West Linn ‘not out of the state championship race’ after beating rival Tualatin: 5 takeaways

Lions roll up 56 points in bounce-back win, hand Timberwolves third loss in a row

Wyatt Smiley and West Linn made a statement with Friday's 56-26 victory over rival Tualatin. / Photo by Dan Brood

TUALATIN — No one likes to lose.

But bouncing back from a loss, especially in a really big way, can feel pretty good — just ask the West Linn football team.

The Lions, in their first game after suffering their only loss of the season, a 21-17 setback to Lake Oswego, rebounded to notch an impressive 56-26 win over Tualatin in a Three Rivers League contest Friday at Tualatin High School.

“This is huge, just coming back from that loss last week,” West Linn senior linebacker/running back Will Ingle said. “We were all bitter. We had a great week of practice and I think it showed here tonight.”

“It was really big. It was good to bounce back from a loss, obviously,” said West Linn junior running back Viggo Anderson, who had 266 yards of offense and two touchdowns. “This was kind of a statement game, saying we’re not out of the state championship race. We’re a good team.”

“It’s big, especially coming off the loss,” said Lions sophomore safety Kenny Ritchie, who had an interception. “We lost a little momentum, but we got it back today. We’re going to keep working hard.”

West Linn improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in league games, putting the Lions in a tie with Lakeridge for second place.

Tualatin, which played without injured standout receiver/defensive back Zhaiel Smith, moved to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in TRL play, putting the Timberwolves in a tie with Tigard for fourth place.

“It was a rough game, but we tried our best and gave it our all,” said Tualatin sophomore running back/defensive back Cole Hachmeister, who scored the first touchdown.

Senior running back Ry’Von Reese agreed the Timberwolves never stopped battling.

“Our coaches just told us to just go out there, do your thing and play hard as we can,” he said. “Whatever the score is, we want to play our best and finish the game off.”

Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s matchup:

Lions look to benefit from loss

There’s a saying that you learn more from a loss than from a win. West Linn seems to be taking that saying to heart, as the Lions are looking to turn the setback to the Lakers to a positive.

“I think it was definitely a learning moment,” Ingle said. “We were riding pretty high, and we were thinking that we’re the stuff. That was a setback, but luckily, it happened earlier in the season, and not in the playoffs, so we have time to bounce back.”

“I think it was actually a good thing, because it exposed a bunch of our problems,” Anderson said. “We knew what we had to fix, and we got back to work.”

“For sure, it could be a good thing,” Ritchie said. “It’s going to make us a better team. We’re going to push ourselves even harder at practice.”

That certainly seemed to show from the start at Tualatin, where the Lions exploded for 28 points on offense and came up with two takeaways on defense in the first quarter.

“It made us play a lot harder,” Anderson said of the loss. “We realized all of our mistakes, and practice this week was much better. We knew we had to bounce back.”

“We just learned that we just have to do the little things right,” Ingle said. “Eliminate drops, eliminate missed coverages on defense, eliminate missed assignments and just dial in and get back to basics. We’re relentless and kind of a ‘go go go’ team, and we have to get back to that.”

West Linn looks explosive on offense

Go, go, go might be the best way to describe the Lions’ offensive attack. West Linn had 560 yards on 55 plays.

Two of the most explosive players in that offensive attack are Anderson and senior receiver Danny Wideman. Anderson ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and had three catches for 103 yards. Wideman had three receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns and had an electrifying 75-yard kickoff return that set up another score.

“I feel like can do stuff like that every game,” Anderson said. “We do have a competition for touchdowns for the season, but it’s all fun and games.”

West Linn junior Viggo Anderson rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns and had 103 receiving yards in the win over Tualatin. / Photo by Dan Brood

“Danny and Viggo are two of the funniest dudes on the team and the hardest-working kids,” Ingle said. “I love them both, and they both showed out tonight. And so did all of our receivers and our line. We have great dudes up front, and it all starts with them. Everyone did great, so I’m really happy.”

The Lions had other big-time performers on offense.

Senior quarterback Baird Gilroy completed 15 of 23 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a score. Senior receiver Wyatt Smiley had three catches for 81 yards, and senior tight end Baron Naone had three catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who can make plays,” Anderson said.

While all of that is impressive, Ritchie has a thought that should put a scare in other teams.

“The offense played great, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

West Linn defense steps up as well

Sure, Tualatin scored 26 points. But what makes the Lions’ defensive effort look impressive is the fact that the explosive Timberwolves entered scoring an average of more than 43 points per game, and one of their touchdowns Friday came on an interception return and another came in the fourth quarter with a running clock.

“I think that’s been our identity all season,” Ingle said of the team’s strong defense. “We haven’t allowed too many points up to this game, and we didn’t allow too many tonight, in my opinion.”

The Lions have four shutouts, including three in a row.

“I think we got everything done,” Ingle said. “I think our defense is clicking and we’re ready to roll.”

“Overall, I think we played pretty well,” Ritchie said. “I think all of the corners played well. We locked down on everyone.”

Ritchie had one of the biggest defensive plays for West Linn, as he came up with a first-quarter interception of a deep Tualatin pass.

