Aloha earned a spot in the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) 5A football coaches poll for the first time this season, landing at No. 9 with a 6-1 record.
The Week 7 poll, published Oct. 19 by OSAAtoday writer John Tawa, listed the Warriors with 18 voting points. Aloha was unranked the previous week and replaced Roseburg, which dropped out at 5-2.
The ranking is a milestone for a program that emerged from a 27-game losing streak three years ago and hasn't qualified for the playoffs in seven years, as The Oregonian reported in early October.
The coaches poll does not affect postseason seeding. The OSAA uses its own RPI and Colley ratings to determine playoff brackets, and the poll exists strictly for discussion, according to the disclaimer on the page.
The Warriors kept winning after the poll dropped. Aloha beat Hillsboro 49-14 at home on Friday, Oct. 23, in a league game, improving to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in Class 5A Special District 3 play, according to MaxPreps. The Warriors sit second in the league standings.
Senior quarterback Jason Kwasnik has accumulated 1,418 total yards this season. He ranks ninth in Oregon with 1,425 passing yards, according to MaxPreps statewide leaders. Senior receiver Luca Blanchet has 551 receiving yards, 11th in the state, and 11 total touchdowns, 10th statewide. On defense, senior cornerback Wyett Hooper has four interceptions, tied for 12th in Oregon, and senior linebacker Gabe Giannola leads the team with 4.6 tackles per game and four sacks.
Head coach James Mitcham's squad faces its biggest remaining test on Friday, Oct. 30, when Aloha travels to No. 6 Wilsonville for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Wilsonville sits at 5-2 and received one first-place vote in the same coaches poll. A win would give Aloha a 5-0 district record heading into the postseason.
The Warriors' only loss came Sept. 25 at Glencoe, 35-28. Since then, Aloha has rattled off four straight wins: a 39-36 comeback over Forest Grove, a 51-32 win over Liberty, a 31-28 victory against Canby and the 49-14 rout of Hillsboro.
In the Oct. 16 Canby game, Kwasnik threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns while Blanchet hauled in 12 catches for 135 yards and three scores, according to The Oregonian's player-of-the-week nominations.
Aloha's Oct. 30 trip to Wilsonville is the regular-season finale for both teams.
