High School

Oregon high school football Week 6 instant analysis: 10 things to know

10 takeaways from the sixth weekend of action

René Ferrán

Here are 10 takeaways (in no particular order) from the sixth weekend of the Oregon high school football season. 

Photo by Leon Neuschwander 

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How the SBLive Oregon 6A media poll Top 10 fared:

1. Central Catholic (6-0) def. Gresham 49-7

2. West Linn (6-0) def. No. 3 Tualatin 37-0

3. Tualatin (5-1) lost to No. 2 West Linn 37-0

4. Sherwood (6-0) def. McMinnville 50-0

5. Lake Oswego (5-1) def. No. 8 Oregon City 20-12

6. Jesuit (2-4) def. Westview 38-7

7. Lakeridge (5-1) def. Tigard 30-9

8. Oregon City (5-1) lost to No. 5 Lake Oswego 20-12

9. Sheldon (4-2) def. South Medford 27-0

10. South Salem (6-0) def. McNary 62-0

Grant survives Lightning strike to keep hopes of fifth consecutive PIL title  

In Friday’s edition of Survivor: PIL at the Marshall complex in Southeast Portland, it appeared as if Grant’s tiki torch had been extinguished.

Ethan Amon’s leaping 23-yard grab between two defenders with 47.4 seconds left had given Franklin a 29-22 lead in the matchup of teams looking to keep alive their PIL championship hopes. 

But while a rowdy Lightning student section celebrated in anticipation of ending a five-game losing streak to the Generals dating to 2016, the Grant players rallied on the sideline.

“Yeah, a couple of heads were down,” said junior running back Camari Owens. “The energy was down, but we made sure we got everybody up.” 

The Generals got the ball back at their 35, and after an incompletion, they went to work. Junior Braden Baker scrambled for six yards, then hit Aiden Wood on back-to-back sideline routes for 14 and 15 yards.

Finally, with 18 seconds left, Wood streaked down the middle and hauled in a perfect strike from Baker for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

“My boy saw it. It was just an easy post,” Wood said. “I was like, ‘I need to catch this, bro!’ And that’s what happened.”

There was no hesitation about going for two, and there was no stopping Owens, who found a crease over right tackle for the clinching points in a 30-29 victory that kept alive Grant’s hopes of a fifth consecutive PIL title while snuffing out Franklin’s hopes of a first championship since 2001. 

“I promise you, I was not going down,” said Owens, who ran for a game-high 152 yards and two touchdowns. “A couple guys tried to get their hands on me, but I was just, ‘Get up off of me. I’m in here.’ It just shows the PIL that we’ve really got fight in us. I hope this puts a scare in other teams that we ain’t nothing to play with.”

The Generals still need to beat Roosevelt in the season finale and hope the Roughriders can defeat Ida B. Wells in two weeks to create a three-way logjam atop the standings.

The loss was a gut punch to Franklin, which had been outscored 258-20 in the past five meetings between the teams.

“Talk about highs and lows. Holy smokes!” coach Adam Grimes said. “That’s tough. But that’s Grant. They battle. We battled. So, I’m going to tell my team to hold their heads up high, because they battled their butts off. That’s a good football team over there, and if we compete like that in every game, we’re going to be pretty good moving forward.” 

The Generals trailed 22-7 midway through the third quarter after Franklin’s Will Reid scored on a 3-yard quarterback keeper, and to that point, they’d punted four times and Baker had thrown two interceptions.

Suddenly, they found a rhythm by feeding Owens the ball. He ran for 130 yards in the second half, including scoring runs of 3 and 45 yards.

“He’s the big guy on our team,” Baker said. “He’s had all these breakout runs. We see him, and it gets our spirits up. He’s a leader, and he led us to that win.”

