Oregon high school football Week 8 instant analysis: 10 things to know

10 takeaways from the eighth weekend of action

René Ferrán | Oct 21, 2023

Here are 10 takeaways (in no particular order) from the eighth 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 (8-0) def. Clackamas 56-14

2. West Linn (8-0) def. No. 6 Lakeridge 52-10

3. Tualatin (7-1) def. No. 10 Oregon City 46-30

4. Sherwood (8-0) def. Glencoe 49-0

5. Lake Oswego (6-2) def. Tigard 23-13

6. Lakeridge (6-2) lost to No. 1 West Linn 52-10

7. Jesuit (4-4) def. Mountainside 31-14

8. Sheldon (6-2) def. Grants Pass 49-0

9. South Salem (8-0) def. Sprague 50-14

10. Oregon City (5-3) lost to No. 3 Tualatin 46-30

An old-fashioned victory: Wells powers past Roosevelt to clinch 6A playoff spot

Unfortunately for Jackson Poole, the Wells junior is too young to purchase lottery tickets.

If he were of age, though, he’d have been well-advised to press his luck after two fortunate bounces went his way Friday night in North Portland to help the Guardians clinch the PIL’s No. 1 seed in the 6A state playoffs.

First, his juggling 30-yard touchdown catch that ricocheted off two pairs of Roosevelt defenders’ hands to end the first half gave Wells a 16-0 lead heading to the locker rooms.

Then, a fortuitous bounce off the turf after fumbling on a long interception return rebounded into his grasp, setting up Wyatt Andler’s third scoring run late in the third quarter that secured a 36-8 victory over the host Roughriders.

“Marselis (Griffiths) was there to catch the ball, but he got pancaked, and then it was just the tip drill at that point,” Poole said.

“Our team has wanted this so badly for the past couple of years. We fought so hard for this, and we put in so much work to get this. It feels so nice.”

The Guardians last won a PIL title in 2012 as a 5A team, but it’s been 20 years since they won a unified PIL championship. They can clinch the outright title by beating Franklin next week, but regardless, they earned the PIL’s automatic berth in the 16-team 6A championship bracket.

Whether they’ll play host to a first-round game is up in the air. If they remain in the top 16 in the OSAA rankings after next week’s finales (they were No. 11 following Friday’s action), they would earn a home game.

Their unique offense dominated Friday’s PIL title clash against the two-time defending champions. Their power-T attack is reminiscent of the 1920s, and it was brutally efficient, racking up 314 yards and controlling clock — Wells had the ball for 35½ minutes and ran 65 plays to Roosevelt’s 21.

“It’s awesome, because they just don’t know who has the ball,” said Andler, a bruising fullback who ran for 153 yards on 29 carries. “We have so many weapons, you just can’t stop it.”

Friday’s win was the Guardians’ first this season against a team in the top 16 of the OSAA rankings, but don’t tell anyone on the Wells sideline they can’t match up against some of the state’s powers in two weeks.

“It’s time for Wells to get on the map,” Andler said. “We’re here. We’re going to show up, and we’re going to tell them what’s up. I think we can go deep in the playoffs.”

The game was delayed a half-hour with 9:14 to play when Roosevelt junior Tau Takau was injured making a tackle. EMTs transported Takau to a local hospital for testing. No further details were available postgame.

Lucky 7 for Sherwood: Bowmen post seventh consecutive shutout

Sherwood ran its streak of shutouts to seven with a 49-0 victory over Glencoe.

The Bowmen have not been scored upon since late in the fourth quarter of a Week 1 win against West Salem. Their streak is the state’s longest since Heppner posted seven consecutive shutouts during the 2007 season.

“We have a great group of kids that are all in for each other,” Sherwood coach Mark Gribble said. “I think that chemistry is reaping huge dividends in all three phases of the game for us.”

The Bowmen held Glencoe to 93 yards of total offense. The Crimson Tide were 0 for 9 on third-down conversions.

