What we learned in Week 9 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during the final week of the regular season

By René Ferrán 

Photos by Taylor Balkom and Aaron Yost 

The Oregon high school football regular season wrapped up last weekend with Week 9 action around the state.

Complete Week 9 recap

Here’s what stood out during the final week of the regular season.

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Century proves its mettle down the stretch to secure Pacific Conference’s final playoff spot

Two weeks ago, Century found itself winless in Pacific Conference play and very much on the outside of the Class 6A playoff picture.

Today, the Jaguars find themselves prepping for their Columbia Cup first-round game against Westview, very much alive in the postseason after beating McMinnville 26-22 to grab the conference’s final automatic berth.

“We knew going into each game that it’ll come down to execution,” coach Danny Kernan said. “This is an area that we have struggled with earlier this year. These past two weeks, we have executed in all three phases of the game.”

That execution showed in the second half against McMinnville, when the Jaguars held the Grizzlies to a field goal, then marched for the go-ahead score with 1:42 remaining on Elijah Garcia’s second touchdown run. The special teams completed the comeback by forcing a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Jaguars to run out the clock.

“When it comes to the pressure, the end of the McMinnville game showed that the kids aren’t afraid of it,” Kernan said. “It just shows right now, we are a complete football team.”

Garcia finished with 158 yards and two touchdowns against the Grizzlies — his sixth 100-yard game this season, giving him 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“He has been our workhorse all year, and our offense goes with him,” Kernan said. “Our offensive line has gotten better every week. I’m really proud of that group.”

The defense also has solidified around a couple of junior linebackers, Nolan Stewart (team-high 95 tackles, 10 for loss) and Ethan Wedel (69 tackles, team-high 11 for loss), while senior defensive end Tyler Sagapolu has a team-high eight sacks and five hurries.

That defense will face a stiff test this week against the Wildcats and 6A rushing leader Jordan Fisher (1,781 yards, 24 touchdowns), a senior who won the regular-season rushing title with 309 yards and five touchdowns in their season-ending victory over Sunset.

In years past, the Jaguars would be prepping for a first-round matchup against top seed West Linn, but the OSAA changed the 6A postseason format this year, breaking off the top 16 teams into the championship bracket and creating the Columbia Cup for seeds 17-32.

Kernan said his team isn’t disappointed about missing the chance at competing for a state title — as improbable as it would seem for a No. 32 seed (0-8 all-time in OSAA playoff games) to win one.

“These kids have worked hard all year to get to this point,” he said. “As a group, we get one more guaranteed week together, and we’ll do everything we can to earn another one. We are extremely excited for the opportunity. Not every team is able to have an opportunity like we do, and we’ll try to make the most of it.”

Hood River Valley wins twice in 5-day stretch to make 5A playoff field

Like Century, Hood River Valley entered Week 8 having lost three consecutive games yet knowing that back-to-back wins would propel the team to the postseason.

Sure enough, the Eagles pulled the trick. They defeated Centennial in a rare high school edition of Monday Night Football, then traveled to Forest Grove on Friday and won a wild 41-40 game against the Vikings to claim the Northwest Oregon Conference’s final 5A playoff berth.

“Having an opportunity to play into the playoffs was an awesome way to give Week 9 something to play for,” coach Caleb Sperry said. “We had some injuries during that stretch, but we were also very close to winning the games outside of Wilsonville (in Week 5). So, our team has been right there all season. The opportunity to get in was definitely motivation.”

The lead in Friday’s game changed hands several times, with the Eagles building a 34-26 advantage early in the fourth quarter, only to watch the Vikings retake the lead 40-34 with 4½ minutes left.

They pinned Hood River Valley on its 10-yard line on the ensuing kickoff, but Davis Parr hit running back Shaw Burns in the flat and watched Burns do the rest on a 90-yard touchdown that tied the score with 4:18 remaining. Jerry Serrano made the PAT kick to put the Eagles back ahead.

The Vikings had two opportunities to retake the lead. The first ended with a red-zone fumble, and after returning a punt to the Hood River Valley 19-yard line with one second left, their last-gasp chance ended with a drop in the end zone.

The thrilling win qualified the Eagles for the playoffs for the second year in a row — the first time they’ve advanced in consecutive seasons since 2002-04 — and highlights “a ton of progress in our program and with a lot of young players,” Sperry said. “We have a lot to look forward to in the future.”

Among those prospects are Parr, a sophomore who last week threw for a career-high 344 yards and four touchdowns, and junior running back/linebacker Ethan Rivera, who Sperry said “literally never comes off the field. He gets important offensive contributions as Shaw’s backup and lead blocker, and he is a top tackler on our team.”

Hood River Valley’s reward for beating Forest Grove is a long bus ride to Central Oregon, where the Eagles will meet top seed Summit, which capped an undefeated Intermountain Conference season with a 35-0 victory over Caldera — the Storm’s second shutout in the past three weeks.

“We respect Summit and the football team that they are,” Sperry said. “But we will prepare for them just as we have all teams on our schedule. We will focus on what we can control and compete hard in this awesome opportunity.”

