Oregon high school football Week 3 instant analysis: 10 things to know

Jesuit's Ken Potter becomes Oregon's all-time wins leader, Lakeride pulls out thrilling victory at Mountainside, Wilsonville beats another 6A opponent

Jesuit coach Ken Potter celebrates with his players after earning his state-record 353rd victory. / Photo by Ken Waz

The Oregon high school football season continued Friday with Week 3 action around the state.

In an absolute thriller of a game between two of the top teams in the Northwest, West Linn outlasted Sumner (Wash.) for a 34-27 victory at West Linn High School.

Here are 10 other highlights and things to know from the third full Friday night of action in the 2024 Oregon high school football season:

10 things to know from Week 3

Jesuit’s Potter becomes state’s all-time winningest coach

Grady Keljo thought he would miss the big moment.

The Jesuit senior tight end limped off the field in the first quarter of Friday’s game against Oregon City and left Cronin Field to get X-rays on his right knee.

While he was gone, he missed big nights from senior running back Dominic Locati (188 yards, two touchdowns), junior wide receiver Joe Stimpson (321 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns) and junior quarterback Harper Sage, stepping in for an injured Trey Cleeland (week-to-week with an MCL sprain in his left knee) to go 10 of 12 for 178 yards and a touchdown and running for another score.

But Keljo was back on the sideline in time to watch the final seconds tick off the Crusaders’ 38-15 victory, marking career win No. 353 for longtime coach Ken Potter to break the state’s record one week after tying Dewey Sullivan atop the list.

And when Jesuit athletic director Colin Griffin called Keljo over in the postgame huddle and thrust the signed game ball commemorating the occasion in his hands, he was surprised and touched at being able to hand it to the coach who nurtured him the past four years.

“That was just a very beautiful experience,” Keljo said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, and just knowing that would be with him forever, knowing that this record is going to be really hard to beat, and he’s just an awesome coach who’s always been there for me, it’s cool that I was there for him.”

Stimpson, who caught six passes for 136 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 95 yards and another score, said there wasn’t any added pressure entering the game.

“Obviously, we knew the stakes were high,” he said. “But you know, it was just another game, and we got it done.”

Potter needed a second to catch his breath after embracing his wife and stepping before the cameras.

“I mean, I would like to be able to have some real words of wisdom,” he said after improving to 353-87 in his 38th season at the Southwest Portland school. “But basically, it’s been a long time at one school that has shown me a lot of love. 

“We’ve had great success with a lot of teams (24 Metro League titles and four state championships), and this just culminates with the tradition at this school and what the kids have done. And I’m just proud to be a part of it.”

Lakeridge escapes Mountainside with last-minute victory

After Lakeridge breezed through its first two games, the Pacers got all they could handle at Mountainside in one of the best games of the night.

The Mavericks rallied from a 20-6 deficit after three quarters to tie the score at 20-20 on a short touchdown pass from Cade Mitchell to Jordan Hicks with just under four minutes to play. 

Lakeridge answered with a long touchdown drive, with junior quarterback Drew Weiler plunging in from 4 yards with 29 seconds left to lift the visitors to a 27-20 victory.

“We didn’t flinch,” Pacers coach Spencer Phillips said. “They had a good game plan. They milked the clock, ran the ball and kept us off the field.”

South Medford remains unbeaten in SCFC by downing South Salem

South Medford continued its bounceback from a Week 0 defeat at Lake Oswego, improving to 3-0 in South Central Football Conference play with a 30-20 win at defending conference champion South Salem.

The Panthers took control in the fourth quarter, first with an 89-yard touchdown pass from Makana Brown to Ajani Ingram. Junior defensive lineman Jedi Robertson recovered a fumble and combined with junior Eddie Banuelos on a safety, and Jaeden Thonstad kicked three field goals.

“It was a big win on the road,” Panthers coach Bill Singler said. “Every phase helped contribute to that win. Jaeden made three important field goals during the game to score points we needed.”

Wilsonville pulls away in second half to win at 6A Sunset

Senior quarterback Mark Wiepert recovered from a shaky first half to lead defending 5A champion Wilsonville to a 56-34 victory at Sunset — the Wildcats’ second win over a 6A program this season.

Wiepert lost a fumble and threw an interception in the first half, and Wilsonville led just 28-27 at halftime. The Wildcats exploded in the second half as Wiepert finished 25 of 37 for 365 yards and seven touchdowns, including two to senior Nick Crowley.

Mark Wiepert overcame a slow start to throw for 365 yards and seven touchdowns. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Riddick Molitor ran for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass. He recorded seven tackles and two sacks, Ben Wiepert had a team-high 11 tackles, and Blake Dougherty had three tackles for loss and two sacks.

Keona Tam caught a short touchdown pass and finished with seven tackles and an interception.

Silverton ready for week off after knocking off former league rival

Silverton is ready for a little rest before kicking off 5A Special District 2 play after surviving at former Mid-Willamette Conference rival West Albany, 44-34.

