Lake Oswego ousts reigning champion Central Catholic, will face rival West Linn for 6A crown: 5 takeaways

LaMarcus Bell has four TDs for Lakers, who erase 10-point deficit vs. Rams; it'll be Three Rivers League rivals Lake Oswego, West Linn next week for the title

Oliver Macy (5) and Lake Oswego will face league rival West Linn for the 6A Open championship. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

HILLSBORO — It certainly wasn’t easy.

It was somewhat crazy.

It was definitely nerve-racking.

It featured plenty of big plays and clutch performances.

And when it was all settled, the Lake Oswego football team was celebrating an upcoming trip to the championship contest.

The Lakers rallied, more than once, to get a 33-24 win over Central Catholic in a wild Class 6A Open bracket semifinal game played in front of a large, loud crowd Friday at Hillsboro Stadium.

“It feels amazing,” said Lake Oswego junior running back LaMarcus Bell, who scored four touchdowns, including what turned out to be the winner with 4 minutes and 41 seconds left in the third quarter. “We’ve been saying we can get here since the beginning of the season, back in August. We were saying, ‘State is our low.’ Now we’ve got to win it — that’s our high.”

“This means so much,” Lake Oswego junior quarterback Hudson Kurland said. “It’s my first year at LO, and going to the state championship is everybody’s dream. It’s everybody’s goal coming into the season, and we worked so hard for this, and we made it happen.”

With their 33-24 win over Central Catholic, Lake Oswego will enter the state championship game with an 11-0 record — including a 21-17 victory against West Linn. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

“We put in a lot of work the whole season for this,” said Lakers junior defensive back/kicker Hudson Gasperson, who kicked a 24-yard field goal in addition to playing a strong game on defense. “We worked hard the whole week, and all the work paid off.”

With the dramatic win, the top-seeded Lakers improved to 11-0. They advance to meet West Linn in the Class 6A Open title game.

Central Catholic, the No. 5 seed and the defending Class 6A state champion, finished its season 11-1.

“We knew coming into the game that they were going to be a really good team. They’re really solid all around. We knew we’d have to come out here and give it our all,” Central Catholic junior running back/defensive back Cole Thomas said.  “Some things didn’t go our way — credit to them. They broke out some huge plays; same with us. I think our defense played really solid with how good their offense is.”

“It was a great atmosphere to be in, and just a great game,” Rams junior quarterback Robbie Long said. “We train for these moments, we train for these games, but it didn’t end up the way we expected.”

Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s matchup:

LaMarcus Bell: “You can’t really stop him”

As spectacular as Bell has been throughout the season for the Lakers, the tough, swift, 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior running back seemed to turn things up a notch in the semifinal.

He ran for 258 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.

“He’s incredible. He’s the best running back in the state, if not the entire Northwest,” Kurland said. “I’m so glad he’s on this team. He’s a great leader, a great role model for everyone, and I’m just so happy for him.”

Gasperson didn’t need many words to describe his talented teammate.

“He’s a great player,” he said. “You can’t really stop him.”

LaMarcus Bell: 26 carries, 258 yards, four touchdowns against defending champion Central Catholic. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

Bell scored the first touchdown of the game, coming on a 5-yard run, after reeling off a 33-yard scamper, to give the Lakers a 7-0 lead with 9:51 remaining in the first quarter.

He scored on a 3-yard run early in the second quarter and had a 35-yard run later in the period, helping set up Gasperson’s field goal, which gave the Lakers an 18-17 halftime advantage.

Bell’s biggest play came in the third quarter, right after the Rams had taken a 24-18 lead.

With the Lakers’ facing first-and-34 from their 5-yard line, Bell broke through a hole, cut to the right and sprinted 82 yards down the right sideline to the Central Catholic 13-yard line.

“It was blur,” Bell said of the big play. “The line opened a hole, I got through the hole and broke a few tackles. That’s what we do.”

Bell, who had four catches for 42 yards, scored on a 3-yard run three plays later, helping the Lakers reclaim the lead at 25-24, and they wouldn’t give it up the rest of the way.