‘I had no clue it was a state record.’ Crescent Valley QB sets 2 in season finale

Thursday’s Mid-Willamette Conference finale between Crescent Valley and Dallas didn’t figure to be that memorable.

The Raiders entered 1-7, closing out a disappointing season by facing a Dragons team that needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Dallas got that needed victory, outlasting the Raiders 79-71 in a game that broke the state record for combined points and propelled the Dragons to the postseason when West Albany lost the following night to McKay.

Crescent Valley junior quarterback Rocco McClave also made history with a passing night for the ages, breaking state records for passing yards (654) and touchdowns (10).

“In the moment, I knew I was putting up a lot of points,” McClave said. “But I wasn’t really focused on my stats. I was just focused on giving us the best opportunity to win. I had no clue it was a state record.”

McClave moved to 15th place on the all-time national list for passing yards and tied for second for touchdown passes in a game.

“The game was a track meet,” said Rocco’s dad and Raiders coach Andrew McClave. “We were not able to slow their run game down one bit. Our defense has been less than stellar all year for various reasons, and we need to make huge growth in that area next season. So, we simply were executing the game plan offensively and had to score every possession — we had to keep pace.”

Zayvian Webster and Isaiah Mosley each ran for three touchdowns for the Dragons, who held leads of 51-33 and 79-55 in the second half.

Each time, Rocco McClave had an answer. He threw five touchdown passes to Luey Campos (11 catches for 313 yards) and four to Walker Still (eight catches for 216 yards), and his final touchdown pass drew the Raiders within one score with 1:14 left.

The Dragons recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

“Unfortunately, we lost, but I think it did end for us on a good note, showing how good we really are,” Rocco McClave said. “We just struggled to put that together on the field sometimes. But it was a pretty cool way to end the season. Now, I’m just going to try to beat it next year.”

“As his dad, I have had plenty of practice separating myself as Coach and Dad,” Andrew McClave added. “Looking back, I am really proud of him. Simple as that. Being able to put a game together like that is memorable, and his team will have that forever.

“The best part was Rocco was able to get the ball out under pressure, extend plays when needed, and was throwing darts all over the place. Rocco has done the work and improved each week, and our receiving corps in the last month has kept getting better. It only would have been better with a win, but hats off for the elite performance.”

McClave finished the season completing 172 of 277 passes (62.1%) for 2,704 yards, 29 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder might not have made many waves on the recruiting circuit last summer, but he’s hopeful that his big junior season will draw looks from college coaches this offseason.

“I worked a lot in the offseason in the gym and on the field, and this showed me that hard work pays off,” he said. “It just makes me want to work even more. Same with the team.”

Crook County brings ‘A game’ when it counts to end 7-year playoff drought

Before the season, Crook County coach Pard Smith said his team would “dang-sure have to bring our A game every week” to compete in a bulked-up Greater Oregon League.

While the Cowboys didn’t always succeed in that goal, they did so when it counted the final two weeks. They defeated Baker 48-31 in Week 8 and Madras 28-0 on Friday to secure the GOL’s final 4A state playoff berth and end a seven-year playoff drought.

“Making the playoffs is a huge deal for our team, the program and the community,” Smith said. “The boys were super excited that we reached our first goal.”

The victory over the Bulldogs was especially impressive. They entered the game in the top 10 in the OSAA rankings, but Smith believed his team matched up well with them.

“We were able to limit their explosive plays and run the football effectively,” he said. “We also got three interceptions and returned two for touchdowns.”

Still, the Cowboys entered Week 9 needing not only to beat Madras but to get help from Pendleton to make the playoffs. If Baker could beat the Buckaroos, it would forge a three-way tie for second place, and the Cowboys would miss the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

Instead, the Buckaroos won 49-7, leaving Baker at No. 10 as the highest team in the OSAA rankings not to make the playoffs at any classification.

“Our football team has the mindset to focus on the things we can control,” Smith said. “So, for us, our focus was on having a great week of practice and beating Madras. We approached the game feeling like if we won, we were in. I didn’t hear the Baker-Pendleton score until after the game.”

Now, they make the 172-mile drive down U.S. Highway 97 to Klamath Falls, where they’ll face No. 4 seed Henley, which rebounded from its first loss of the season to defeat North Bend 55-24 and secure a playoff spot.

The last time Crook County made the playoffs, it made the same long drive, falling at Mazama in 2015. It was the sixth consecutive playoff loss for the Cowboys, whose last postseason win came in the 1984 Class AAA state final, beating Lakeridge 28-6 for the last of the school’s three championships.

“Henley is a good football team and plays with great effort,” Smith said. “They have a very explosive quarterback (senior Shaw Stork) and a balanced attack. We need to limit explosive plays and continue to focus on the things we can control.”

‘Many successes to be proud of.’ Ontario back in postseason following 3-year ordeal

The last three seasons have been quite an ordeal for Ontario.

In 2019, the Tigers went winless after their coach resigned three weeks into the season, yet still qualified for a 4A play-in game to the state playoffs — but had to forego the opportunity because of injuries that left them with just 15 available players.

They went 1-4 during the COVID spring 2021 season and 1-6 in the fall campaign, qualifying the program to drop this season to 3A.

