Oregon high school football playoffs 2024 state semifinals: Top stars, game by game recap

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Lake Oswego junior running back LaMarcus Bell piled up 262 yards and four touchdowns in the Lakers' 33-24 semifinal win over reigning champion Central Catholic. / Photo by Taylor Balkom

The 2024 Oregon high school football playoffs continued with the state semifinals in every classification.

Here’s a game-by-game look at some of the top stars and memorable performances.

•  OSAA FOOTBALL BRACKETS | PLAYOFFS SCOREBOARD

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FRIDAY

CLASS 6A OPEN | Bracket

No. 1 Lake Oswego 33, No. 5 Central Catholic 24 | Full story

There will be a new champion in Class 6A, as the Lakers (11-0) rode a big night from junior running back LaMarcus Bell to their first state final since 2019 while dethroning the Rams (11-1) at Hillsboro Stadium.

Central Catholic was vying to win a fourth title in the past five postseasons but couldn’t overcome 19 penalties for 210 yards, nor could the Rams find a way to stop Bell, who finished with 262 yards and four touchdowns — including a clinching 21-yard score with 1:18 to play.

The Rams held on fourth down from their 3-yard line with four minutes left. After getting a first down, an illegal block in the back in the end zone resulted in a safety that gave the Lakers a 27-24 lead with 3:01 remaining.

Central Catholic took the second-half kickoff and marched 80 yards in 11 plays, with Robbie Long finding Landon Kelsey for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams a 24-18 lead with 6:51 left in the third quarter.

The Lakers committed three consecutive penalties on the ensuing drive, backing themselves up to their 4-yard line, but Bell got them out of jail with an 83-yard run to the Rams 13. That set up his 3-yard scoring run with 4:41 left to put Lake Oswego ahead to stay, 25-24.

The Lakers racked up 342 rushing yards and 427 total, with Justin Craigwell adding 64 on nine carries.

Central Catholic amassed 359 yards, with Long going 14 of 24 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Tyson Davis ran 11 times for 69 yards, and Kelsey caught eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.

No. 2 West Linn 28, No. 3 Sheldon 21

At Willamette University in Salem, Baird Gilroy connected with Danny Wideman on a 35-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to break a 21-21 tie, and the Lions (10-1) stopped the Irish (10-1) on fourth down with 2:36 to play to advance to their fourth final since 2015 and second in the past three years.

Sheldon entered averaging a 6A-best 53 points per game but was held scoreless over the final 26:53 after Kelsen Sperry’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Jyce Jones tied the score at 21-21.

“Our defensive coaches made some adjustments, and the players settled in and recognized plays,” Lions coach Jon Eagle said. “Many players made key third-down stops.”

The Lions get a rematch against Three Rivers League rival Lake Oswego in next week’s title game, looking to follow a similar pattern to their last state title in 2022.

The Lakers handed West Linn its only loss, 21-17 in Week 7. Two years ago, it was Sheldon who handed the Lions their only regular-season defeat, only for West Linn to avenge that loss in the title game.

“LO is a great program,” Eagle said. “But our players committed to a rigorous offseason program to get back to the title game.

“We’re excited to get another week of practice with our players and coaches. It’s a special group.”

CLASS 6A | Bracket

No. 13 South Medford 17, No. 16 Newberg 0

The Panthers (8-4) will play in an OSAA final for the second consecutive season after they posted their second shutout of this postseason in defeating the Tigers (6-6) at Roseburg High School.

Senior Mike Duclos had three interceptions as South Medford set up a Black and Blue Bowl rematch with crosstown rival North Medford in next week’s championship game.

“We gave up yards between the 20s, but our red zone defense was terrific,” Panthers coach Bill Singler said. “Their quarterback (Parker Sellner) really hurt us with his legs, but when we got ahead, it forced them to throw the ball more, which took the ball out of his hands.”

In the first meeting between the Medford schools this season, the Panthers eked out a 33-30 victory to snap a two-game skid in the series, which began in 1986, when Medford High split. North Medford holds a 20-19 lead in the series.

Newberg was seeking its first appearance in an OSAA final.

No. 14 North Medford 42, No. 15 Jesuit 32

At Willamette High School in Eugene, Cameron Nix ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns, including a 2-yarder late in the third quarter that gave the Black Tornado (8-4) the lead for good at 21-17 as they advanced to their first OSAA final since 2003.

On the ensuing possession, Tate Snyder intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 55 yards, setting up a 22-yard scoring pass from Traeger Healy to Easton Curtis with 10:26 left. The teams exchanged touchdowns the rest of the way until North Medford held on fourth down at its 26-yard line with 1 minute left.

Black Tornado coach Nathan Chin pointed to two defensive plays as turning points — Nolan Kelly’s 15-yard interception return for a touchdown 14 seconds before halftime and a third-down stop in the red zone that forced Jesuit (9-3) to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Parker Heydet to open the second half.