“We have had four physical games, and it will be good to go out and watch some other games,” said Foxes coach Dan Lever, whose team improved to 3-1. “But we need to address a few things during the bye. It is certainly not a week off.”

The Bulldogs pulled within 23-20 midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard sneak by senior Kaden Martirano. Silverton answered early in the fourth on the second of Daniel Kuenzi’s three touchdown runs.

After the Foxes blocked a punt, Kuenzi found the end zone again with 9:57 to play. Sawyer Teeney connected with Brody Kuenzi for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 2:25 left to push the lead to 44-28.

Teeney finished 18 of 22 for 225 yards and two touchdowns, with Hudson Waples (two catches for 112 yards and a touchdown) among the eight receivers to catch a pass. 

Summit enters week off with much-needed win over Henley

Summit finished its nonconference slate on a winning note, rallying past defending 4A state champion Henley for a 24-6 victory.

The Storm opened the season with games against Silverton, Idaho 5A state champion Highland and Wilsonville, getting outscored 97-38 but learning valuable lessons that coach Corben Hyatt hopes bode well when they open Intermountain Conference play in two weeks at Ridgeview.

“This was big for a young team,” Hyatt said. “We overcame having multiple starters out of the game, had young players step up in roles that they never have faced, and beat a very good Henley squad. A bye week after one of the most difficult nonleague schedules in the state is much needed.”

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Guthrie scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown and had a scoring pass to Kai Scalley, and Sawyer Crocker ran for another touchdown as the Storm erased a 6-3 halftime deficit.

Scappoose survives absence of all-state QB to defeat Estacada

Scappoose played without all-state senior quarterback Max Nowlin (ankle injury) but outscored Estacada 27-6 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 47-26 home win.

Quinton Olson’s 9-yard interception return for a touchdown capped a string of three Scappoose scores in the first four minutes of the final period to break a 20-20 tie.

“The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Scappoose co-coach Sean McNabb, whose team improved to 3-1. He added that Nowlin could be ready for Scappoose’s Cowapa League opener in two weeks at Seaside.

Scappoose hopes to have quarterback Max Nowlin back in two weeks. / Photo by Dan Brood

Will Kessi filled in for Nowlin behind center and finished 12 of 16 for 205 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, and he rushed for two scores. Cayden Baker led the ground game with 86 yards and two touchdowns.

“This was a nice win for us against a really good program,” co-coach Joe Nowlin said. “We have a handful of kids that were unable to play tonight due to injuries, and we had to lean on some young guys like Will, George Gibson and Cole Krieger to step up.”

Scappoose led 20-0 before the Rangers rallied to tie the score at 20-20 on Carson Randall’s short touchdown run with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

How sweet 3-0 feels for Sweet Home after winless ’23 season

Sweet Home coach Ryan Adams had to endure some long bus rides last season while the Huskies suffered their first winless season since 1968.

After their 27-7 win Friday at Milwaukie improved them to 3-0 for the first time in the past six seasons, he said on the bus headed home, “This sure feels a lot better.”

Kayo Ebbs ran for two touchdowns, Jacob Landtroop added another on a 4-yard run, and Dillan Davis scored on a fly sweep for the Huskies, who close nonleague play next week at home against North Bend.

Vale slows Baker’s Jones and pulls out big win

In a battle of Eastern Oregon powers, Vale romped to a 48-19 victory over Baker, holding the high-powered Bulldogs to 137 yards and amassing 481 yards on the ground.

Senior running back Kase Schaffeld ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and Landon Haberman added 105 yards and three second-half touchdowns for the Vikings.

Baker junior wide receiver Rasean Jones was limited to 83 yards on nine catches, but he did burn the Vikings twice on kickoff returns of 90 and 55 yards for touchdowns — the latter pulling the visitors to within 24-19 with 7:29 left in the third quarter.

“We gave them multiple looks up front and had their quarterback on the run quite a bit,” Vale coach Jeff Aldred said. “We also played a safety over the top the entire time, and Skyler Cade did a heck of a job on him as well.”

The Vikings answered quickly after Jones’ third-quarter score, with Schaffeld scoring his third touchdown on a 10-yard run with 6:18 remaining in the third.

Crane brings end to Powder Valley’s undefeated start

The game of the night in the small-school ranks matched last year’s 1A eight-man runner-up Crane against unbeaten Powder Valley, which was looking to get to 4-0 a year after suffering through a 1-8 campaign.

It wasn’t to be for the Badgers, as the Mustangs pulled out a 38-22 victory to win their third in a row after a Week 0 loss to St. Paul at the Dufur Classic.

Tucker Martin scored on runs of 1 and 70 yards for the Badgers and opened the second half with a 75-yard kickoff return.

“It was a tough one all the way through,” said Riley Martin, in his first year back as Powder Valley coach after a five-year hiatus.

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