“My guy ran a post, and the dude in the slot ran a fade route,” Ritchie said. “I turned my head, saw the ball up, and my guy kind of tipped it a little bit, and I got it. It felt amazing.”

Also for the West Linn defense, senior Tripp Moussavi had a fumble recovery, junior Grady Coyle had a sack and a tackle for loss, and senior Brett Ronson and senior Leyton Staats each had a tackle for loss.

One person who definitely was impressed with the Lions’ defense is Anderson.

“Our defense was really good tonight,” he said. “They had a lot of tackles for losses, and they hit really hard. I was watching some of the plays from the sideline, and I’d hate to be the running back on the other team.”

Tualatin ready to take it on the run

The Timberwolves’ offense, featuring BYU commit Nolan Feeney at quarterback and a healthy Smith at receiver, boasts a very impressive passing attack.

But on Friday, Tualatin showed it can run the ball, too. Working behind an offensive line of junior Connor LaGrow, senior Aiden Keister, senior Tanner Dunn, senior Xander Thompson and senior Luke Schwab, among others, the Timberwolves ran for 175 yards on 24 carries, which, they say, is a good sign for the future.

“It’s important,” Hachmeister said. “When we can both pass and run, it keeps other teams on their feet, so it will be a good option.”

Tualatin senior Ry'Von Reese had a 10-yard touchdown run against West Linn. / Photo by Dan Brood

“It’s really important,” Reese said. “Our coaches want us to go out there and run hard. They set us up for good runs and good blocks.”

Hachmeister had the big run of the game for Tualatin. On the third play from scrimmage, he burst through a big hole and sprinted 79 yards for a touchdown that gave the Timberwolves an early lead.

“That was a pretty good play,” said Hachmeister, who finished with 114 yards on 14 carries. “The O-line just opened things up and I just broke through and made the play.”

Reese, who finished with 26 yards on seven carries, scored Tualatin’s final touchdown, coming on a 10-yard run.

“It felt great, knowing I can at least help to get points on the board,” he said. “I want to always play my hardest.”

Timberwolves’ turn to rebound

Friday’s loss was the third in a row for Tualatin, but those three setbacks have come against three squads that appear to be among the best 6A teams in the state in Lake Oswego, Lakeridge and West Linn.

Now, like West Linn, the Timberwolves are looking to benefit from what they’ve learned in defeat.

“We’re going to take a lot from this,” Hachmeister said. “We’re going to go to practice and work harder. We’re going to keep moving forward.”

Tualatin also had some definite bright spots Friday.

Senior linebacker Calvin Evans, who also shines as a standout kicker and punter for the Timberwolves, had an interception he returned 46 yards for a touchdown, which trimmed the Lions’ lead to 21-13 with 2 minutes and 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

Feeney connected with senior receiver Caden Knips on a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Senior receiver Jordan Araiza had three catches for 43 yards. Dunn and sophomore Miles Evans each had a tackle for loss.

Now, it’s just a matter of rebounding from the setbacks. And if the Timberwolves need any more motivation, they’ll be playing host to rival Tigard in next Friday’s regular-season finale.

“We’re going to go to practice next week, work as hard as we can, and get ready for Tigard,” Reese said.

“We’re going to take this one, flush it, and move on to Tigard next week,” Hachmeister said.

West Linn 56, Tualatin 26

West Linn - 28 - 14 - 14 - 0 — 56

Tualatin - 13 - 6 - 0 - 7 — 26

First quarter

T – Cole Hachmeister 79 run (Calvin Evans kick)

WL – Baron Naone 8 pass from Baird Gilroy (Zander Morris kick)

WL – Danny Wideman 12 pass from Gilroy (Morris kick)

WL – Wideman 27 pass from Gilroy (Morris kick)

T – Evans 46 interception return (kick failed)

WL – Gilroy 7 run (Morris kick)

Second quarter

T – Caden Knips 55 pass from Nolan Keeney (pass failed)

WL – Hudson Hardy 4 run (Morris kick)

WL – Viggo Anderson 11 run (Morris kick)

Third quarter

WL – Naone 9 pass from Gilroy (Morris kick)

WL – Anderson 5 run (Morris kick)

Fourth quarter

T – Ry’Von Reese 10 run (Evans kick)

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Rushing – West Linn, Anderson 16-163, Will Ingle 2-33, Josiah Molden 1-24, Cal Royer 5-23, Gilroy 3-8, Hardy 1-4, Ryan Hemsley 4-(-2). Total 32-253. Tualatin, Hachmeister 11-114, Keeney 6-35, Reese 7-26. Total 24-175.

Passing – West Linn, Gilroy 14-21-1, 273 yards; Hemsley 1-2-0, 34 yards. Tualatin, Keeney 7-23-1, 100 yards; Owen Hagerman 4-6-0, 47 yards.

Receiving – West Linn, Anderson 3-103, Wyatt Smiley 3-81, Wideman 3-42, Naone 3-33, Molden 2-14, MJ Kennebrew 1-34. Tualatin, Jordan Araiza 3-43, Evans 2-18, Trenton Herzog 2-17, Reese 2-10, Knips 1-55, Cole Newton 1-4.

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