“This is huge for our kids and also our program to have additional opportunities to play football for the extra four weeks,” Chin said.

Crusaders quarterback Trey Cleeland was 18 of 29 for 276 yards with two interceptions, and he ran for three touchdowns. Grant Valley caught nine passes for 144 yards and made a team-high seven tackles, and Roman Mallard and Quinn Wicklow each had 2½ tackles for loss.

CLASS 5A | Bracket

No. 5 Wilsonville 32, No. 1 Silverton 29 | Full story

Senior quarterback Mark Wiepert had a hand in all five Wildcats touchdowns and amassed 450 total yards, and Blake Dougherty forced a fumble on fourth down in the final minute that Emmitt Fee recovered to seal Wilsonville’s victory at McMinnville High School.

Wiepert threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 170 yards and a score and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from halfback Roman Kealoha as the defending champion Wildcats (10-2) avenged a defeat to the Foxes (10-2) during Special District 2 play.

“People want to talk about dual-threat quarterbacks, and we’ve got a very special quarterback,” said Wilsonville coach Adam Guenther. “We’ve just kept him throwing the ball all year so we could keep him ready to go for games like this. Talk about a warrior — he didn’t come off the field much on defense either.”

Wiepert’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Keona Tam with 1:47 left in the third quarter gave Wilsonville a 32-21 lead. After forcing a punt, the Wildcats were driving for another score when Eli Willis punched the ball free and recovered the fumble with 8:26 to play.

Nine plays later, Lincoln Teeney scored on a 1-yard run to draw the Foxes within a field goal. They got the ball back with 2:50 left after a punt and drove from their 14 to the Wildcats 32 before Dougherty’s helmet knocked the ball out of quarterback Sawyer Teeney’s hand as he rolled out — the last of five sacks for the Wildcats.

Sawyer Teeney was 19 of 31 for 322 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he ran for one touchdown. He was stopped inches short of a go-ahead score on fourth down midway through the third quarter — one of three fourth-down stops Wilsonville had in the second half.

No. 2 Mountain View 40, No. 6 West Albany 17

At McNary High School in Keizer, junior Angel Valenzuela rushed for a season-high 237 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cougars (12-0) overcame the second-quarter disqualification of Washington State-bound receiver Jack Foley to earn a rematch with Wilsonville from last year’s state final.

Valenzuela scored on runs of 61, 96 and 4 yards, and his goal-line fumble was recovered by teammate Dominick Valdez in the end zone with 10:31 to play, giving Mountain View a 33-17 lead.

“Angel was simply a man tonight,” Cougars coach Brian Crum said. “He played possessed on both sides of the ball and was not going to be denied.”

Mountain View returned only four of 22 starters from last year’s finalist, which was the second time the program played for a state title. The Cougars won it all in 2011.

“That says a lot about our depth and the heart that these kids had,” Crum said. “Their motto from the beginning was reload, not rebuild, and that’s what they’ve done.”

The Bulldogs (9-3), seeking their first championship game appearance since winning the 2013 title, trailed 20-17 at halftime and were stymied on fourth down at the Cougars 6 on their first drive of the second half.

After an exchange of punts pinned Mountain View at its 4, Valenzuela found a crease on the left side of the line and raced 96 yards for a score.

Tyler Hart-McNally rushed for 151 yards and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Martirano, who also ran for a score for West Albany.

SATURDAY

CLASS 4A | Bracket

No. 1 Marist Catholic 41, No. 5 Scappoose 7 | Full story

At McMinnville High School, Nick Hudson threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, and the Spartans (11-1) held Scappoose (10-2) to 149 yards in advancing to the state final for the second consecutive year and third time in the past four seasons.

“There was not really a gap between the end of last season and the end of this one,” Hudson said. “We kind of just carried it on and got better each week.”

Hudson connected with Aaron Bidwell five times for 143 yards, including touchdown passes of 72, 12 and 23 yards. 

Conner Harvey ran for 101 yards and a touchdown for the Spartans, and junior linebacker Brody Buzzard had a team-high seven tackles and returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Marist Catholic now gets Henley in a rematch of last year’s final, which the Hornets won 42-23. Henley also beat the Spartans 19-16 this season.

“We really just want to get that victory over Henley,” Buzzard said. “We’re going to be ready for what they’re going to do.”

Kadyn Nollette’s 87-yard fumble return for Scappoose, which was seeking its first final appearance since 2015, set up its only score on an 11-yard pass from Max Nowlin to Brayden Miller.

No. 3 Henley 21, No. 2 Cascade 14 (OT)

At Grants Pass High School, the defending champion Hornets (11-1) rallied from a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit, with senior Mark Carpenter stepping in for injured quarterback Joe Janney and scoring the winning 3-yard touchdown in overtime.