Mountainside stakes its claim to challenge Jesuit for Metro League crown

If, as everyone assumes, Jesuit will shrug off its 0-4 start to remain the team to beat in the Metro League — the Crusaders beat Westview 38-7 on Friday to improve to 2-0 in league play — then the Mountainside-Sunset matchup in Northwest Portland figured to determine which team would challenge the Crusaders for the title.

In the end, it will be Keanon Lowe’s Mavericks who will get that chance after a hard-fought 21-16 road win, although Sunset will get first crack at the Crusaders next week. Mountainside plays host to Jesuit on Oct. 19.

The Apollos scored first on Justin Craigwell’s 1-yard run, but the Mavericks answered with Jordan Hicks’ 20-yard touchdown run and Alex Ingalls’ 14-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Ramtel just before halftime to lead 14-7 at intermission.

Sunset closed to within 14-10 late in the third on Drew Nees’ 22-yard field goal, but the Mavericks put the game away with a late score. 

Sandy puts on ‘dominant’ performance vs. Clackamas to get back to .500

Sandy kicked off the season 0-3, including a 68-7 shellacking from No. 1 Central Catholic in the teams’ Mt. Hood Conference opener, but the Pioneers have won three in a row to bolster their chances of earning a postseason berth. 

The latest win was a 29-7 defeat of Clackamas in the Mt. Hood foothills that coach Josh Dill called “a great win for us in dominant fashion against a good team.”

Cole Rotzien scored two touchdowns for the Pioneers, Simon Willis and Alex Hager also found the end zone, and Aaron Menchaca earned a safety to highlight a solid defensive effort.

Sandy next faces Reynolds in an East County showdown before traveling to Nelson in Week 8 in a game that figures to decide second place in the MHC behind the Rams, who defeated winless Gresham 49-7.

Sheldon blanks South Medford for second consecutive season

For the second consecutive season, Sheldon pitched a shutout against South Central Football Conference rival South Medford, this time traveling to Spiegelberg Stadium and defeating the Panthers 27-0 to win their fourth in a row after an 0-2 start.

“We are gaining confidence each week,” said Irish coach Josh Line. “South Medford played us tough, and we found a way. It was a good win.” 

Junior linebacker Mana Tuioti led the shutout effort with eight tackles, and Kerek Kato had an interception. Tuioti also ran for a score, and quarterback Colby Parosa ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns as Sheldon built a 21-0 halftime lead.

Rocco Graziani kicked two field goals in the second half, including a 46-yarder to cap the scoring. 

Lake Oswego rebounds from first loss to win at Oregon City

Lake Oswego shrugged off a disappointing second half against West Linn last week to rally for a 20-12 win at Oregon City on Thursday.

Both teams are 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Three Rivers League play.

“That West Linn team is such a good team, you can’t do the things we did in the second half against them,” Lakers coach Steve Coury said. “That was a good live-and-learn for us. Then, to turn around on a short week and play these guys who are playing really well, we were lucky to pull it out in the end.” 

The Lakers trailed 12-6 deep into the third quarter before Zavier Russell scored on a 1-yard run to give the visitors a 13-12 lead.

LaMarcus Bell gave them a bit of a cushion with a 13-yard scoring run midway through the fourth to cap a long drive. The Pioneers reached the red zone on the ensuing possession before Colin Best’s fourth-down pass breakup with 1:35 left gave Lake Oswego the ball at its 8-yard line.

Bell sealed the win with a big first-down carry, capping a night in which he rushed for 156 yards on 23 carries. 

“He’s just a very gifted young man, and like most good backs, the more he gets the ball, the better he gets,” Coury said. “I’m proud of how he ran and how our O-line hung in there and had a really good drive to take that eight-point lead. The kids hung in there. We had some frustrating moments, but the kids did a good job staying with it. It was a great one to win against a good team.”

