The Burns Hilanders laid claim to the Special District 3 championship by beating Vale 26-6 on Friday, Oct. 26, at Vale High School.

With the win, the Hilanders improved to 3-1 in the league, tied with Vale and Nyssa. The three-way tie was decided by the OSAA rankings, that had Burns ranked fourth, Vale fifth, and Nyssa ninth, giving the Hilanders the title.

The game didn’t start well for Burns as they failed to get a first down after the opening kickoff and Vale blocked the punt attempt.

Starting at the Burns 22-yard line, the Vikings picked up a first down by penalty, and it was then that the Hilanders seemed to wake up.

Burns forced Vale out on downs, and took over at their own 4-yard line. Junior quarterback Mick Winn led the Hilanders on a 96-yard scoring drive, getting the touchdown on a 1-yard run by Winn. Zane Taylor put the extra-point kick through the uprights to give Burns a 7-0 lead with 4:19 left in the first quarter.

Vale began their next possession at their own 41, and picked up two first downs through the air. On second-and-15, the Hilanders’ Taylor intercepted the pass and returned it 85 yards for the score and a 13-0 Burns lead.

Vale scored their only touchdown on their next possession, getting a 21-yard TD pass from Colton Kesey to Clay Siddoway. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and Burns led 13-6.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Hilanders put together another scoring drive, this one covering 65 yards, and was capped off by a 20-yard pass from Winn to Josh Reagle. The two-point conversion failed, and Burns was up 19-6 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half.

The final score of the game came with 6:24 left in the game as Winn broke loose for a 57-yard run, sealing the victory. Taylor’s kick was good, and Burns came away with the 26-6 victory.

Winn completed nine of 14 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown, and he rushed for 186 yards on 25 carries and two scores.

Reagle added another 52 yards rushing on 11 attempts.

Taylor was the leading receiver, catching three passes for 64 yards, and Reagle had two receptions for 26 yards and one touchdown.

The Burns defense held Vale in check most of the night, giving up just 62 yards rushing and 179 yards passing.

Kesey completed 17 of 35 passes with one score and one interception. Kesey also led the team in rushing, with 54 yards on 14 carries.

Burns will host Hidden Valley in the first round of the OSAA 3A playoffs. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at Corbett Memorial field.

Hidden Valley finished the regular season 6-3 overall, 3-2 in league.