What we learned in Week 2 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during Week 2 of games on the Oregon high school football schedule

UC Davis commit Trey Cleeland gives the Jesuit offense a new dimension in 2024. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The 2024 Oregon high school football season continued last week with Week 2 games around the state. Here's what stood out during the second full weekend of action. 

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Jesuit changes its approach with UC Davis commit Cleeland behind center

Throughout Ken Potter’s 38-year tenure at Jesuit, the state’s co-winningest coach of all time has been known for a powerful run game that ground teams down with a bruising offensive line that earned the nickname “The Franchise” for its role in the Southwest Portland school winning four state titles.

But Potter has always insisted that his offensive philosophy could adjust depending on his personnel, pointing to players such as quarterback Chris Peerboom (who played three seasons at Eastern Washington) and 1,000-yard receivers Mike Hass and D.J. Jackson as proof he could open the playbook.

Friday’s 42-21 victory at Tigard that earned Potter his 352nd win to tie Dewey Sullivan for the state record showed that for this season, the Crusaders won’t rise and fall based on a bruising rushing attack, but instead have their fortunes tied to the right arm of UC Davis commit Trey Cleeland.

The good and the bad of that commitment were on full display. Cleeland was 11 of 20 for 261 yards and three touchdowns, showing off his strong arm on an 86-yard touchdown to Grant Valley, and he rushed for 40 yards and a score.

He also threw three interceptions, twice forcing the issue in the red zone while scrambling from pressure and the third when he missed Tigers linebacker Miles Ott sitting on an inside route, with Ott returning the interception 52 yards for a touchdown.

“You can see the tremendous ability that Trey has,” Potter said. “We will live with some mistakes, and he’s going to get better and not make the same mistakes. He’s a tremendous quarterback that has a lot of potential, and we will ride him a lot this year.”

Trey Cleeland accounted for four touchdowns Friday — three passing, one rushing. / Photo by Dan Brood

Cleeland clearly puts a lot of pressure on himself, and he knows how critical it will be for him to continue maturing in his second season as the starter.

“Of course, mental mistakes were made, but at the same time, we have to bounce back,” Cleeland said. “I mean, I can’t be angry about a win, and there’s always room to improve. We’re going to go watch film as a team, improve and come back ready for next week and hopefully do better.”

Experienced Lakeridge defense leading way in Pacers’ unbeaten start

So much of the attention surrounding Lakeridge entering the season focused on sensational junior running back Ansu Sanoe and his commitment to the University of Washington.

Through two weeks, while Sanoe has been as good as advertised, it’s been two other facets of the Pacers’ game that have sparked them to lopsided victories against Jefferson and Barlow.

The Pacers returned eight defenders who received all-Three Rivers League honors last season, led by senior safety Zyon Floyd and junior defensive end Noah Tishendorf, and a year of experience has paid off in allowing just a field goal through two games.

Coach Spencer Phillips called senior defensive end Jake Zawadski (team-high 11 tackles, four for loss) and defensive tackle Colin Fratzke “the unsung heroes of the defense,” but it’s been a team effort, which he emphasized after their 55-3 victory over Barlow in Week 2 in which the Pacers held the Bruins to minus-21 yards.

“A group of kids who want each other to succeed more than themselves,” he said. “It’s really fun to watch and be a part of.”

Then there’s the emergence of junior quarterback Drew Weiler, who sat behind unanimous all-TRL first-teamer Gabe Motschenbacher last season and Ryan Oliver before that. They both mentored Weiler since he was a sixth-grader in Lakeridge’s youth program, and he’s been solid in his first two games as a starter — 25 of 30 for 341 yards and seven touchdowns, with no interceptions or fumbles.

“Drew has been ready for this moment since he was a young kid,” Phillips said. “I know he has dreamt of playing at home in front of his family and friends his whole life, and he is playing remarkably.”

The tests the Pacers faced in their first two games won’t compare with what they’ll see in the next two weeks before TRL play begins — at Mountainside on Friday, then a matchup with defending 5A champion Wilsonville.

“Every week is a great opportunity to test your skills and get tuned up for TRL play,” Phillips said. “The TRL is home to six of the top 12 teams in the state, and what’s great is that you are going to have to play these teams twice — once in the regular season and again in the playoffs. It’s great football, and I love it.”

Sprague offense operating at high speed to spark 3-0 start

While Lakeridge’s start might not have been unexpected, watching Sprague kick off its season 3-0 was not foreseen by many outside the Olympians’ south Salem campus.

