What’s better than 5-0?
The answer is 6-0, according to coach Josh Vanlue and the South Salem football program. A Mayor’s Cup trophy, too.
After losing the trophy representing Salem’s oldest high school football rivalry to North Salem last year, the South Salem football team reclaimed the hardware in a 51-35 win over the Vikings Oct. 2 in the 70th rendition of the rivalry game.
A year ago, the Saxons finished 0-9 on the season. They’ve started the 2026 OSAA season undefeated through five games and have the highest scoring offense in the state.
“I’m just so happy for our kids. It’s been a long two and a half years losing that many in a row,” Vanlue said. “For those seniors to stay together, the families and everything — to come out here and play a really dominant three quarters and get the trophy back means something to our school.”
Against North Salem Friday night, the Saxons put up their fourth 50-plus point game of the season. It’s been a long journey for a group of seniors who have been playing varsity football for nearly three seasons, but the offense has clicked and the Saxons have an unblemished record.
At the heart of the offense has been a trio of senior captains in quarterback Kellen Bowman and receivers Benjamin Greer and Samuel Johnson.
Through Week 4, Bowman led Class 6A in passing yards with 1,741, and touchdowns with 20. Greer was second in the classification in receiving yards (700) and Johnson was fourth (532). Greer also led the state in catches (50) and touchdowns (seven), while Johnson was tied for fourth in touchdowns (five).
Against North Salem, the Saxons’ eye-popping trio did no less eye popping.
Bowman completed 31-of-37 passes for 455 yards and seven touchdowns. Greer caught 15 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson caught six balls for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
“For those three all year, when we’ve needed a play they’ve made a play,” Vanlue said. “For them, especially in an age where everyone’s transferring, it would have been real easy for people to go somewhere else. They said they wanted to finish what they started here and I’m just so happy to see those three go and get the trophy along with the rest of their senior class.”
South Salem’s dynamic offensive trio has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses week in and week out by design.
Protected by an offensive line that digs in deep, Bowman often drops into the pocket with a five-wide formation and an arm ready to sling the ball to any one of his receivers.
“They make my job easy,” Bowman said of Green and Johnson. “Sometimes I just throw it and they make an unbelievable catch … it’s just the trust that we’ve built. They make my job easy by getting open and making plays.”
Greer and Johnson, who both pull double duty on the defensive side of the ball, always seem to find a way to either be open, create space or make a contested catch.
These are qualities that just come with time, experience and reps.
“Our offense has been outstanding,” Greer said. “Being stronger and being able to break a bunch of tackles has really helped in just knowing what we need to do every play. Being more a veteran has helped as well.”
‘Our house isn’t finished yet’
South Salem’s path to success started years ago when players like Bowman, Greer and Johnson jogged onto varsity football fields under the Friday night lights as sophomores.
The Saxons went a combined 2-16 over the previous two years, but it’s prepared this senior class for this final ride.
“Going from 0-9 to now we’re 5-0, no one’s been through what we’ve been through,” Bowman said. “This senior class, we’ve stayed together. Through the ups and the downs, last year we had some difficulties … it’s fun to do this with this group of guys.”
A metaphor floating around the field at every Saxons practice and game is that the journey of football is like building a house.
“We talk about building our house and our house isn’t finished yet,” Vanlue said after the North Salem win. “The roof got up this week, but we still have got a lot of project left to do to make sure our house is sturdy when the storm hits.”
It’s a mindset that prioritizes the details, cementing a strong base and building something beautiful.
“We’ve talked all season about building our house,” Bowman said, minutes after Vanlue referenced the metaphor. “Coach Vanlue always says hammer one nail at a time. Next play, next play, next play … Anytime wind comes, our house is going to stay strong and tonight it stayed strong.”
Because to South Salem, the house still isn’t built. There’s been success this fall but, as sports cliches go, the job’s not finished.
“This is the start of showing that we are for real,” Johnson said. “You get to midseason and it’s tough to keep going and keep continuing the process, but we’ve become obsessed with the process and every day we just work harder to get better. We truly are a family, we’re brothers, we play for each other instead of ourselves.”
Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, TikTok or Instagram @bartlelo.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: South Salem football reclaims Mayor’s Cup over North Salem
Read More