So many words and yet no words: West Linn closes in on TRL title with awe-inspiring rout of previously undefeated Tigard

“It’s really just like poetry out there.”

By Alex Tam | Photos by Dan Brood  

WEST LINN — West Linn senior quarterback Sam Leavitt used the word “surreal.”

His teammate, senior Mark Hamper, called it “electric.” 

And there are for sure dozens more adjectives to describe the Lions’ jaw-dropping start to Friday’s Three Rivers League contest with the outright first-place standing on the line.

For the first eight-and-a-half minutes, No. 2 West Linn was nearly flawless on both sides of the ball and in a blink of an eye, raced out to a 28-point lead. Behind an offense that appeared virtually unstoppable and a swarming defense that was impenetrable, the Lions cruised to a stunning 63-14 victory over No. 6 Tigard at West Linn High School.

With the win, West Linn (6-1 overall, 3-0 TRL) grabbed sole control of first place in the league with two games left. Tigard (6-1, 2-1) dropped into a tie for second place with Lake Oswego (5-2, 2-1).

“We just showed what our team can do,” Leavitt said. “I don’t know if it means too much. This is just what we do. We’ve got to stick to what our coaches have been telling us since Day 1, and I think we can put 50 on any team in a half.”

It didn’t take long for West Linn to get started and accumulate its video game-like numbers.

On the Lions’ first play from scrimmage, Leavitt found junior tight end Gus Donnerberg streaking down the middle of the field for a 71-yard touchdown — just 25 seconds into the contest.

After a three-and-out, Leavitt led a two-minute drive that culminated in his eight-yard touchdown run.

West Linn’s defense forced another three-and-out before Leavitt connected with Hamper on their first of four touchdown completions — this one that spanned 65 yards on the second play of the series. The Lions got the ball back again and scored their fourth touchdown after Leavitt found junior wide receiver Wiley Donnerberg on a nine-yard slant.

With 3:30 left in the first quarter, the scoreboard read: West Linn 28, Tigard 0.

“It kind of felt surreal,” Leavitt said. “You’d expect it to be late in the second quarter, but we were just getting the ball back real quickly. Our defense was killing and giving us the ball, and I just got the ball to our playmakers and let them go crazy.” 

The Lions had accumulated 242 yards of total offense by that point — before Tigard could get its initial first down.

“I’d describe it in one word and that’s electric,” Hamper said. “That’s what I think our offense is. I feel like we have so many weapons as far as our receiving room and tight end room and running back room. You put it all together with Sam and the O-line, I just feel like we’re the best offense in the state when we’re clicking.

“That’s what happened to start the game, and we’ve just got to make sure we find ways to keep clicking like that.”

Tigard coach John Kemper described it as a “little bit of a shock” considering his team has been one of the best in the state in points allowed. Tigard entered Friday’s contest surrendering just 10.7 points per game.

The 63 points allowed to West Linn almost matched the number of points the Tigers allowed in their first six games combined (64).

“We’ve been fairly decent tackling and we just had a lot of missed tackles,” Kemper said. “We had guys not in places they should be defensively and not sustaining our blocks offensively. When you spot a team 28 that quick, it’s mentally — they’re high school kids and they’re going to start doubting, but you’ve just got to keep believing.”

Tigard’s best stretch of the game came immediately after. The Tigers answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with senior running back Konner Grant’s 1-yard dive to the end zone to begin the second quarter. 

After Tigard senior Austin Goetz held on for an interception off a tipped pass, the Tigers attempted to climb back in it. Grant’s halfback pass to junior Jake Feist, who slipped out of the backside, for a five-yard touchdown completion cut West Linn’s lead to 28-14 with 9:48 left in the first half. 

When it appeared to finally be a game, the Lions squashed any hope of a Tigard comeback with three more touchdowns over the final seven minutes of the second quarter.

Senior Koffi Kouame started the run with a five-yard rush up the middle for a 34-14 lead at the 7:12 mark. Leavitt and Hamper then connected on two more touchdowns, a 42-yard completion and a three-yard completion, to close the half with a 49-14 lead.

“It’s really just like poetry out there,” Leavitt said of his team’s offensive display. “It’s something special, and there are no words.”

Leavitt, a Washington State commit, was efficient and spectacular in completing 15 of 21 attempts for 353 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

Hamper finished with six catches for 166 yards and four touchdowns — the last one on an easy 30-yard pass that saw the 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver bounce and spin off defenders to reach the end zone on the second play of the third quarter.