The Cougars (10-2) then got possession, but Nolan Sieben made a tackle for loss on third down, and the Hornets stopped a fourth-down pass to set off the celebration.

Janney injured a knee during Henley’s quarterfinal win over Philomath, and coach Matt Green said it was a game-time decision whether he would play.

In his place, Carpenter (100 rushing yards; 6 of 22 for 73 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions) received his first action behind center since his freshman season.

“He’s just a competitor,” Green said. “He’s the kid you want to have with the ball in his hands.”

Henley forced overtime with a crazy play. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Carpenter ran right but had the ball jarred loose, and it bounced into the end zone, where Bryson Montag recovered for the Hornets with 19 seconds to play. Carpenter found Connor Shively for the two-point conversion.

Carpenter and Montag connected on a 10-yard touchdown with 6:01 remaining to get Henley on the scoreboard. The Hornets then stuffed a fake punt, giving them the ball at midfield to set up the tying score.

“I was thinking, ‘Let’s get a score on the board and see what our defense can do,’” Green said. “Our defense played lights-out all night. There is just no quit in this team. We’ve got guys who just want to compete.”

Cascade appeared poised to make its third title game appearance and first since winning the 2015 crown, building a 14-0 halftime lead that it nursed until the wild finish.

Carter Condon’s 8-yard touchdown run with three minutes left in the first quarter put the Cougars ahead. A blocked punt through the end zone resulted in a safety, and Cascade scored on the ensuing possession on Cade Coreson’s 23-yard pass to tight end Charles McFerron.

Condon finished with a game-high 128 yards on 39 carries, and Coreson was 8 of 12 for 96 yards.

CLASS 3A | Bracket

No. 4 Vale 20, No. 9 North Valley 3

At Summit High School in Bend, senior Kase Schaffeld ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and the Vikings (12-0) held the Knights (9-3) to 120 yards in earning their first appearance in a state final since winning back-to-back titles in 2014-15.

“We’ve been really close several times and either lost to the champions or runner-up every year,” coach Jeff Aldred said. “This is a special group, especially the seniors, and I don’t think they would be satisfied to just get to the finals.”

North Valley, which made its only final in 1984, grabbed an early 3-0 lead on Carson Smith’s 31-yard field goal with 8:05 left in the first quarter.

The Knights, who averaged more than 256 rushing yards per game during the regular season, managed 25 on 21 carries.

Aldred credited his brother and defensive coordinator, Nate, with developing a scheme to slow North Valley’s wing-T.

“The kids love D-day practice and really execute the game plans very well,” Jeff Aldred said. “We love to play physical, hard-nosed football on both sides of the ball. It’s definitely our identity.”

Schaffeld’s first touchdown 6:24 before halftime gave Vale an 8-3 halftime lead. He added a 4-yard scoring run with three minutes left in the third quarter, and Brooks Aldred scored from the 1 for the final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

No. 11 Burns 22, No. 2 Banks 15

At Summit High School, the Hilanders (10-2) knocked off a higher seed for the third consecutive week, surviving a wild final sequence to defeat Banks (10-1), which was seeking a second consecutive trip to the state final.

Burns attempted to run out the clock after Canon Winn’s fumble recovery with 1:30 left, but the Hilanders left one second for Banks to try to complete a comeback from the Burns 26. Instead, the final pass fell to the turf, securing Burns’ first trip to the title game since 2014, where it’ll meet Eastern Oregon rival Vale.

“It was an up-and-down roller coaster, for sure,” said coach Matt Bruck, whose team became the lowest seed to reach a state final since Salem Academy played for the 3A title in 2016 as a 12-seed. 

“We’re just super excited. The entire staff couldn’t be more proud of the boys, the way they fight day in, day out, taking what’s given to us and doing the best we can with it. We just flew around on defense and got stops when we needed them.”

The score remained 0-0 until late in the third quarter, when Easton Kemper’s interception set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jack Wright to Winn to give Burns an 8-0 lead.

Winn recovered a fumble in the end zone one play after Banks completed a successful goal-line stand, pushing the lead to 16-0 with 9:53 to play.

Lane Gilbert returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to put Banks on the scoreboard, but Burns answered with a quick scoring drive, with Wright finding Coltin Miller for a 15-yard touchdown.

Banks mounted a drive in the final minutes, with Gilbert driving to the end zone from the 2 to draw the team within 22-15 with 2:55 left.

Banks was stopped twice in the red zone in the first half and had a second-quarter touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty. Miller intercepted a pass at the goal line to thwart Banks on the final play of the first half.

