It was a tough Friday on the road for Madras White Buffalo athletes, who dropped both a football game and a soccer match this past weekend. Meanwhile, Culver’s cross country program is quietly becoming one of the stronger small-school outfits in the region, delivering standout performances at two major invitationals over the last two weekends.

Football: Buffalos Fall at Douglas

The Madras White Buffalos traveled south on Friday, September 19, for a road game against the Douglas Trojans — and came up short in what turned out to be Douglas’ widest winning margin of the season. Madras has faced a challenging early schedule, taking on several tough opponents away from home to open the fall campaign.

The Buffalos will look to regroup and build momentum as they head into the next phase of the 4A Skyline Conference schedule. Replays of the Douglas game are available through the NFHS Network.

Soccer: Sisters Hands Madras a 3-1 Defeat

On the soccer pitch, Madras also fell to the Sisters Outlaws, 3-1, on Friday. Sisters entered the match ranked higher in the state and backed up their billing with a dominant performance. Despite the scoreline, Madras managed to find the back of the net once — a sign the offense is developing as the season progresses.

Both the football and soccer squads return home this week for Jefferson County crowds.

Culver Cross Country: Strong Showings at Two Invitationals

The Culver Bulldog cross country team has had a busy and productive stretch, competing at two prestigious invitationals in the past two weeks.

At the Wolf Pack 5K in Bend on September 12, the Bulldogs placed sixth out of nine teams in a field that included powerhouse programs Summit, Caldera, Bend High, and Mountain View. Junior Brogan Weaver led Culver with a time of 17:34, placing in the top 20 overall. Other Bulldog finishers included Wyatt Neff (18:15) and Ethan Perez (21:05).

Madras runners also competed at the Wolf Pack meet. Notable White Buffalo finishes included Javen Struck (18:58), Julian Stwyer (19:35), and Jacob Hurd (19:43).

Then at the 56th Annual Oktoberfest Invitational at Silver Falls State Park on September 16 — one of the premier cross country meets in Oregon — Culver placed 11th out of 34 teams overall and fifth in the small schools division. Weaver delivered the performance of the day for the Bulldogs, finishing fifth in the small schools division with a blazing 17:08 and breaking his own school record previously set in Pendleton at district.

Key Culver finishes at Oktoberfest:

  • Brogan Weaver — 17:08 (school record, 5th small schools)
  • Wyatt Neff — 18:11 (14th)
  • Aiden Griffin — 20:20
  • Colin Hanvey — 20:54

The Bulldogs’ early-season results suggest a squad capable of making noise at the district and potentially state level come November. Check the Madras Bulletin for results as the cross country season continues.