Hamper continued his high praise for Leavitt, who transferred from Westview to West Linn during the offseason.

“Sam is one of my best friends,” Hamper said. “He just always helps me keep my head high and I trust him a lot. Every throw he throws to me, I’m just super confident that I’m going to be safe.

“We watch film together and he’ll be texting me throughout the week, stuff to work on in practice and it translates to the game. I’m just super blessed to play with a player like that. I think Sam is the best player in the state and he shows it every Friday.”

West Linn got one final score on senior running back Earl Ingle’s 41-yard scamper down the sideline for a 49-point lead with 1:45 remaining in the third. 

Kouame paced the running attack with seven carries for 44 yards. Gus Donnerberg led all receivers with two receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Wiley Donnerberg had two catches for 20 yards and a score.

Tigard will look to bounce back with Lake Oswego at home next Friday before finishing the regular season at Tualatin in the annual rivalry game Oct. 28.

Kemper said his biggest takeaway will be seeing how his players respond to adversity after their first loss of the season.

“You can’t look at any one game bigger than the next,” he said. “We had a lot of breakdowns, so the true tell will be how we respond.

“I just want to see our guys compete. Let’s not hang our heads. It’s one game in a long season.”

Tigard senior quarterback Brady Jordan completed 10 of 16 passes for 146 yards. Senior Luke Davis led the running game with nine carries for 37 yards. Grant, who entered the game as the TRL’s second-leading rusher, was limited to 13 carries for 23 yards by West Linn’s defense.

Junior receiver Nico Simonetti had six catches for 107 yards.

West Linn pushed its win streak to five games and will try to stay perfect in league play with two road contests left — at Lakeridge next Friday and at Oregon City on Oct. 28.

Leavitt said the challenge now is seeking “perfection” as much as they can on the field before the postseason begins. 

“We need to stay sharp,” he said. “There were a couple times where we got kind of lackadaisical. We let them come back into the game and it was 28-14. …

“We can’t have any mental sloppiness. We’ve got to continue to go through it this week in practice.”

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West Linn 63, Tigard 14

Tigard – 0 – 14 – 0 – 0 — 14

West Linn – 28 – 21 – 14 – 0 — 63

First quarter

11:52 WL - Gus Donnerberg 71 pass from Sam Leavitt (Gage Hurych PAT)

7:34 WL - Leavitt 8 run (Hurych PAT)

5:32 WL - Mark Hamper 65 pass from Leavitt (Hurych PAT)

3:30 WL - Wiley Donnerberg 9 pass from Leavitt (Hurych PAT)

Second quarter

11:17 T - Konner Grant 1 run (Nate Duenas PAT)

8:25 T - Jake Feist 5 pass from Grant (Duenas PAT)

7:12 WL - Koffi Kouame 5 run (PAT blocked)

5:35 WL - Hamper 43 pass from Leavitt (Hurych PAT)

0:21.5 WL - Hamper 3 pass from Leavitt (Wiley Donnerberg pass from Leavitt)

Third quarter

10:26 WL - Hamper 30 pass from Leavitt (Hurych PAT)

1:45 WL - Early Ingle 41 run (Hurych PAT)

STATISTICS

Passing: Tigard - Brady Jordan 10-16, 146, Konner Grant 1-1, 5, TD, Jake Feist 2-2, 13, Nate Duenas 0-1; West Linn - Sam Leavitt 15-21, 353, 6 TDs, INT, Nick Sakys 0-0

Rushing: Tigard - Luke Davis 9-37, Grant 13-23, Feist 5-27, Zach Klein 2-22, Jordan 1-2; West Linn - Earl Ingle 2-46, TD, Koffi Kouame 7-44, TD, Leavitt 3-39, TD, Eli Scott 4-28, Mark Hamper 1-17, Ben Winjum 2-16, Danny Wideman 1-4, Cal Royer 1-3, Lucas Gray 1-1

Receiving: Tigard - Nico Simonetti 6-107, Nate Duenas 1-22, Ethan Cate 1-17, Austin Goetz 2-8, Grant 1-8; West Linn - Hamper 6-166, 4 TDs, Gus Donnerberg 2-92, TD, Wiley Donnerberg 2-20, TD, Hunter Haines 1-32, Jackson Shelstad 1-19, Kouame 2-13, Baron Naone 1-5

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