How the SBLive Oregon 5A media poll Top 10 fared:

1. Wilsonville (5-1) def. Hillsboro 58-20 

2. Silverton (6-0) def. Crescent Valley 61-22

3. Mountain View (6-0) def. Redmond 21-10

4. West Albany (5-1) lost to South Albany 20-14

5. Summit (3-3) def. Bend 28-12

6. Thurston (4-2) def. Eagle Point 47-6

7. Canby (4-2) def. Centennial 61-6

8. Dallas (4-2) def. Corvallis 42-14

9. Springfield (5-1) def. Churchill 21-8

10. McKay (5-1) def. Central 42-15

Finally! South Albany ends 17-game losing streak to crosstown rival 

One of the state’s longest streaks of domination in a 6A/5A rivalry ended in the Mid-Willamette Conference as South Albany knocked off West Albany 20-14 for the RedHawks’ first win in the series since 2001.

“We approached this game not as trying to beat our crosstown rivals, but as winning through a commitment to each other,” said South Albany co-coach Jeff Louber. “The kids believed we would win and put us in position to win with their effort. There was lots of love in the locker room. I’m so happy for our kids, our school, community and coaches.”

The Bulldogs had won 17 in a row over their crosstown rivals, and after Brysen Kachel caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Lukas Hews with 10:43 to play, they retook the lead at 14-12.

But the RedHawks — who entered the game 1-4 and on a four-game losing streak — put together a late game-winning drive that lasted more than five minutes, capped by Logan Johnson’s 16-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left. Sawyer Hallberg hauled in the two-point conversion pass for the final margin.

Gaje Nicholson ran for a game-high 145 yards on 17 carries to lead the RedHawks and was 6 of 11 passing for 66 yards. Dwayne Conrad had two sacks as South Albany held West Albany to just 195 yards of total offense.

Thurston well on its way to sixth consecutive Midwestern League title 

Another challenger to Thurston’s iron grip on the Midwestern League championship came and went Friday night, with the Colts dispatching Eagle Point 47-6 to grab the pole position in the title race with three games left.

“We are very proud of this team’s desire to continue to improve,” coach Justin Starck said as his team improved to 3-0 in MWL play in pursuit of a sixth consecutive title. “We have three league games left, and we will focus on each opponent and give them our best effort in pursuit of a league championship.”

Junior Noah Blair tossed three first-half touchdown passes, and Ethan Burkhead ran for a score and returned a kickoff for another score as Thurston built a 33-6 halftime lead.

Blair ran for a touchdown to open the third quarter and trigger a running clock.

Mountain View claws its way past Redmond to remain undefeated

Bend Bulletin writer Brian Rathbone called it the Battle of the Big Cats, and Redmond certainly battled Mountain View to the final minute before the Cougars pulled out a 21-10 victory over the Panthers in Central Oregon. 

Redmond scored the first touchdown allowed by Mountain View in the past five games when Colton Horner capped the game’s opening drive with a 1-yard sneak. The Panthers closed the first half with a 37-yard field goal by Johnny Brabb for a 10-7 halftime lead. 

The Cougars grabbed their first lead on the opening drive of the second half, with Angel Valenzuela scoring on a 3-yard run. A 4-yard touchdown pass from Connor Crum to Jack Foley with 7:30 to play gave Mountain View the cushion it needed to close out the game and improve to 6-0 for the first time in a non-COVID season since 2017. 

How the SBLive Oregon 4A media poll Top 10 fared:

1. Scappoose (6-0) def. No. 8 Seaside 41-0

2. Marist Catholic (5-1) def. Cottage Grove 50-0

T3. Henley (6-0) def. Klamath Union 55-8

T3. Mazama (5-1) def. Hidden Valley 36-19

5. Pendleton (5-1) def. Crook County 28-14

6. Cascade (5-1) def. Philomath 49-29

7. Tillamook (4-2) def. St. Helens 49-14

8. Seaside (3-3) lost to No. 1 Scappoose 41-0

9. Ashland (3-3) lost to Marshfield 22-13

10. North Bend (6-1) def. Stayton 42-7

Energized Scappoose ensures Seaside wouldn’t pull another big victory 

The only matchup between ranked teams ended a lopsided affair as top-ranked Scappoose shut out No. 8 Seaside 41-0 in a Cowapa League showdown.

