Few teams could go 4-4 in the regular season and be considered a championship contender. As long as Marist has Frank Geskie, they’ll be one of those teams. Geskie, 89-37 in 12 seasons at Marist, is the 19th winningest coach in the history of Oregon High School Football, and 5th among current coaches. In 2019, The Geskie lead Spartans will look to build off a season where they made the state quarterfinals.

The Spartans lose three honorable mention all-state selections in LB Jacob White, DB Matthias Collins, and DB Garrett Phelps. The Spartans graduated a total of nine seniors, big names returning include QB Max Campbell, WR/DB Hagan Stephenson, OL/DL Kenny Weber and TE/LB Michael Lee.

Last season the Spartans never lost a game to a team outside of the Top 5. Their five losses came to #1 Banks (twice), #3 Seaside, #4 Marshfield, and #5 Mazama. Four of those five losses came by two possessions or less as well, meaning Marist was a bounce here or there from finding themselves as a top 6 seed in the playoffs and playing a game at home, rather than 9th and ultimately ending their season at Banks in the 2nd round.  

The Spartans come into 2019 with an identical schedule to 2018, with only the home designation being switched. We believe they will go either 6-2 or 5-3. Tough games against Banks, Sweet Home, Cottage Grove, Mazama and Marshfield could prove to be a test for the young group, but with an experienced QB and WR core we believe they can compete for a league title. With Frank Geskie on the sideline, possibly a state title.