Sherwood travels to Liberty, which also remained unbeaten in conference play with a 35-14 win at McMinnville, to determine the Pacific Conference champion. The Falcons would need to win to secure a spot in the 6A championship bracket.

West Linn romps past Lakeridge to secure share of Three Rivers title

West Linn continued its rampage through the Three Rivers League with a 52-10 trouncing of Lakeridge to clinch at least a share of the league championship.

Junior Baird Gilroy connected with senior tight end Gus Donnerberg on two touchdown passes, and senior Hunter Haines scored on a kickoff and an interception return as the Lions won their 19th in a row.

“We came into this game knowing they were a good team, but we’ve been practicing for the playoffs since August, so every week, we come with that mindset,” Haines said.

University of Oregon commit Gage Hurych kicked a career-best 52-yard field goal on the final play of the first half as the Lions took a 45-3 lead to intermission.

“I attribute this (success) to senior leadership and cherishing every moment,” said West Linn coach Jon Eagle, whose team plays Oregon City in the annual Battle for the Bridge next week.

Jesuit takes care of business at Mountainside to clinch share of 10th consecutive Metro title

It wasn’t a masterpiece to frame among Jesuit’s storied victories.

But after an 0-4 start to the season, the sixth-ranked Crusaders aren’t about to get picky about style points.

All that mattered to them Thursday night was exiting Mountainside with a 10th consecutive Metro League title in hand, and they did just that by grinding out a 31-14 victory.

“The first four games were tough competition, but they definitely got us ready for the Metro,” said senior Lonnie Burt, who went over 100 yards rushing for the third consecutive game, finishing with 133 and a touchdown.

“Our goal is just to keep the tradition going, and we’re fortunate enough to get the Metro championship and keep up the tradition.”

Burt’s freshman season coincided with the COVID-shortened spring 2021 campaign, but as he and the rest of the seniors grew in the program, they learned the importance of the title streak.

“Definitely, as a senior, now, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “Being a senior, and I’m one of the older people now just trying to keep that tradition up. That’s important, and it really hit me this year.”

The Crusaders led 17-7 at halftime but didn’t put the game away until a three-minute sequence late in the third quarter.

Kainoa Santiago stopped quarterback Alex Ingalls on fourth-and-2 after the Mavericks eschewed a field goal at the Jesuit 15, and five plays later, Trey Cleeland hit Elias Johnson in stride for a 74-yard touchdown with 2:21 left in the period.

“The refs had taken forever to figure out what they were going to do with that holding call, so we were just taking our time, taking some deep breaths,” Cleeland said. “I knew in my head, I just visualized throwing a touchdown to Elias right there, and when it happened, it felt amazing.”

The Crusaders moved up to No. 13 in the OSAA rankings with Thursday’s win, but despite securing at least a share of the Metro title (a win next week against Beaverton gives them the outright title) and the league's top playoff seed, they must remain in the top 16 to guarantee themselves a first-round home game in the 6A playoffs.

Otherwise, they will earn a spot in the championship bracket, but as a No. 16 seed.

“I really don’t care who we’re positioned against,” Cleeland said. “Personally, I think no one wants to play us. You shouldn’t want to play us. We’re a dangerous team. No one respects us at the moment. So, whoever we play, they’d better be ready for us, because we’re going to show up.”

How the SBLive Oregon 5A media poll Top 10 fared

1. Wilsonville (7-1) def. Forest Grove 68-14

2. Silverton (8-0) def. No. 7 West Albany 49-28

3. Mountain View (8-0) def. No. 4 Summit 21-6

4. Summit (4-4) lost to No. 3 Mountain View 21-6

5. Thurston (6-2) def. Willamette 63-6

6. Canby (6-2) def. Putnam 1-0, forfeit

7. West Albany (6-2) lost to No. 2 Silverton 49-28

8. Springfield (7-1) def. North Eugene 33-11

9. Caldera (6-2) def. Redmond 20-0

10. McKay (6-2) def. Corvallis 30-20

Silverton pulls away in second half to secure Mid-Willamette crown

A year ago, Silverton entered its Week 8 matchup with West Albany in the driver’s seat for the Mid-Willamette Conference title, only to fall at home 21-20 and eventually finish in a three-way tie for first.

