For West Linn football seniors, 2024 state title was a decade in the making

“They were the best leaders that we could ever ask for. They were the foundation to this championship.”

A special group of seniors led the West Linn Lions to the 2024 Oregon 6A Open state championship. / Photo by Dan Brood

HILLSBORO — The dream.

The goal.

The aspirations.

For a special group of West Linn football players, it all started years ago.

Late last month, they saw all of it come to fruition — and they were pretty happy about it.

The Lions seniors — and there’s a big group of them — capped their high school football careers the best way possible, as they notched a 44-30 win over Three Rivers League rival Lake Oswego in the Class 6A Open championship game at Hillsboro Stadium.

“We were so inspired,” West Linn senior lineman Ryan Holmes said. “We pushed each other every day at practice, and it led to this.”

“Most of us have been playing together since third grade,” West Linn senior running back/linebacker Hudson Hardy said. “It’s just a big deal to win with all of your brothers that you’ve been playing for.”

Since that group of third-graders got together, they’ve aimed for the top.

“It’s been our goal ever since we started playing,” Hardy said. “We were all watching a varsity football game, and we knew it was going to be us one day. Now, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

The Lions seniors have had plenty of success during their time in the West Linn football program. As sophomores, most of them played in or got to experience the Lions’ 23-14 win over Sheldon in the 2022 Class 6A state championship game.

As juniors, they were part of the West Linn team that went 11-1, the loss a 12-7 defeat to eventual state champion Central Catholic in a Class 6A state semifinal.

This year, the West Linn seniors — there were 26 of them on the Lions’ championship-game roster — were determined to finish on top. They helped lead the team to an 8-1 record in regular-season play, with the loss coming to Lake Oswego.

West Linn opened its postseason trek with a 49-14 home win over Sherwood. In the Class 6A Open semifinals, the Lions bested previously unbeaten Sheldon 28-21 at Willamette University in Salem.

That put West Linn in the championship game, and the persistent Lions seniors weren’t about to be denied, as they stepped up in the title-game win over the Lakers.

The West Linn offensive line, anchored by seniors Jake Normoyle, Connor Stuart, Tristan Brester and Holmes, led the way for the Lions to rush for 257 yards on 38 carries and did not allow a sack — or even a tackle for loss.

Lions senior quarterback Baird Gilroy completed 12 of 22 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 43 yards on two carries. All three of Gilroy’s touchdown passes went to senior receiver Danny Wideman, who had four catches for 46 yards.

West Linn standout senior tight end/defensive end Baron Naone had three catches for 71 yards, including a 36-yard grab that set up the Lions’ final touchdown. He had a sack on defense.

Baron Naone / Photo by Dan Brood

Hardy stepped up with a 5-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score and was in on six tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Senior linebacker Ryder White was in on a team-high 12 tackles, including five solo tackles. He had one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Senior defensive back Xavier Harris had an interception, a pass breakup and six total tackles.

Even with all of those strong performances in the title contest, it was more than just what the seniors did in game action that helped lead the Lions to the championship.

“I feel like they were the backbone of the team,” junior lineman Kalani Ioapo said. “They were the best leaders that we could ever ask for. They were the foundation to this championship.”

There’s also the family feeling the group brought to the squad.

“We’re all close-knit,” said Normoyle, who, along with Hardy, Naone and Wideman, served as a team captain for the championship game. “We hang out together outside of school. We’ve been best friends since we’ve been here. I think that showed today.”

Jake Normoyle / Photo by Dan Brood

“The seniors are my brothers,” Wideman said. “I moved here in second grade, and they brought me in. They made me part of the West Linn family, and I love them so much. I’m so happy to win it with them.”

“We’re really a tight-knit group,” Gilroy said. “It’s great to see a group that I really love get this win.”

“It’s a great family,” Holmes said. “We’ve got a lot of them. It’s been great, and I have no doubt that the juniors and sophomores are going to step up and do great next year.”

Ioapo, for one, is looking forward to continuing the leadership tradition for next year’s West Linn squad.

“To learn from them, and to improve each day, is something I want to carry on into next year,” he said. “I want to take on that role. I love this team with all my heart, and I’d do anything for my boys, and to get the chance to play another year means the world to me.”

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