10 things to know from Week 4 of Oregon high school football

Lakeridge gets statement win, Central improves to 4-0, new Central Catholic QB stays red-hot

Noah Blair helped Thurston notch its 40th consecutive victory in Midwestern League play. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The Oregon high school football season continued Friday with Week 4 action around the state.

Our predictions: How did we do?

Many teams that played in Week 0 took advantage this week to have a week off before the start of league play, meaning the schedule was a little lighter than usual, but there were still plenty of games to highlight this week. Here are the best of the bunch.

10 things to know from Week 4

Lakeridge gets statement win over 5A champion Wilsonville to close nonleague play

Lakeridge coach Spencer Phillips gathered his offense around him for one final pep talk before it took the field for its first play of Friday’s game at Wilsonville.

“Send a message,” he urged.

Phillips took so long that the Pacers drew a delay of game penalty, and while lined up, junior running back Ansu Sanoe saw something that annoyed him.

“It was supposed to be a run play at first, but we saw the coverage they were in and felt really disrespected,” Sanoe said. “We were like, ‘Hey, you can’t play us like that!’”

So, from their 19-yard line, the Pacers changed to a go route on the outside, and Marcus Post blew by the cornerback and caught a perfectly lofted ball from lefty quarterback Drew Weiler for an 81-yard score.

With that message delivered, the Pacers went on to build a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 34-9 victory over the defending 5A state champion Wildcats.

“We came in here, and we dominated,” said senior defensive end Kayce Tinner. “We were making sure we’re communicating on every play, making sure everybody’s on the same page, and we got it done.”

Tinner’s strip sack of Wildcats quarterback Mark Weipert was recovered by Tai Tovey at the Wilsonville 1-yard line, with Sanoe cashing in the turnover on the next play for a 13-0 lead with 4:03 left in the first quarter.

Sanoe, a University of Washington commit, added a 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Weiler tossed a 10-yard touchdown to Turner Tropio late in the first half to cap the onslaught, and the Pacers enter Three Rivers League play next week 4-0.

“We never underestimate our opponent,” said Sanoe, who ran for 96 yards on 17 carries. “That’s a really good team, but we are, too, so when we come out here and play our game, just do our jobs, we know what the outcome could be.”

Central prepares for showdown with Wilsonville by rallying to beat South Albany

The team Wilsonville (3-1) will open district play against next week will arrive at Randall Stadium riding a wave of confidence.

Central improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2011 with a gutty 28-24 victory against South Albany, with Kao Phantern scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 34-yard run with 2:23 remaining to hand the RedHawks their first loss of the season.

Mason Vela returned a fumble he forced for a touchdown to put Central up 21-17 late in the third quarter. Sawyer Hallberg scrambled 27 yards to the end zone to give South Albany a 24-21 lead with 8:14 left. The Panthers got the ball back after forcing a punt with 3:56 remaining.

Ryan Perkins, who caught a first-down touchdown pass for the Panthers, batted away South Albany’s final desperation pass in the final 20 seconds to clinch the victory.

JT Girod was 11 of 18 for 185 yards and two touchdowns for Central, with Perkins catching four passes for 101 yards.

“We will be ready,” Central coach Joel Everett said of next week’s matchup with the Wildcats. “It will be a huge test on the road for our guys.”

Central Catholic quarterback still red-hot as Rams improve to 4-0

Central Catholic continued rolling through its Mt. Hood Conference rivals, winning for the 27th consecutive MHC game by defeating Clackamas 54-28 on Thursday night at Hillsboro Stadium.

Junior quarterback Robbie Long was 28 of 34 for 378 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for two scores. In his first four games since taking over for three-time MHC offensive player of the year (and last year’s 6A offensive player of the year) Cru Newman, Long has completed nearly 76% of his passes (66 of 87) for 823 yards and 13 touchdowns.

His two favorite targets were usual suspects Landon Kelsey (eight catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns) and D’Marieon Gates (eight catches for 112 yards and two scores).

The Rams won despite a big night from Cavaliers quarterback Dylan Brower, who was 26 of 50 for 303 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Grants Pass pulls out last-minute victory over South Salem to get to 3-1

Last year, Grants Pass won just two games. Now, the Cavemen are 3-1 after a wild 55-54 South Central Football Conference home win over South Salem.

