From Glory

Late in the fourth quarter, with approximately four and a half minutes remaining, Dallas had built a 17–7 lead.

Ten points!

Against Silverton!

After watching the Dallas defense control much of the evening, it finally seemed safe to believe we were going to win.

The crowd was excited. We were excited.

Then came the kickoff.

Silverton received the ball, and suddenly one of its returners broke free.

He raced down the field, all the way into the end zone.

Touchdown, Silverton!

Just like that, our comfortable 17–7 lead had become a nerve-racking 17–14 advantage.

And the worst part?

The kickoff return had taken almost no time off the clock.

With several minutes still remaining, Silverton was very much alive.

Suddenly, that familiar championship aura seemed to be returning.

Here they come again.

The Longest Two Minutes

Silverton kicked off, and Dallas found itself starting deep in its own territory, around the 20-yard line.

All we needed was a couple of first downs. Keep the clock moving. Protect the football.

Simple enough, right?

Not quite.

Penalties began pushing the Dragons backward. Instead of advancing downfield, we seemed to be getting closer and closer to our own goal line.

From the stands, the anxiety was growing.

Eventually, Dallas had to punt from deep in its own territory.

The kick traveled only about 30 to 35 yards, leaving Silverton with excellent field position around the Dallas 35-yard line.

There were roughly two minutes remaining.

And now the defending champions had the ball, a short field, and all the momentum.

The Foxes began moving toward the end zone.

A few yards here. A few more there.

The Dallas defense kept fighting, but Silverton continued getting closer.

The crowd grew louder.

“DEFENSE! DEFENSE!”

All around us, students, parents, and longtime Dallas supporters were yelling with everything they had.

Silverton pushed the ball all the way down to approximately the Dallas three-yard line.

Three yards!

After an entire evening of fighting, the game was going to come down to the final seconds.

One Kick Away From Overtime

There were roughly 20 seconds remaining.

Fourth down.

Silverton lined up for a short field goal.

If the kick was good, the score would be tied 17–17, and we would likely be headed for overtime.

After everything Dallas had accomplished, after controlling Silverton’s running game and holding the defending champions to just 14 points, it seemed almost cruel that the game might slip away.

I remember thinking that Silverton just seemed destined to pull something off.

That’s what championship teams do.

They find a way.

The players lined up.

The crowd was roaring.

The ball was snapped.

And then—

BLOCKED!

The Dallas defense broke through and blocked the field goal!

For one magnificent moment, the entire stadium exploded.

Players rushed onto the field. Fans jumped to their feet. The shouting, cheering, and pure relief were unbelievable.

We had done it!

Or had we?

Even amid the celebration, there was still that little nervous thought:

Don’t fumble the ball. Don’t do anything foolish. Just run out the clock!

It took a few moments for the excitement to settle and the game to reach its conclusion.

And finally, there it was.

DALLAS DRAGONS 17

SILVERTON FOXES 14

FINAL.

A Victory Worth Waiting Ten Years For

Think about that.

Nearly a decade without defeating Silverton.

The defending state champions arriving with five consecutive victories.

A ten-point Dallas lead almost disappearing in the final minutes.

And then, with everything on the line, the Dragons’ defense making one last extraordinary play.

But the final score doesn’t tell the whole story.

It doesn’t describe the renovated grandstands overflowing with excited fans.

It doesn’t capture the high school band playing throughout the evening, or the hundreds of voices chanting for the defense.

It doesn’t show the little Pop Warner players watching their hometown heroes and perhaps dreaming of playing on that same field someday.

And it certainly doesn’t describe the feeling in your stomach when a ten-point lead disappears almost instantly, or the incredible relief when a last-second field goal gets blocked.

Those are the things you have to experience.

And we were fortunate enough to be there.

The Bus That Started It All

The funny thing is, none of this was planned.

Earlier that afternoon, my wife happened to notice a busload of football players arriving in Dallas.

She could have driven right past without mentioning it.

She could have come home, and we could have spent another ordinary Friday evening doing whatever we normally do.

But instead, she said:

“Why don’t we go to a football game?”

And because of that one little suggestion, we witnessed one of the most exciting high school football games I’ve seen in years.

A packed stadium.

A tremendous defensive performance.

A kickoff return that nearly changed everything.

A goal-line stand.

And a blocked field goal that sent an entire hometown into celebration.

Ten years of waiting. One blocked kick. One unforgettable Friday night.

Sometimes the best memories really are the ones we never planned.

And sometimes all it takes is a busload of football players, a spontaneous suggestion from your wife, and one unforgettable evening.

Dallas 17. Silverton 14.

We were there.

David L. Jackson — October 18, 2026