As for his big game, Bell was quick to give credit elsewhere.

“It was the coaches — they inspire all of us,” he said. “They tell us we can be great, and we have to prove it to them.”

Team effort carries Lake Oswego

Sure, Bell had a huge game for the Lakers, as Kurland affirmed.

“It’s so hard to defend LaMarcus Bell. It’s impossible to defend him,” he said.

But it took so much more, from start to finish, for Lake Oswego to come away victorious.

“It just took ‘LO 48.’ Play all 48 minutes,” Bell said. “We were down, but we came back and got it done. That’s what we do.”

“It was both our offense and defense,” Gasperson said.

Bell agreed.

“It took everyone — defense, offense. Everyone put in the work,” he said.

As for the offensive side of things, Bell added that the success was sparked by the offensive line.

“It was the grit from the line,” he said of the group that included starters Noah Uecker, Jackson Graetz, Amin Alshatti, Jaden Moore and Jagar Shean. “They put in so much work, and it’s just amazing. I love those guys. We lost a guy (Graetz to injury), but the young guy stepped in and got it done. I’m so proud of him — Dylan Marquez; you’ve got to remember that name.”

In his first season after transferring from Sunset, junior Hudson Kurland quarterbacked Lake Oswego to the 6A championship game. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

Kurland completed 7 of 11 passes for 90 yards. Junior running back Justin Craigwell had eight carries for 58 yards as well as a 28-yard reception.

For the Lake Oswego defense, Gasperson and senior Oliver Macy each had a tackle for loss, and sophomore Summit Cvitash had an interception of a long pass in the final minute, basically sealing the victory.

For the Lakers’ special teams, in addition to Gasperson’s field goal and three extra points, senior Liam Davis, who holds for kicks, scored on a 2-point conversion run after the team’s second touchdown.

In addition to all of that, there was also the Lakers’ positive attitude, which really seemed to pay off for them when they found themselves facing a 17-7 deficit late in the first quarter.

“It was a really slow start for us,” Kurland said. “We had a couple hiccups, but we stayed in it. We stayed up, we never got down on ourselves, and we got the job done.”

Lakers set to face familiar foe

The Lakers, when they will be playing to win their first state crown since 2018, will see some familiar faces across the line of scrimmage when they face Three Rivers League rival West Linn in the Class 6A Open championship game, which will be played Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. at Hillsboro Stadium.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Kurland said. “The job isn’t done yet.”

The teams have met once this season, with the Lakers coming away with a 21-17 win in a league game Oct. 18 at West Linn High School. It’s the only loss of the season for the 10-1 Lions, who defeated previously unbeaten Sheldon 28-21 in Friday’s other semifinal at Willamette University in Salem.

“We played them earlier this year, and one of the hardest things in sports to do is beat a team twice,” Kurland said. “But you know what? After today, we have to go back into the lab and get back to work.”

“It’s hard to beat a team twice, but we have to go in there, knowing we can beat them,” said Bell, who ran for 197 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting. “Confidence is key, so we have to keep pushing.”

After Friday's monster performance against the Rams, what does LaMarcus Bell have in store for the rival Lions? / Photo by Taylor Balkom

And the Lakers seem confident they can get the win, and the championship, in next Friday’s showdown.

“We’re the better team, so we’ll take them down,” said Gasperson, who had two interceptions in the previous meeting between the two powerhouses. “We just have to play our game. It’s on us.”

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of film study,” Kurland said. “We’re going to have to review our earlier game against West Linn. We’re going to have to critique ourselves and come out and be the better team. It’s all about who wants it more.”

“It’s going to take LO 48,” Bell said with a smile. “It always takes LO 48. We’re going to be back on this field, and we have to get it done.”

Long shines at quarterback for Central Catholic

Central Catholic’s season came to an end, but it certainly was a strong season for Long, the team’s first-year starter at quarterback.

“I feel like I did a pretty good job,” the 6-foot-3, 197-pound Long said. “It’s been great. I’ve had a great support system throughout the season. I love being a quarterback. That’s the best position around the field. The offense revolves around you. You’re the leader and everyone looks up to you.”

