By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

STAYTON, Ore.–  Being number one in any sense gives you the biggest bulls-eye ever imagined.

The Stayton High School Boys Soccer team has two bulls-eyes, not just being number one in the 4A OSAA State, but also having the number one seed in the bracket coming out of the Oregon West Conference.

But, as Eagle Head Coach Chris Shields put it, number one is just a number.  They still have a job to do.

“Being number one is just a number,” he said.  “All the teams in the top 5 could be in our spot.  We need to approach each game as if it is our last because it is.”

Other teams in the top five include:  Sisters at number two, OWC-Rival North Marion at three, Henley fourth and North Bend at five.

The game plan is to reach the promise land, the OSAA 4A State Championship game.  Something they’ve done twice since 2010, winning in 2010.

Shields however, won’t let his team over look the next opponent, the next game, the next day because it could be the last time they can lace their cleats up in 2015.

“I would love to make it back to the championship and I think we can pull that off, but we need to focus on each game and not look beyond that,” said Shields.

With their opposition uncertain until Saturday night and their game not until Tuesday, Shields will not take it easy on his team.  The focus and energy needs to be there by game day.

“We won’t take it easy, we will practice like it is a normal week.  It’s a long time before we play, but we are excited about the opportunity to get this chapter of the season started”

Tuesday is still five days away for the number one team in the bracket, but you know they’ll be ready to play.

Stay tuned to the OSAA website for updates to the bracket Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Jeremy McDonald is a professional sports journalist in the Salem/Portland area and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalist in Oregon with B.S. degrees from Southern Oregon University in Journalism (2011) and Health/PE (2013).  Got a story idea? Email him at jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com or on Twitter at @J_McDonald81!