“It’s a great feeling,” Cavemen coach Brad Page said. “These kids are so bought-in and have played all four quarters of every game. We have a ton of confidence and are just focused one game and one play at a time.”

The Saxons took a 54-48 lead with about four minutes left but missed the PAT. Grants Pass answered with the winning drive, as Jordan Rossetta found Isaac Johnson on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left and Parker Roberts converted the point-after try.

Wells gets leg up in PIL title race by defeating top challenger Roosevelt

Wells took early control of the PIL championship race with a 24-15 victory over Roosevelt in Southwest Portland.

Wyatt Andler ran for two touchdowns, and Sauvi Coon returned a fumble 48 yards for another score as the defending champion Guardians built a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Roughriders answered with a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Caelan Riley with 1 minute left in the third quarter, but Wells held the ball for almost nine minutes on its next possession, then held on fourth down at its 6-yard line with 2:10 left to seal the win.

Glencoe rides big game from junior RB to win at La Salle Prep

Junior Daniel Heninger rushed for 255 yards on 41 carries, including a 43-yard run with 45 seconds left that put Glencoe ahead to stay as the Crimson Tide knocked off La Salle Prep 27-20 in Northwest Oregon Conference play in Milwaukie.

“Our front seven did a fantastic job sticking to our game plan and communicating our adjustments that we needed to make,” Crimson Tide coach Ian Reynoso said. 

“La Salle and us went blow for blow. It was one of those awesome games where the team that ended with the ball had a chance to win.”

The Falcons nearly pulled it out, driving to position for a potential tying score before a final pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

“They are a big and physical team,” La Salle Prep coach Dustin Janz said. “We played extremely hard, and I’m very proud of the toughness and perseverance our kids played with.”

Thurston earns 40th consecutive league victory the hard way at Roseburg

Cruz Gray scored on a short run to break a 24-24 tie, and Thurston stopped Roseburg in the red zone with 15 seconds left to survive for a 31-24 win and notch its 40th consecutive Midwestern League victory.

Roseburg held tough thanks to a big night from quarterback Corey Kimball, who ran for three touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter.

The Colts held Roseburg to a tying field goal midway through the final quarter, then went to work. Noah Blair connected with David Macdonald on a long pass to set up Gray’s winning touchdown.

Philomath posts shutout of The Dalles to hit 4-0 for first time in past 11 years

Philomath improved to 4-0 for the first time since going 11-0 and reaching the 4A state semifinals in 2013 with a 56-0 romp over The Dalles.

Caleb Russell threw for 365 yards and seven touchdowns, with Hudson Robb and CD Nuno catching two scoring passes each.

“We have five guys we can throw the ball to that can score from anywhere,” Warriors coach Alex Firth said. “Our defense played lights-out and shut down their run game. The kids put in a lot of work in the summer and 7-on-7, and it’s paying off.”

Santiam Christian wins PacWest showdown with previously unbeaten Amity

Santiam Christian spoiled Amity’s best start since the 2018 season by going on the road and defeating the Warriors 28-20 to improve to 2-0 in PacWest Conference play.

The Eagles took the lead in the final minute of the third quarter, then iced the victory with a touchdown with 1:46 remaining.

“We knew they would be tough to beat, especially at their place and being 3-0,” Eagles coach Justin Carley said. “Offensively, the guys really wanted to finish that last drive with a statement score, and they did. 

“It’s always fun to win a rivalry game, especially on the road.”

Prairie City holds on late to defeat defending 1A six-man champion Echo

Prairie City erased a 30-26 halftime deficit to defeat defending  1A six-man champion Echo 45-43 in a matchup of unbeaten teams in Eastern Oregon.

After the Panthers took the lead for good late, JW Haskins broke up three consecutive deep passes to deny the Cougars a winner.

“We had to show some grit tonight,” Prairie City coach Nick Thompson said. “Echo presents a lot of challenges on both sides of the ball. We had an outstanding effort from our offensive front, which allowed our backs to have opportunities to get to the second level.”

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