Long also stepped up for the Rams in Friday’s game. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 212 yards and rushed for 44 yards.

He threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver D’Marieon Gates to give the Rams a 17-7 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter. He completed a 20-yard scoring toss to senior receiver Landon Kelsey, giving Central Catholic a 24-18 advantage with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter.

“He had a great game, making great plays,” Thomas said of Long.

By all accounts, junior Robbie Long had a banner first season as Central Catholic's starting quarterback. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

It’s something Thomas has seen from the junior quarterback all season.

“Last year, he came in as a swinger (between junior varsity and varsity), but this year he was stepping up and making plays,” Thomas said. “Under pressure, he was just composed.”

Long is planning to be even better next year.

“I’m going to train hard in the offseason. I’ve got basketball coming up, but yeah, I’m going to come back stronger,” said Long, who scored 10 points for the Rams boys basketball team in its 85-76 win over Roosevelt in the 2024 Class 6A championship game.

Good season, bright future for Rams

The Central Catholic players, while disappointed after the loss to Lake Oswego, seemed to keep their heads up after the game.

“Coming in as a (No.) 5 seed, going to the semifinals, I’m really proud of the guys,” Thomas said. “I’m amazed with what we did. Coming in with a new coach (Charlie Landgraf), new players, new guys stepping up — I think we proved people wrong.”

The Rams also had plenty of bright moments in Friday’s game.

Thomas came up with an interception and a 42-yard return, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by senior Ty Newbury, giving Central Catholic its first lead at 10-7.

“I was playing free safety. I just saw the route and broke on it and made the play,” Thomas said.

Kelsey finished with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, and Gates had four receptions for 88 yards and a score. Junior Tyson Davis was the Rams’ leading rusher with 67 yards on 14 carries.

Landon Kelsey shined in his final high school game: eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

For the Rams’ defense, senior Evan Brenner and junior Donnie Vercher each had a tackle for loss, and senior Zac Stascausky blocked a fourth-down pass attempt.

Now, Central Catholic is looking to build on its strong season and the postseason experience.

“I’m excited for next year. I’m excited to keep it going,” Thomas said. “We’re building a legacy here. (Former coach Steve) Pyne leaving (after the 2023 season) left a great legacy, and it’ s time to start a new one, a new era.”

“We’ll come back strong next year,” Long said. “We all know this feeling. For sure, that’s motivation for next year.”

Lake Oswego 33, Central Catholic 24

Central Catholic - 17 - 0 - 7 - 0 — 24

Lake Oswego - 7 - 11 - 7 - 8 — 33

First quarter

L – LaMarcus Bell 5 run (Hudson Gasperson kick)

C – Mario Martinez-Ibarra 31 field goal

C – Ty Newbury 4 run (Martinez-Ibarra kick)

C – D’Marieon Gates 63 pass from Robbie Long (Martinez-Ibarra kick)

Second quarter

L – Bell 3 run (Liam Davis run)

L – Gasperson 24 field goal

Third quarter

C – Landon Kelsey 20 pass from Long (Martinez-Ibarra kick)

L – Bell 3 run (Gasperson kick)

Fourth quarter

L – Safety, Central Catholic penalty in end zone

L – Bell 13 run (kick failed)

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Rushing – Central Catholic, Tyson Davis 14-67, Long 3-44, Cole Thomas 8-31, Newbury 3-5. Total 28-147. Lake Oswego, Bell 26-258, Justin Craigwell 8-58, Hudson Kurland 7-16, Jalen Bauman 1-1. Total 42-343.

Passing – Central Catholic, Long 14-23-1, 212 yards. Lake Oswego, Kurland 7-11-1, 90 yards.

Receiving – Central Catholic, Kelsey 8-112, Gates 4-88, Dayvion Curtis 1-6, Thomas 1-6. Lake Oswego, Bell 4-42, Jake Drakalovich 2-20, Craigwell 1-28.

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