CLASS 2A | Bracket

No. 5 St. Paul 18, No. 1 Heppner 12

At Caldera High School in Bend, Diego Medina took a pitch right and lunged into the end zone from 1 yard with 23 seconds left to lift the Buckaroos (12-0) past the Mustangs (11-1) and to their first final as a 2A program.

St. Paul, which made the 1A eight-man final in 2018, 2019 and 2022, moved back to 2A this season.

“This is huge,” said coach Tony Smith, who led the Buckaroos to their last title in 2010. “We’re a 1A school playing up, and we made it to the title game. When has that ever happened in our state?”

The defeat ends the 40-year career of Mustangs coach Greg Grant, who finishes with a record of 350-82.

Clay Smith ran for a game-high 123 yards and two touchdowns for St. Paul, including a 44-yard tying score with 6:04 remaining. He made 15 tackles, and Grady Wolf had a game-high 16 as the Buckaroos held Heppner to 245 yards.

Tripp Stewart ran for two short touchdowns for the Mustangs, who led 12-6 at halftime.

No. 2 Oakland 28, No. 6 Gervais 14

At Cottage Grove High School, senior Gabe Williamson ran for 287 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, and the Oakers (12-0) pulled away to defeat the Cougars (9-2).

“We have really leaned on him offensively the last two weeks,” said coach Ben Lane, who led the Oakers to the state title two years ago. “Gabe has that rare ability to get those around him to rise up. This group of kids is unselfish and work hard for each other.”

Oakland led 8-6 after Johnny Mariano’s 5-yard touchdown run for Gervais with 7:16 left in the third quarter.

The Oakers answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Willamson’s 10-yard touchdown run with 4:28 remaining in the period.

Williamson had 10 tackles, and Corbin Hoover had a team-high 14 (three for loss) and a sack.

Mariano had 26 carries for 155 yards and made a game-high 16 tackles for Gervais, which was seeking its first appearance in a state final since 1951.

CLASS 1A 8-MAN | Bracket

No. 1 Adrian 34, No. 4 Crane 26

Trey Bayes connected with Brooks Martin for a 30-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande to lift the Antelopes (11-0) past the Mustangs (8-3) and to their first final since winning their second consecutive title in 2021.

“We are happy to be back in the final and look forward to another challenge,” Adrian coach Bill Wortman said. “Crane deserves a lot of credit for a great season and game.”

Crane, which lost to Lost River in last year’s final, tied the score at 26-26 on Oregon State-bound tight end Cody Siegner’s 51-yard touchdown catch with 1:14 remaining.

“Our players and coaches never panicked, and we were able to put the game away in the end,” Wortman said. “The clock management was very well executed by our offense on the last possession.”

Adrian led 14-6 at halftime on two touchdowns from Rance Jordan, who finished with four.

Colton Bayes had two interceptions to give him a state-leading 11 this season, becoming the eighth player in Oregon 8-man football to reach double digits in a season.

No. 3 North Douglas 50, No. 2 Crosspoint Christian 6

At Grants Pass High School, the second meeting between the district rivals was all North Douglas (11-0), which built a 42-0 halftime lead en route to reaching its first championship game since 1952.

Junior Hunter Vaughn rushed for 287 yards and four touchdowns, caught a 60-yard touchdown pass and had an interception, and Jaycen Marois added 115 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

The Warriors held Crosspoint Christian (9-2) to 295 yards and allowed only a third-quarter 7-yard touchdown run by Kody Sparks with the running clock in effect.

“The defense was dialed in today,” North Douglas coach JJ Mast said. “We preached execution and responsibility all week, and they really came through. Crosspoint is a good, very physical football team, so to have that performance at this stage of the season is pretty special.”

CLASS 1A 6-MAN | Bracket

No. 1 Powers 40, No. 5 South Wasco County 30

At Cottage Grove High School, Rene Sears ran for two touchdowns and had two touchdown passes, and the Cruisers (11-0) advanced to their first state final since 2003 by getting past the Redsides (8-4).

Sears finished with 238 total yards. Patrick Mahmoud caught two touchdown passes and had 10 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups.

Jayce Shorb added six tackles for loss and four sacks to go with 40 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Storm McCoy threw for 431 yards and four touchdowns for South Wasco County, which was looking to make its first appearance in an OSAA final since 2005.

No. 2 Harper Charter 65, No. 6 Prairie City/Burnt River 22

For the first time in school history, the Hornets (10-0) are in the state championship game, with Richard Joyce intercepting three passes and Harper Charter taking control in the second half after leading 25-22 at halftime at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande.

The Hornets have never been in a state final in a boys sport. The volleyball program lost in the 1A final in 1990 and 1992.

“This win is great for our kids and the school,” coach David Marker said. “The defense played great. Our kids are excited and should be proud of what they have accomplished.”

Prairie City/Burnt River (9-3) was seeking its first title game appearance since 1990.

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