Thus, after the Foxes avenged that defeat Friday with a 49-28 victory at West Albany, Silverton coach Dan Lever acknowledged the feeling was a mixture of relief, satisfaction and celebration as they secured the outright MWC championship.

“West is a really good football team,” Lever said. “I’m proud of how we handled adversity and not playing super clean but making the plays we needed to.”

The Foxes scored just before halftime on Sawyer Teeney’s 10-yard pass to Elijah Howard to take the lead for good at 21-14.

They recovered a fumble on West Albany’s first drive of the second half and cashed in on Brody Sullivan’s 10-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-14. Sullivan tacked on another score midway through the third to give Silverton a 35-14 lead.

Teeney finished 22 of 31 for 281 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he rushed for a game-high 110 yards and two scores.

Mountain View wraps up IMC title with ‘great win’ over Summit

Mountain View wrapped up at least a share of its first Intermountain Conference title since 2017 with a 21-6 victory over reigning 5A state champion Summit.

Big plays at the beginning and end of the game cemented the Cougars’ victory. Brady Kennedy’s blocked punt on Summit’s first drive set up Angel Valenzuela’s 5-yard touchdown run to put Mountain View up 7-0.

Valenzuela tacked on a second touchdown run from 3 yards and later tossed a touchdown pass to Connor Crum out of the Wildcat as the Cougars built a 21-0 halftime lead.

TOUCHDOWN MOUNTAIN VIEW

Little trickery on this one. @angelvalenz20 takes a direct snap and finds @Connorcrummv alone in the end zone.

21-0 Cougars pic.twitter.com/4iUFKKVLIL
— Brian Rathbone (@ByBrianRathbone) October 21, 2023

The Storm rallied late and had a chance to draw within one score with 4:44 to play, but Kennedy made a goal-line stop on fourth down to seal the victory.

“Our defense was lights-out tonight,” Mountain View coach Brian Crum said. “It was a great win for our program, one where our kids circled it a year ago as the test for this season, who we wanted to be. I was proud of our kids with their effort.”

Caldera clinched its first playoff berth in the program’s second season with a 20-0 win over Redmond. The Wolfpack play Summit next week to decide second place in the IMC, with both teams joining Mountain View in the 5A playoffs in two weeks.

How the SBLive Oregon 4A media poll Top 10 fared

1. Scappoose (7-1) lost to No. 6 Tillamook 46-29

2. Marist Catholic (7-1) def. No. 8 Cascade 22-15

3. Henley (8-0) def. No. 4 Mazama 42-14

4. Mazama (6-2) lost to No. 3 Henley 42-14

5. Pendleton (7-1) def. La Grande 33-14

6. Tillamook (6-2) def. No. 1 Scappoose 46-29

7. Seaside (5-3) def. Astoria 42-7

8. Cascade (5-3) lost to No. 2 Marist Catholic 22-15

9. Baker (4-4) def. Crook County 54-20

10. North Bend (7-2) lost to Ashland 44-20

Henley stings Southside Series rival to move atop Big Sky

For the first time since 2017, the Southside Series champion resides at Henley.

And with the Hornets’ 42-14 victory at archrival Mazama in the battle of Klamath Falls powerhouses, they secured at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title — their first league title since 2017.

They can earn their first outright title since 2000 by winning at North Bend next week, which would also end Mazama’s nine-year championship run.

“A great program win,” Henley coach Alex Stork said. “I’m proud of the players and the coaches’ effort and preparation.”

The Hornets have leaned heavily on senior Logan Whitlock for most of the season, and he ran for two scores and threw for another on a flea-flicker.

They also received contributions from Chris Janney, who caught Whitlock’s touchdown pass and returned a fumble 59 yards for another score, and his younger brother Joe, who ran for two touchdowns and was 4-for-4 passing for 86 yards.

“It took everyone involved to come away with the win tonight,” Stork said.

