What we learned in Week 5 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during Week 5 of games on the Oregon high school football schedule

Avirey Durdahl and Nelson are 4-1 entering a showdown with reigning 6A state champion Central Catholic. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The 2024 Oregon high school football season continued last week with Week 5 games around the state. Here's what stood out during the fifth full weekend of action. 

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Nelson rebounds from narrow loss in opener as it readies for big test: Central Catholic

Nelson is one missed two-point conversion against Wilsonville from the first 5-0 start in the program’s short history.

As the Hawks prepare to face defending 6A champion Central Catholic this week in a crucial Mt. Hood Conference matchup, coach Aaron Hazel acknowledged the lessons learned from that game.

“Everyone in our program has focused much more on the little details that set us up for success on any given play,” Hazel said after his team’s 56-14 victory against Sandy moved the Hawks to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in MHC play. 

“It was a tough loss, especially after we watched the film and recognized how many critical mistakes we made both pre-snap and within the play.”

One critical factor in the Hawks’ fast start has been their ball control. They didn’t have a turnover until last week, and senior quarterback Avirey Durdahl has not thrown an interception through five games.

Durdahl’s maturation from his freshman season, when he was a “one-read-and-run quarterback,” as Hazel described him, to today has been another key to their success. Friday, he was 21 of 26 for 514 yards (No. 9 all-time in an Oregon 6A game) and six touchdowns — all to different receivers — but the 6-foot, 190-pounder (1,152 yards, 16 touchdowns) has yet to draw much interest on the recruiting trail.

“Whoever decides he is the guy they want is going to get a proven winner who is a gym rat with football,” Hazel said. “This season, he is getting to 2 or 3 in the progression and still running, but he’s keeping his eyes up and staying a throwing threat all the way until he crosses the line (of scrimmage). 

“We have converted some third downs this season where he has moved in the pocket and started to escape, then finds an open receiver versus tucking it and running. He has taken fewer hits this way and stayed fresher throughout the game.”

University of Washington commit Dominic Macon has anchored a defensive front that has put up solid numbers (15 points per game allowed), and seniors Tanner Saxe at inside linebacker and Noah Boria at safety have provided experience to an otherwise youthful unit.

“Noah has been playing like a soccer sweeper, limiting big plays on the ground,” Hazel said. “I don’t love seeing a safety lead the team in tackles, but it is also the main reason that we aren’t giving up chunk plays on the ground. We are forcing teams to have long drives, which are really difficult to sustain.”

That young defense will be challenged this week against the Rams and their big-play capability led by junior quarterback Robbie Long flanked by junior running back Tyson Davis and senior wideouts Landon Kelsey and D’Marieon Gates. The Rams have won 28 consecutive conference games, and Hazel knows that “I could tell our team this week is just like any other week, but they wouldn’t listen. 

“Our focus is playing the team that is on the field, not the 11 guys lined up against us plus the CC mystique. Our goal is to compete for the MHC title, and you’ve got to beat CC to do that.”

Fast and smart: Dallas defense fits both to a T to fuel Dragons’ 5-0 start

Dallas coach Andy Jackson also serves as the team’s defensive coordinator, and when he puts his unit together, he said he looks for two attributes.

“We need to be fast at all positions, and they need to be good students,” he said of his No. 1 scoring defense in 5A after the Dragons posted a second consecutive shutout — 35-0 over South Albany — to improve to 5-0.

Senior linebacker Justin Hofenbredl exemplifies what Jackson seeks. The 6-foot, 190-pounder is slight for a middle linebacker but made the all-state honorable mention list last year and leads the team with 70 tackles this season.

“We’re not as big as other teams, so we need to be able to fly to the ball,” Jackson said. “And we run an unorthodox defense, with a lot of slanting and stunting and moving, and we have a lot of defensive calls. So, we need players who will listen to everything during prep. They’ve got to understand, listen and trust what we’re telling them.

