What we learned in Week 2 of Oregon high school football

Here's what stood out during the second weekend of action

The Oregon high school football season continued last week with Week 2 action around the state. Here's what stood out during the second weekend of action. 

Photo by Michele Bunch 

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Cleveland rises from cancellation of season two years ago to 2-0 start

The Cleveland football program hit its nadir two years ago.

Coming off a COVID-shortened spring 2021 season in which the Warriors went 0-5 — their eighth consecutive season finishing .500 or below — they had only 25 players turn out, prompting the school to decide to cancel its varsity schedule.

It was certainly not how coach Trevor Smith wanted his first season to go. Now in Year 3 of a five-year plan he developed to get the program back on its feet, Smith and the Warriors are starting to harvest the fruits of their labor.

They defeated South Eugene 36-14 on Friday, improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2019 and only the third time in the past quarter-century.

“The simple answer is a lot of hard work by many people,” Smith said about what led to the program’s turnaround. “I’m so fortunate to have great coaches, some of whom I’ve known for years, a supportive principal (Jo Ann Wadkins) who loves football, really invested parents, some great youth football coaches, and a district athletic office that wants to make football work in the PIL.

“We are investing time and energy into our youth program, building out our booster club to support our entire program, and continuing to build on the foundations of our core values.”

All those elements are essential, but it also helps that Smith’s efforts to beat the hallways to find talent have unearthed some gems.

Junior running back Matt Copus followed a 198-yard game in the season opener against Parkrose by going for 138 yards and three touchdowns against the Axe.

“Max has really had a breakout first two weeks,” Smith said. “The great part about Max’s success is his acknowledgement of his linemen and receivers blocking. I am really proud of how our team celebrates our accomplishments together.”

Another junior, quarterback James Ho, rebounded from a subpar opener to toss his first touchdown pass against the Axe, a 52-yarder to senior Pokii Waiwaiole, and ran for a score.

Waiwaiole is one of 10 seniors on the roster who remain from two years ago, when the Warriors played a mostly JV schedule (they kept one varsity matchup against Parkrose) and went 7-2.

“Today’s seniors are realizing the benefits of weightlifting and committing to our summer program,” Smith said. “They are a great group of young men who are really aware of their legacy and role in our rebuild.”

Could that rebuild lead to a first winning season since 2012? Or perhaps even a first playoff berth since 2008? The Warriors open PIL play this week against their Powell Boulevard neighbors at Franklin, a team they’ve defeated once in their past nine meetings.

“Franklin will be a challenge for us,” Smith said. “They have some big kids, fly around on defense, and their quarterback (Will Reid) throws the ball really well. I just hope we can start competing to make it a competitive game again.

“But our kids have persevered when others might have quit. They have been part of creating an environment where kids want to play and be part of something bigger than themselves. Cleveland is a great community, and we are doing everything we can to make it better for all our players, fans and families.”

Mountainside turns to running game to get first win under Lowe

The success Mountainside has enjoyed each of the past three seasons has been spearheaded by the play of two quarterbacks.

First came Brian Mannion, who led the Mavericks to the 6A quarterfinals in 2019 and the second round in 2021. Then it was Alex Ingalls, who took over last year and guided the team back to the quarterfinals.

Ingalls is back this season, but so far under first-year coach Keanon Lowe, it’s been the running game that has powered the Mavericks.

Sophomore Jordan Hicks ran for his first career touchdown in a Week 1 loss at South Medford, then came back Friday to rush for a school-record 242 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-27 victory over Barlow.

Classmate Sam Vyhildal, the No. 3 prospect in Prep RedZone’s class of 2026 rankings, added 91 yards on the ground and had eight tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Ingalls, who missed the second half of the South Medford game after taking a big hit toward the end of the Mavericks’ first drive of the second half, returned to have an efficient game against the Bruins (12 of 21, 169 yards).

The Mavericks will face a stern test this week when they play host to Lake Oswego.

Transfer adds to North Salem’s bounty of skill players

North Salem wasn’t wanting for skill position players coming off its appearance in the inaugural Columbia Cup final last fall.

But adding the second-leading rusher in 5A just before the start of camp gives Vikings coach Jeff Flood an abundance of riches as they look to make the main 6A playoff draw this season.

That was the case when senior Jamahl Wilson arrived from McKay in early August, providing another weapon for Flood’s wing-T attack.

“Jamahl is an incredible talent who has meshed extremely well with the team,” Flood said after the Vikings’ 55-0 victory over David Douglas improved them to 2-0. “His football IQ is really high, and he has done a great job of picking up everything we’ve given him.”

Jamahl Wilson photo by Dan Brood 

Flood is in his 16th season at North Salem, and never before has he had such a wealth of talent surrounding him — directed by senior quarterback TC Manumaleuna II, who recently made a walk-on commitment to the University of Oregon.