Second-year coach AJ Robinson knew his team was capable of making a big leap after going 2-7 in 2023. A lot of the improvement has to do with the development of senior Dukatti Witherspoon, an honorable mention all-South Central Football Conference selection last year who has matured in his second season in Robinson’s system, throwing for 804 yards and six touchdowns through three games.

Robinson also credited Witherspoon’s work on the Sprague boys basketball team in the winter and his offseason training regimen. 

“Dukatti came back this season with more athleticism and playmaking skills,” Robinson said. “He can make every throw and is a good athlete with a calm demeanor. He is not only physically gifted, but he is in command of our offense and playing with a lot of confidence.”

Some of that confidence comes from playing behind an offensive line that has one senior (left tackle Trae Mackaravitz) but has integrated newcomers Max Napp, Jacob Makarenko, Owen Livingston, Carter Wilson and Emmett Hunsaker into a cohesive unit.

Throw in an all-state caliber running back in senior Kenya Johnson (who projects as a linebacker at the next level but has 614 yards and eight touchdowns) and a talented receiving corps led by Aidan Andresen, Trayton Futi and Alex Hicks, and you have an offense that’s averaging 43 points per game.

The schedule also sets up favorably for the Olympians to challenge for the conference title. They make one long trek south to Grants Pass, with both Medford schools traveling north to Salem and an open week before their Week 9 finale at home against Sheldon.

But Robinson, who led Churchill to the 2017 Class 5A state final in his second season at the Eugene school, isn’t looking that far down the road.

“We believe we can win the conference championship, and to do that, we have to win each game,” he said. “So, we are focusing on improving ourselves, working hard and smart, and enjoying the time we have together.”

Central youngsters coming of age to lead revival

Just 10 miles down Vitae Springs Road from Sprague’s campus lies Central, which is experiencing a similar revival of fortunes after a 2-7 season a year ago.

The Panthers improved to 3-0 with a 43-30 victory over former Mid-Willamette Conference rival Crescent Valley, marking the first time since 2011 they started 3-0.

“We were extremely young last year and knew we would take our lumps just due to the cycle of classes we were in,” coach Joel Everett said. “We are in Year 2 of a different offseason program and a change of culture in the program. The players, coaches and parents are all bought in, and we are seeing some payoff for all the hard work and dedication over the offseason.”

One of those youngsters thrown into the fire last season is quarterback JT Girod, who took over as the starter three games into his freshman year and finished with 980 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Girod is a blossoming baseball prospect as a shortstop, and he’s someone Everett pointed out in the preseason as having bought into the new program. Through three weeks, he’s thrown for more touchdowns (six) than last season on 37-of-54 passing for 540 yards.

The Panthers now enter their open week before finishing their nonleague slate with a matchup against South Albany, another former MWC rival that has a four-game win streak in the series. 

Then comes league play, where Central was placed in the newly created Special District 2. Joining the Panthers in the new district are two of the past three 5A state champions, Wilsonville (2023) and Silverton (2021), and those are the teams Central will face first.

“We are happy for our program that we are earning some good wins and excited to be tested again against South Albany,” Everett said. “The bye week will be nice to help with all those nagging injuries that come with football. I’ll be honest that Wilsonville and Silverton are on my mind some, but we are focused on the Panthers this week, then next week will be South Albany, who has had our number in recent memory.”

Injury bug can’t stop Bend from persevering for 3-0 start

Bend coach Kevin Cooper acknowledged a few “bad words” being said as the Lava Bears rushed to prepare for their Week 0 opener against Gresham.

But in the wake of the Lava Bears’ 3-0 start, including a 27-14 home win over Canby last week, they’ll gladly trade that rush for the week off they’ll enjoy after their trip this week to face Mazama in Klamath Falls.

“We are looking forward to team bonding and recovering from injuries,” Cooper said. “We’ve been hit by the injury bug, but that’s what makes being 3-0 that much more sweet.”

Injuries have hit the running back room particularly hard. Senior Uriel Valdez, the team’s leading rusher last year, suffered a broken leg a couple of weeks ago against West Albany and is lost for the season. 

Another top rusher from last season, senior Gus Karpstein, sprained a knee in that game and missed last week, but he hopes to return for the start of Intermountain Conference play.

That led Cooper to turn to sophomore Lewis Knapp, who ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in their absence.

“The team’s strength is in its depth and the assignment at hand,” Cooper said. “We are proud of how many people have played this season and have contributed. It is a testament to the aches and pains we took as a 4-5 young team last year and to the coaching staff that has prepared all players for multiple positions.”