“It’s been fun coaching this group. We’ve got great football players and some good students.”

The result Friday was avenging a 15-14 loss to the RedHawks from last season in both teams’ Mid-Willamette Conference opener and shutting them out for the first time in 19 all-time meetings.

“I 100% went into the game believing we would win,” Jackson said. “But we made some plays  early on, and the kids were feeling confident. They stayed focused and executed for 48 minutes.”

One of those players is senior Eli Hess, who moved back to quarterback this season after playing running back because of injuries last fall. 

He had a career night against the RedHawks, throwing for 264 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 59 yards and a score, but it’s not surprising to Jackson, who credits offensive coordinator Triston Ringhouse with putting Hess — a  5-11, 180-pounder who also plays linebacker, has a 4.2 GPA and plans to enroll in a military academy —  in a position to succeed.

“We’ve been a run-heavy team in the past, but Eli has been fantastic,” Jackson said. “We’ve put more responsibility on him over the course of the season. He’s a really even-keeled player who just goes out and executes.”

The Dragons last started a full season 5-0 in 2000 (they went 5-0 to open the COVID-shortened spring 2021 campaign), and while they shared the MWC championship two years ago, it’s been 28 years since they won an outright title.

But with 2023 MWC champion Silverton and Central — which are both 4-1 — now in Special District 2, there’s a void atop the conference that Dallas would love to fill.

“It’s definitely a different picture, but it’s not like our team has a different perspective,” Jackson said. “As a program, we expect to be good every year. The kids have put the work in to be good. They just worry about what they need to do to be successful.”

Year of experience does Hood River Valley world of good in 5-0 start  

Hood River Valley has made the playoffs each of the past three seasons, eking its way to the postseason last year with a group dominated by sophomores and juniors.

Now, with a team that’s all grown up, the Eagles have come out flying. Their 20-14 victory over Forest Grove on Homecoming night moved them to 5-0 for the first time since 1990 and ended the Vikings’ undefeated start to the season.

“These young guys are experienced and bigger and stronger with a playoff game under their belt,” said coach Caleb Sperry, who is 66-77 in his 16th season at the Columbia Gorge school.

One of those “young guys” who gained experience last year is junior Bam Layna, a 5-9, 185-pound running back who shared time in the backfield with Ethan Rivera last season, gaining 310 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

With Rivera having graduated, Layna has become the bell cow in the Eagles run game. He rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns against Forest Grove, improving his season numbers to 652 yards and nine scores on 86 carries.

“Again, with a year of experience and in the weight room, he is playing great,” Sperry said.

Senior quarterback Davis Parr returned for his third season behind center, and with his 24-yard touchdown strike to Bodie Stuben in the third quarter, he matched last year’s 10 touchdowns.

The Eagles are the only undefeated Northwest Oregon Conference team and one of five remaining in 5A, joining Dallas, Bend, Mountain View and Willamette. They now face three consecutive road games — starting with Hillsboro this week — before finishing the season at home against Glencoe, which like them is 3-0 in NWOC play.

“We need to stay healthy and  not look further than the next game,” Sperry said. “Our guys have  big goals and want to play deep into November.”

Pendleton riding its offensive horses to great success 

Among the equipment the Pendleton trainer carries to games each week hopefully includes a defibrillator for coach Erik Davis.

The 13th-year coach has watched his team play in shootouts on a nearly weekly basis, including two one-point games — its 21-20 loss to Caldera becoming a win when the Wolfpack forfeited because of overusing players — and last week’s 57-40 win at Baker in both teams’ Greater Oregon League opener.

“Yes, this year has been a little stressful,” Davis said.

Erik Davis is in his 13th season leading the Pendleton Buckaroos football program. / Photo by Adam Lapierre

His 4-2 Buckaroos are well-positioned for these high-scoring games thanks to an offense led by junior running back Tugg McQuinn, who became the starter late last season and has built upon his four-game cameo (432 yards, seven touchdowns).