Besides Wilson, who ran for 1,464 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Royal Scots a year ago, Manumaleuna can turn to seniors Jerrik Wangler (643 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns in 2022), DeMari Thompson (448 yards, four touchdowns) and Pierce Walker (18 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns).

“Pierce is a special talent on both sides of the ball, and Jerrik is one of the most talented all-around football players in the state,” Flood said. “DeMari is the fastest kid I’ve ever coached, and Braxton Singleton is a sophomore who played like a senior. Adding Jamahl to that group has made them all better.”

The Vikings open South Central Football Conference play this week against Roseburg. They haven’t won more than six regular-season games since 1992, but with a schedule that avoids South Medford and Sheldon, they could end that streak.

“There is a confidence inspired by our relative success last year,” Flood said. “And it is backed by a group of kids who really work hard to get as much out of their talent as they can.”

‘It was a weird night.’ Springfield coach celebrates career win No. 250

Once Frank Geske could catch his breath following his Springfield team’s 36-34 overtime victory over Marist Catholic, the magnitude of the moment finally hit.

Geske became the 14th coach in state history to reach 250 wins with the victory, which came against the program he led for 15 years, with players on the opposite sideline he’d coached at age 7 at football camp.

“It was a weird night. Let’s leave it at that,” Geske said.

Geske is 250-125 in his 36th season — including 120-46 and a state title in 2009 with the Spartans, and now 2-0 at his new home.

“It was a pretty cool deal, no doubt about it,” Geske said. “It’s a long time in the making, which means thousands of kids and hundreds of coaches who were side-by-side with me.

“And to do it against a former team caused a boatload of anxiety. I put 15 years into that program. But when I finally got to exhale, it was a good feeling.”

Now, the Millers must look forward to their Midwestern League opener this week against Crater, looking to build off their first 2-0 start since 2018 (they finished that year 2-7) but perhaps without standout quarterback Caeleb Kasperek, who left Friday’s game late in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

Senior Zack Sherman, the emergency quarterback, had never taken a snap behind center in a game. That inexperience showed when he was thrown into the fire, as he tossed four interceptions and lost a fumble.

With a week receiving first-team snaps at practice, Geske is confident Sherman can hold down the fort should Kasperek need to miss any time.

“He threw some picks, but he also had a couple of nice runs (12 carries for 51 yards) and threw a nice ball,” Geske said. “He’s got a quarterback mentality. He’s going in with a lot of confidence in his abilities. I know he will do a good job until Caeleb gets back.”

Mountain View finds ‘balance’ with addition of sophomore RB

Mountain View, like North Salem, had plenty of skill position talent returning this year.

The Cougars didn’t have a transfer arrive on campus to bolster their squad. Instead, it was a sophomore moving up from the freshman team who has juiced their attack en route to a 2-0 start.

Angel Valenzuela followed a 257-yard performance in Week 1 against Canby by rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Connor Crum and Jack Foley connected on three touchdown passes in a 37-0 victory over Churchill.

Cougars coach Brian Crum said he knew Valenzuela could be something special watching him on the freshman team, calling him up for three games toward the end of last season. His emergence now allows Crum to return to his preferred system.

“We have been blessed by outstanding tailbacks here at Mountain View for 20 years — usually the focus of the entire offense,” Crum said. “Last year, we had great kids, but they struggled making guys miss and being home run guys.

“Angel has the natural ability and physical speed and toughness to balance us out. So now, with the other pieces we have, we can be a heavy-set power team or a spread run team. And with Connor’s ability to run the ball as well, it lets us be multidimensional and a lot harder to game plan for.”

Foley missed the Cougars’ opener at Canby with an ankle injury. His return also ignited the offense — he caught five passes for 96 yards.

“We figure Angel, Jack and Connor are our gamebreakers,” Crum said. “We are as deep at wide receivers as I have ever had, but Jack is different in his ability to go make plays on both sides. He runs great routes and is tall with a really big catch radius. Just give him a chance because he will go make a play. And he and Connor have spent the time. They know their checks. Their glances.”

The Cougars have two more nonleague games ahead against Forest Grove and Southridge before opening Intermountain Conference play at Caldera in Week 5.

Sophomore QB keeps Henley humming along among Big Sky rivals

While nine-time defending league champion Mazama needed three overtimes to dispatch Eagle Point, back in Klamath Falls, its Southside rival had a much easier time joining the Vikings at 2-0.

Henley romped to a 46-7 victory over Crater, with the Hornets offense showing few signs of lagging following the graduation of two-time league offensive player of the year Shaw Stork behind center.

Sophomore Joe Janney has been efficient in his first two starts, completing 13 of 18 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception.

“Joe has had a strong start to the season commanding the offense and playing with poise and composure,” Henley coach Alex Stork said. “We have asked him to take a deep breath before each step, that we believe in him as a team and to lean on our veterans as a calming influence.”