“Yes, the last three seasons have been tough for our program, but each year, we’ve made strides in the right direction,” said Greg Simmons, who took over as interim coach in 2019 before getting the job full-time the next season.

“That doesn’t always mean wins and losses, and for those three seasons, that meant a ton of losses. But it also meant opportunities to learn from our quality opponents and the mistakes we could fix. It also meant goal-setting, recognizing the kind of program we wanted to become and the success we wanted to achieve.”

So, perhaps there’s a bit of poetic justice in Ontario advancing to the postseason this fall for the first time since 2018. The Tigers defeated Nyssa 44-14 on Friday to secure their spot in the 3A playoff field as runner-up in the Eastern Oregon League.

“Winning a 3A league championship was a goal of ours this year, and although we fell short of that, we achieved a second goal, which was to make the playoffs,” Simmons said. “We’re extremely proud of our kids for that accomplishment. Many successes this season to be proud of.”

Simmons also was proud of watching his team adjust to Nyssa’s defensive scheme, which caused the Tigers problems in the first half. He had several players step into new starting roles, but after halftime, they solved the Bulldogs defense and pulled away.

Matt Bell finished with 219 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, and Ethan Hendrickson ran for 159 yards on 15 carries. Diego Rodriguez, a sophomore who took over the starting quarterback job early last season, finished 11 of 20 for 237 yards and five touchdowns.

The Tigers have the lowest OSAA ranking of the 16 qualifiers, but bracketing rules bumped them to the No. 15 seed, earning them a cross-state trip to Medford on Friday to take on No. 2 Cascade Christian. The Challengers completed an undefeated regular season by beating South Umpqua, last year’s 3A runner-up, 35-6 to win the Far West League title.

“We’ll have our work cut out for us, without a doubt,” Simmons said. “But the kids are excited by the opportunity to be playing football into November, something no player in our program has experienced. Playoff football is a very special thing, and I’m excited for our entire program.

“Cascade Christian is as athletic as they come, extremely solid on the line and obviously coached very well. But that’s what the playoffs are about — playing great teams and challenging yourself to knock them off. Our players are motivated by the challenge they present and are ready to give absolutely everything they have to keep their season alive.”

Clatskanie completes turnaround from winless to 2A playoffs with victory over Gaston

If there’s anyone statewide who could relate to Ontario’s problems of the past three years, it would be Sean Gorley.

Gorley became the head coach at Clatskanie this year after serving as an assistant for the Tigers for 22 years. And while 428 miles separate the two programs, their tales were eerily similar.

Clatskanie made the OSAA 3A playoffs in 2019, reaching the quarterfinals that year. When the COVID pandemic hit, canceling the 2020 fall season, the Tigers struggled to rebound. They had just 13 players turn out for the spring 2021 campaign, during which they played two games. The fall season was hardly better — the OSAA roster listed 22 players, but Gorley recalls the roster topping out at 18 during an 0-9 season, their first winless record since 1980.

This season, however, the Tigers turned a corner. Turnout nearly doubled, with 32 kids in the program, and Clatskanie dropped to 2A, which transitioned to nine-person football this year.

At first, the results didn’t reflect the progress the Tigers had made, and they stood 1-5 with two weeks left in the regular season.

But like Century and Hood River Valley, they knew that wins in their final two games would get them in the postseason, and sure enough, the Tigers knocked off Vernonia 47-0 and Gaston 46-38, leapfrogging the Greyhounds in the Northwest League standings to grab its final postseason berth.

“That was our exact message before the game: This is a playoff game,” Gorley said of the Gaston win. “It doesn’t get any simpler than ‘win or go home.’ I thought the kids handled it very well. We have preached all year that we have to play fearless — fear no player, challenge, opportunity or failure. Just play free. The kids responded to every challenge that night.”

Leading the charge against the Greyhounds was senior Alex Wheeler, who ran for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of three and nine yards that gave the Tigers a 40-30 lead. Junior quarterback Ayden Boursaw also had a big night, throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns and running for 103 yards and two scores.

“Alex is just a hard-nosed kid, not the fastest or most athletic back you see out there, but he works so hard and runs angry,” Gorley said of his workhorse back, who missed the first two games while recovering from shoulder surgery but finished with 582 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“And our quarterback is another key performer for us. Ayden adds big plays in the running and passing games. But our improvement as a team really centers around the improvement of our O-line. They have really begun to understand our run schemes.”

The Tigers enter the postseason with a No. 26 OSAA ranking — the lowest of any non-6A team in the playoffs, not that it matters a whit to them. They just know they’re headed to Oakland in Southern Oregon for their first-round game Friday night.

“The last two years have definitely been rough, but this year has been a huge step in trying to get back to where we want to be,” Gorley said. “The kids are learning what it takes to win and how to compete. Making the playoffs is a great step.

“As far as win or lose Friday, all I can ask of our kids is to come out and compete from the first whistle to the last. Be fearless, and we will all hold our heads high.”

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Our complete high school football preview:

Breaking down every 6A, 5A, 4A team in the state

Complete Week 9 recap:

Top stars, best games, biggest wins

Our Week 9 predictions:

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