He ran for 224 yards and five touchdowns against the Bulldogs, pushing his season totals to 1,054 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“Tugg is a naturally gifted athlete — he is the starting shortstop for the baseball team — that has an innate ability to run the football,” Davis said. “His lateral quickness and vision separate him from a lot of backs I’ve had in the past. He has above-average speed and will always finish going forward.”

Another player who bided his time last year before taking over the starting job is senior quarterback Colson Primus, who seized the job midway through the 2023 season and has posted solid numbers (1,215 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions) to balance the Buckaroos offense.

“Colson has been great under center and has the ability to keep defenses off-balance with a mix of run and pass,” Davis said. “Mason Strong and Keegan Klien have been his favorite targets, and both have an ability to take the top off if needed.”

For all this offensive firepower — Pendleton’s 38.7 points per game rank fourth in 4A — the Buckaroos also have allowed 36.8 points per game, with only five schools allowing more.

Pendleton has a week off before playing Crook County and its No. 2 scoring offense, and Davis acknowledged he’ll use the week to “shore up a few deficiencies in the defense,” but he also sees some promise on that side of the ball.

“We just have to continue to be more physical in the run game defensively,” Davis said. “We just have to go out and execute for four quarters, not two. Crook is tough; they always play hard. We will spend this bye week preparing for a battle. We know this has playoff implications and need to treat the preparation that way.”

Steady as ever, Banks remains unbeaten entering difficult part of schedule

Class 3A has seen the rise of several long-suffering programs this season — among them, Douglas and Cottage Grove are both 5-0.

Then, there’s Banks, which has gone under the radar in starting 4-0 for the third consecutive year and fifth time in the past seven full seasons. 

It’s a testament to the program’s ability to reload rather than rebuild, something ninth-year coach Cole Linehan prides himself on.

“From kindergarten to when they get to us as freshmen, they are all part of this program,” he said. “They run our plays and are coached by great people. When they get to us, they have a great foundation of what we are trying to do. 

“Stability goes a long way in a good football program. We know what works, we have very high expectations, and our coaches and kids work really hard to meet them.”

That great foundation starts on defense, where Banks returned two tentpoles in all-state defensive tackle Luke Bigsby (12 tackles for loss, eight hurries) and linebacker Max Walker.

“They have been awesome for us, like they always are,” Linehan said. “They’ve played so much football over the years. It’s fun to see them continue to grow and develop.”

Around them, senior Deisel Schoegje has become a force at middle linebacker (team-high 27 tackles, 10 for loss), and junior Jarrett Martin has turned into a lockdown corner (four pass breakups and an interception).

Junior Lane Gilbert (17 tackles at safety) moved behind center after shining at receiver last year, and while he hasn’t put up eye-catching numbers (593 passing yards, 248 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns), he has not turned the ball over in four starts.

“Every week, he is getting more comfortable at quarterback,” Linehan said. “He is dangerous with the ball in his hands. He can hurt you with his legs just as much as he can with his arm.”

Banks now enters a critical portion of its schedule, starting this week with a trip to Kennedy before playing host to Yamhill-Carlton — two opponents with a combined 9-2 record.

“We’re looking forward to some good matchups in the next two weeks,” Linehan said. “We’ll find out if there is anything we need to shore up heading into the tail end of the regular season.”

St. Paul finds second move up to 2A more to its liking with 5-0 start

A decade ago, St. Paul moved up from the eight-man ranks to play 2A football. The transition to playing 11-man proved challenging at first, but by the fourth year, the Buckaroos reached the state semifinals before dropping back to 1A.

After a successful six-year run — three trips to the state final and two other semifinals — they’re back in 2A, although the transition will be easier since 2A became a nine-man division in 2022.

“It’s been an adjustment for both our coaches and players, but not near the adjustment that it was before,” said 17th-year coach Tony Smith, whose team improved to 5-0 with a 64-6 win at Monroe in its Special District 3 opener. “We’re beginning to become more comfortable with the changes in offensive and defensive schemes.”