Marist Catholic rallies to set up title showdown with Junction City

Marist Catholic rallied from a 15-14 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Cascade 22-15 and set up a showdown for the Oregon West title next week against Junction City.

Bryce Kuenzi’s 6-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the fourth and the ensuing two-point conversion put the Cougars on the verge of the victory.

The Spartans drove on the ensuing possession for the go-ahead score with 8:18 left, leaving them tied atop the conference standings with Junction City, which romped past Cottage Grove 52-13 to keep pace.

The teams meet next week in Junction City, with the Spartans hoping to defend their crown while the Tigers look to end an eight-game losing streak in the series and earn their first league title since 2014.

Pendleton, Baker to clash in Week 9 for Greater Oregon crown

Pendleton got two of its top players back this week in time to defeat La Grande 33-14 and set up a winner-take-all game next week at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena against Baker for the Greater Oregon League title.

Quarterback Jace Otteson returned after missing last week’s game against Ontario with an injury and played in the first half against the Tigers, and two-way standout Benito Jennings — out two weeks because of concussion protocol — came back to catch a touchdown pass as the Buckaroos rallied from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit.

Thaiden Cannin’s 38-yard punt return broke a 14-14 tie midway through the third quarter, and he later caught a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Colson Primus. Tugg McQuinn ran for a game-high 162 yards and a touchdown.

The Buckaroos will take on a resurgent Baker team that won its fourth in a row after an 0-4 start, rolling past Crook County 54-20 to stay tied with Pendleton atop the GOL standings entering Week 9.

Tillamook topples No. 1 Scappoose, forges 3-way tie atop Cowapa League

After waiting 23 years between winning league championships, Tillamook wasn’t about to relinquish the Cowapa title without a fight.

The Cheesemakers traveled to Scappoose on Thursday and knocked off top-ranked Scappoose 46-29 to move into a three-way tie for first place along with Seaside.

Since Tillamook lost in Week 5 to the Seagulls to open league play, “it’s made me a little more stressed the last two weeks,” acknowledged Cheesemakers coach Kye Johnson.

“But tonight, I knew we were locked in and ready to go. We had a great week of practice, and there wasn’t a guy in our locker room who didn’t look confident we could play well and meet our goals.”

Senior quarterback Tanner Hoskins threw for 294 yards (two shy of the school record) and three touchdowns, and he rushed for 102 yards and two scores to lead the Cheesemakers, who couldn’t put the game away until late in the fourth.

Cayden Baker’s 12-yard touchdown run with 6:28 remaining pulled Scappoose to within 32-29, but Hoskins hit Carsen Rieger from 15 yards to push the lead back to 10 with 1:13 left.

Tillamook’s final touchdown with 9 seconds left could prove critical in playoff positioning. If Tillamook, Scappoose and Seaside all finish next week 4-1, the Cheesemakers now own the tiebreaker for the league's No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

Sisters holds off Siuslaw to clinch top seed from 3A Mountain Valley

Another league's No. 1 seed in the 3A state playoffs was decided in Central Oregon as Sisters clinched the top spot in the Mountain Valley Conference with a 27-20 win over 2021 state champion Siuslaw.

Justin DeSmet ran for a game-high 146 yards, and Ethen Eby ran for two touchdowns and Hunter Bronson threw for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Dawson Roberson had a goal-line interception to thwart Siuslaw as the Outlaws secured at least a share of their first league title since 2015 and a first-round home game.

“They are a very hard-working and resilient group that plays well together,” Sisters coach Gary Thorson said. “The team was very excited.”

Sisters joins Banks (Valley Coast), Dayton (PacWest), Cascade Christian (Far West) and Vale (Eastern Oregon) as No. 1 league seeds in the playoffs.

Vale clinched the EOL’s top spot when Burns defeated Nyssa 47-14 on Saturday. The Vikings finish against Nyssa next week, but while the Bulldogs can make it a three-way split of the league title with a victory, Vale would get the No. 1 seed by virtue of its superior OSAA ranking.

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