Knapp and senior Kingston Thomas will get the bulk of the carries until Karpstein’s return, but as Cooper pointed out, while “the ball carrier is important, the work of the men up front is the true factor on how we will go as a team.”

He praised the performance of his offensive line, with nine players rotating through the lineup — seniors Logan Hartman, Mason Procknow (both returning all-IMC performers), Noah Calhoun, James McClellan and Gabe Hughes, and junior Miles Borshell, along with tight ends Gabe Hughes, Trenton Bridges and Isaiah Krauss.

“As you can see, the depth is real,” Cooper said. “If production comes from one person, we are easier to stop. Team impact is always an important element of what we strive for.”

Centennial gaining confidence under guidance of new coach

Tim Price and the Milwaukie football program experienced the lowest of lows a year ago with the passing of beloved assistant Roland Aumueller, who had been with the program for 35 years.

“Taking a loss like that during the season affected all of us,” Price said, and when the season was over, he saw the Centennial job was open and threw his hat in the ring.

During the interview, “it felt like it was the right fit for me and time to make a change,” he said, and with that, Price was on to the next stop on a coaching journey that includes stops at Jefferson, Parkrose and Roosevelt as well as coaching the Oregon Ravens in the Women’s National Football Conference.

Tim Price has been the head coach at Jefferson, Parkrose, Roosevelt, Milwaukie and, now, Centennial. / Photo by Chase Allgood

He had never started a tenure 2-0 until this year, when the Eagles’ 59-26 victory at Parkrose moved them to 2-0 for the first time since 2016.

Centennial went 1-8 last season and is 4-32 since 2019, so Price knew what his first step had to be in taking over the program.

“The key has been getting the players at Centennial to believe in themselves, have some confidence in playing this game, and letting them know there is no I in football,” Price said. “A good coaching staff that jells well together, working on the fundamentals of football and taking one game at a time.”

The Eagles had one returning all-Northwest Oregon Conference player this season in senior RB/S Kenny Schroeder, one of 12 seniors on the roster. That has meant building around young talent such as dual-threat junior QB/FS Aiden Teyema, junior WR/S Tim Petriyenko, junior RB/LB Jared Schneider and a couple of seniors — OL/DL Mekhi Policard and TE/LB Jaedon Head.

Centennial rushed for 525 yards against Parkrose, led by Schroeder’s 161 yards — one of three Eagles to gain more than 100 yards.

“The offensive line is a young group that is getting better every week,” Price said. “Overall, this is a young group. I’m excited to continue to watch them grow.”

Centennial opens NWOC play this week against Forest Grove, which is also 2-0 after a 35-8 win at Southridge. Whether the winning continues is a secondary concern at this stage of the Eagles’ rebuilding process.

“It’s not about wins and losses,” Price emphasized. “It’s about them believing they can compete and stay in the game. It will be critical for us to come together as a team, keep our composure during pressure, keep mistakes down to a minimum and play four quarters of football. If we do all of those things, our momentum will continue.”

Stayton building upon strong finish to get off to best start since 2015

Stayton improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2015 with a 35-21 victory at Estacada, building upon last year’s late-season surge as the Eagles have won five of their past six games.

It doesn’t come as a big surprise to Randy Nyquist, who is in his eighth season at Stayton and has won 207 games during his 32-year career at five schools.

He worked with a young group that had three seniors on the roster last year, and he watched them mature over the course of the season and enter this year with a different mentality.

“That experience, that grind, has helped them be better players on Friday nights this year,” Nyquist said. “These are kids who worked really hard playing together. I feel good about their effort, and they seem to be on the same page.”

One of those players is senior quarterback Hudson Hughes, who continued his strong start by going 19 of 27 for 231 yards and two touchdowns against the Rangers. Through three games, he has completed 70.6% of his passes (36 of 51) for 550 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions.

“The most important job for a quarterback is taking care of the ball, and he’s done that,” Nyquist said. “He’s shown really good poise, made good decisions. His arm strength has improved, and with that experience from last year, the game has slowed down for him. I’ve been very pleased with his progress.”

Nyquist added that “his supporting cast has mirrored his development,” with players such as senior wide receiver Ethan Whieldon (14 catches for 136 yards) leading the way and the addition of sophomore running back Hunter Mollerstrom (287 yards, three touchdowns) providing balance running behind an improved offensive line.

“The end product is a group deal, with Hudson the one steering the ship,” Nyquist said.

The Eagles finish nonleague play this week against Gladstone, followed by a week off before they open Oregon West Conference play against rival Cascade.