Smith cited several reasons the Buckaroos made the move while the rest of the school’s programs remained in 1A, including that many of their JV games were against 2A teams and their previous experience as a 2A program.

The biggest factor was “that our athletes wanted to make the move,” he said, and they’ve thrived, sitting No. 2 in 2A in scoring (49.6 points per game) and fifth in scoring defense (12.8 points per game).

As expected, two-way all-state senior running back/linebacker Clay Smith has led the way, rushing for a team-high 490 yards and eight touchdowns and making a team-high 42 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.

“He has been a starter since his freshman year and has continued to improve each year,” Tony Smith said. “He’s like a lot of our kids in that he shows up every day, works hard and doesn’t care who gets the credit.”

Another key to St. Paul’s 5-0 start is the play of senior Grady Wolf, who took over for graduated all-state quarterback George Pohlschneider behind center. Wolf has completed nearly 52% of his passes (28 of 54) for 386 yards and three touchdowns and has rushed for 211 yards and seven touchdowns. He has 33 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups in the secondary.

All-state senior defensive back Diego Medina (21 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups) has been a solid complement to Smith in the backfield (293 yards, four touchdowns), and sophomore all-state defensive end Wyatt Smith (30 tackles) and classmate Bricen Britten (27 tackles, two sacks) have been disruptors up front.

They’ll face a big test this week at Waldport (3-2), which won its league opener against Jefferson last week and is the only other team in the district above .500 through five weeks.

“They’re a good football team and will be a good test for us,” Tony Smith said. “They have a solid running game and are very aggressive on defense. We’re looking forward to it.”

This and that …

• West Linn opened Three Rivers League play with a 55-0 romp over Tigard, led by senior quarterback Baird Gilroy, who went 22 of 27 for 315 yards and seven touchdowns — three to senior wide receiver Danny Wideman, who had 12 catches for 195 yards. The Lions are one of three TRL teams undefeated through Week 5, joining Lakeridge — a 36-0 winner over Oregon City — and Lake Oswego, which toppled Tualatin from the unbeaten ranks with a 45-31 victory. 
• Jesuit senior quarterback Trey Cleeland returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for two games to lead the Crusaders to a 28-6 victory over Westview in both teams’ Metro League opener. Cleeland, a UC Davis commit, was 12 of 23 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, both to senior Grant Valley, who caught six passes for 134 yards as Jesuit ran its league win streak to 17. 
• Senior quarterback Max Nowlin returned to the Scappoose lineup after missing its Week 3 game because of an ankle injury, throwing for 175 yards and three touchdowns — including a go-ahead 12-yard score to Quinton Olson with 1:40 remaining — to lift Scappoose to a 26-22 victory over Seaside in a Cowapa League opener. Sophomore cornerback Will Kessi ended the game by pulling down an interception in the end zone. “A tough win on the road against a good team,” Scappoose co-coach Joe Nowlin said. “Max and Quinton stepping up in that situation shows the kind of players they are — playmakers that never shy away from the big moment.”
• St. Mary’s (Medford) senior David Jones became the 19th kicker in state history to make a 50-yard field goal, kicking his in the third quarter of the Crusaders’ 39-3 loss at Lakeview. Sandy’s Marco Torres was the previous kicker to do so, making a 51-yarder two years ago against Clackamas. The state record is a 63-yarder by Adley Rutschman (yes, the All-Star catcher for the Baltimore Orioles) when he played for Sherwood in November 2015.
• McLoughlin, which ended its losing streak at 24 games two weeks ago when it beat the La Grande JV team, defeated a varsity opponent for the first time since the 2021 spring campaign, downing Umatilla 40-14. Matthew Humbert rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown, and Dallen Duncan ran for three touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score. The Pioneers have not had a winning season since 1996.

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