One of those veterans is senior running back Logan Whitlock, who won the 4A rushing title a year ago. He has run for four touchdowns in each of the Hornets’ first two games and has 236 yards on 33 carries.

“Logan leads by example,” Stork said. “He is a great teammate and is our hardest worker in practice. He encourages his teammates to match his energy and enthusiasm.”

The Hornets last won an outright league championship in 2000 (they shared titles in 2013 and 2017), and Stork knows the road to ending that streak runs along the Southside Expressway and onto Summers Lane, where Mazama has had a stranglehold on the league since 2014.

“The Big Sky is a strong conference,” said Stork, whose team opens conference play Friday against Ashland. “Each game is going to be a challenge.”

Valley Catholic enjoys 2-0 start after four frustrating seasons

One thousand eighty-five days.

That’s how long the Valley Catholic program went between wins before ending that drought Oct. 14, 2022, when the Valiants defeated Corbett 48-14.

They lost their final two games last fall, meaning they had dropped 21 of their past 22 games entering this season, including a couple of forfeits in 2021 when their numbers dwindled to the point where coach Michael Snyder and school administrators felt it was unsafe to play.

So, like Trevor Smith at Cleveland, Snyder has cause to celebrate his team’s first 2-0 start since 2017 following a 27-14 win over Harrisburg in its home opener Saturday.

“Each kid is really bought into our philosophy and the program,” Snyder said. “I think having more experienced players, and the players seeing some success last season, where we finally win a game and multiple games that could have been wins if we didn’t make certain mistakes, the players saw and felt that we can be successful.”

And like at Cleveland, the Valiants’ turnaround has come through developing a senior class that serves as the anchor of the program, led by Noah Holub, who has 12 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns — including a school-record 233 yards against Harrisburg, when he had three touchdown catches erased by penalties.

“The last two years, I have had only three seniors, so we were very young,” Snyder said. “My first year, we had two players who had actual playing time in previous years, so everyone was brand-new to football.

“This year, we have seven seniors who have been three-year starters, so they have a better understanding and experience. Having players be in our system for two or three years, we are able to expand our offense and defense. The upperclassmen have really stepped up and are coaching up the underclassmen during drills and practice.”

Junior Jackson Farris is a three-year starter at running back and linebacker who has excelled on both sides of the ball — 180 yards rushing and a touchdown to go with two interceptions.

Sophomore quarterback Alex Adams has thrown for 480 yards and six touchdowns, and Snyder raved about the improvement he’s shown this season.

“He really has control and understanding of our offense,” Snyder said. “He is already making checks and audibles that quarterbacks usually don’t do until their senior year.”

Now comes the hard part. The last time Valley Catholic started 2-0, it finished 2-6. The previous season, when it started 3-0, finished 6-3 and reached the 4A play-in round, is more what the Valiants would like to emulate.

“To avoid repeating what happened in 2017 is not letting the kids be complacent,” said Snyder, whose team opens league play Friday at North Marion. “We can’t let them think 2-0 is good enough and wins will just come now. We still have a lot of room for growth and improvement. Our ultimate goal is to make the playoffs this year, but we have to focus on one game and one play at a time.”

Weston-McEwen wins defensive slugfest in rematch of 2A state final

Weston-McEwen and Oakland are separated by 390 miles of interstate highway, but it’s quickly becoming one of the best small-school rivalries in the state.

A year ago, the teams met twice, with the TigerScots winning in Athena in Week 2 and the Oakers avenging that loss in the Class 2A state final.

The two met again Friday afternoon in Douglas County, and unlike the state championship game, it was a defensive struggle.

Weston-McEwen’s only points came on an interception return by Easton Berry on Oakland’s first play from scrimmage.

“When we played in the state championship, that was a play they’d been very successful with,” said Weston-McEwen coach Kenzie Hansell. “Easton just made a great read.”

The Oakers answered on the first play of the second quarter on a short touchdown run by Gabe Williamson but mishandled the snap on the two-point conversion try.

And that was it. Neither team could find the end zone again, and after Anthony Nix intercepted a pass with 1:21 left, Berry, now playing quarterback, converted on third-and-17 shortly after. The TigerScots pulled out the 7-6 win despite gaining only 162 yards of total offense and being denied in the red zone four times.

“Week 2, what a great opponent to play,” Hansell said as he prepared for a postgame meal prepared by Oakland boosters. “That’s the type of opponent you want in the preseason. Both teams made big plays on defense. Our defense just trusted each other and played very disciplined football today.”

The only downside to Friday’s win was an injury to junior Gunner McBean during punt coverage just before Nix’s game-sealing interception. Hansell called him “an emotional leader on this team.”

“I’m just extraordinarily proud of the kids,” Hansell said. “This is a big win, and I’m extremely excited. I think both programs got better from this game.”

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Earlier:

Instant analysis: 10 things to know from Week 2 of Oregon high school football

Our Week 2 predictions: How did we do?