“My focus this week is on Gladstone, but it’ll be nice to have the week off to get healthy,” Nyquist said. “But it’s a double-edged sword. You also get knocked off your routine. The week off doesn’t hurt my feelings, but we need to remain sharp.”

Douglas eyes first playoff berth in more than a decade with 3-0 start

Another program off to one of its best starts in recent history sits along Highway 42 in Southern Oregon, where Douglas has one winning season in a full campaign in the past decade.

The Trojans hadn’t started 3-0 since 2009, but with their 48-7 victory over St. Mary’s (Medford), they can dream of the glory days, when they reached the 4A state final in 2010 as part of a string of six consecutive postseason appearances.

They haven’t reached the playoffs since, and coming off a 2-7 season, it didn’t look promising from the outside. But fourth-year coach Nick Garcia knew the record was deceiving.

“We had a good squad last year, but we were plagued with injuries — the most I’ve ever dealt with coaching any sport,” Garcia said. “So, that hurt us, but we knew this year with the skill players we had coming in that there was lots of talent.”

The Trojans boast 17 juniors on the roster, including several three-year starters and many who got thrown into the breach last year when the injury bug bit.

Among them are quarterback Ryder Sawyer, who has 870 total yards and has accounted for 12 touchdowns, including nine through the air, and leading receiver Reese Willis (11 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns).

Senior running back Connor Honn leads a balanced rushing attack with 197 yards and six touchdowns running behind a line that worried Garcia entering the season. 

“That was where our least experience was, but they have really stepped up this first part of the season,” he said.

Garcia prepared for this season by taking his players to former Milwaukie star and current New England Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne’s camp in the Portland area and participating in a local 7-on-7 league. Bourne has become a huge supporter of the team — “which is amazing!” Garcia said — and having a week off after the Trojans’ nonleague finale this week at Valley Catholic will be huge, according to Garcia. 

“I think we knew playing Week 0 was a risk,” Garcia said. “But getting that bye week leading up to our first league game was important just in case we need some time to heal from injuries and really mentally and physically prepare.

“We are still putting things together, but we are doing the little things right more often, and everyone is buying into the role they all play on the team.”

Gervais shows no sign of reverting to previous form

Last fall, Gervais was reveling in its first playoff victory since 1951 and completing the first nine-win season in Greyhounds history by giving Oakland all it could handle in a 32-18 quarterfinal defeat.

Considering the program hadn’t had a winning record for 23 years and graduated several standouts — including quarterback Eremay Avgi and receivers Gotti Ramon and Daniel Kuznetsov — it might have seemed logical to chalk it up as a one-off season.

But the Greyhounds have built upon that success to start this season 2-0, picking right up where they left off with resounding victories over Nestucca and Corbett, outscoring their opponents 100-7.

“We have a lot of sophomores and juniors who have stepped in place of the guys we lost,” coach JJ Navarette said. “We have a few seniors this year that will help contribute, but our junior and sophomore classes are big for Gervais.”

Among them is junior Johnny Mariano, an all-state linebacker last year who also rushed for 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. In his first two games, he’s gone for 339 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Classmates WR/LB Eowaan Avgi (169 total yards vs. Corbett), RB/LB Ben Cam (102 rushing yards and three touchdowns vs. Corbett) and WR/DB Alex Kuznetsov have chipped in to deny opponents the chance to focus all their attention on Mariano.

This and that …

• Crater senior Valentin Rodriguez broke school records for carries (56) and rushing yards (402) in the Comets’ 45-37 victory over Springfield. He ran for four touchdowns. He became the 21st runner to gain more than 400 yards in an Oregon 11-man game since 1998.
• Scappoose lost more than just a game in its 36-0 defeat to Cascade in their rematch from the 2023 4A quarterfinals. Senior quarterback Max Nowlin went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return. He was undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury over the weekend.
• Phoenix entered the season on a 33-game losing streak. Now, the Pirates are on a win streak for the first time since 2017, improving to 2-0 with a 41-13 victory over Harrisburg. Parker Devey led the way with two rushing touchdowns.
• North Douglas junior Hunter Vaughn needed one quarter Friday in an 88-38 home win over Country Christian to put himself in the 1A eight-man record books. Vaughn scored seven touchdowns — four kickoff returns, three runs — and ran for two two-point conversions for 46 points, smashing the state record for points in a quarter. His four kickoff-return touchdowns also broke the state record, and his 450 all-purpose yards moved him to the top 10 on the all-time single-game list — especially impressive considering he didn’t play after the first quarter.

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