The Seagulls entered the game riding high following a 41-35 win over Tillamook last week — a result Scappoose took note of as it prepared for the matchup.

“When we saw that Seaside beat Tilly, our team couldn’t wait to play them,” coach Sean McNabb said. “Our players really want to bring home the Cowapa trophy. This group loves the challenge and practiced with a ton of energy this week.”

Quarterback Max Nowlin threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Eli Harrah returned a fumble 40 yards for a score and later caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Nowlin. Brandon Sailer kicked field goals of 37 and 29 yards.

La Salle Prep improves to 5-1 with commanding performance vs. Estacada 

When La Salle Prep coach Dustin Janz evaluated the state of the Tri-Valley Conference entering conference play a couple of weeks ago, he said that not for a second did he believe defending 4A state champion Estacada was down this season.

After his Falcons romped to a 42-0 victory over the Rangers on Thursday night, he maintained that “Estacada is a fantastic program led by a great coaching staff that has had a lot of recent success. The fact that we were able to perform the way we did is a testament to our kids.”

The Falcons amassed 375 yards of total offense, including 295 on the ground, with quarterback Paul Skoro rushing for 80 yards and three scores as they improved to 5-1 — already their most wins in a season since 2018 — and 2-0 in TVC play. 

Junior Mason Mueller ran for 100 yards and a score, caught four passes for 74 yards and had two interceptions, and linebacker Jacob Thayer was a menace all night with 20 tackles (11 solo) to help La Salle Prep record its second consecutive shutout and third of the season.

“The kids believe in what they are doing,” Janz said. “As the season has gone along, we have seen them grow leaps and bounds. We are playing really good defense, and our offense is starting to come into its own over the past couple of weeks.”

The Rangers, who fell to 0-2 in TVC play, are in danger of becoming the first defending champion to miss the postseason since North Bend (4A) and Regis (2A) won titles in 2016 and then failed to make the state playoffs in 2017 — the Bulldogs lost in the play-in round, and the Rams went 1-8. 

Banks, Dayton win battles of 3A titans against Kennedy, Scio

Class 3A had two of the premier matchups in the state this week, and the one in Mt. Angel between Banks and Kennedy lived up to the hype.

The game was a rematch from last year’s state semifinals, which Kennedy won 15-7 en route to a fourth consecutive appearance in a championship game.

Banks earned a measure of revenge as Max Walker’s interception set up Ashton Crossen’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:27 remaining, lifting Banks to a 21-14 victory that gives it the inside track to the SD1 title.

The win wasn’t secured until Banks recorded back-to-back sacks on Kennedy’s last-ditch drive. 

“Any time you can go on the road against a team like that, it’s a big-time win,” Banks coach Cole Linehan said. “Kennedy is a well-coached team that plays good football. I’m proud of the way our guys finished the game.”

Quarterback Kade Long finished 13 of 22 for 192 yards and ran for 91 yards and a touchdown. Junior linebacker Diesel Schoegje had a team-high nine tackles, and Luke Bigsby added six.

Dayton handed Scio its first loss of the season and improved to 6-0 with a 36-12 home win in SD2 play. The Pirates led 14-6 after three quarters, then took control as Zach Smith and Boston Hodges scored touchdowns in an 83-second span to blow the game open.

Smith finished with 172 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries for Dayton, which now turns its attention to a trip to Santiam Christian next week that should decide the district title. 

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STATEWIDE SCOREBOARD

Week 6 predictions: How did we do?

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Week 5 recap:

What we learned in Week 5 of Oregon high school football

Instant analysis: 10 things to know from Week 5 of Oregon high school football

Our Week 5 predictions: How did we do?

State leaders: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A

Media polls: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A

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René Ferrán
RENÉ FERRÁN

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