What we learned in Week 6 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during Week 6 of games on the Oregon high school football schedule

It's been a long time since Newberg won an outright league title in a full season, but the 2024 Tigers have a shot. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The 2024 Oregon high school football season continued last week with Week 6 games around the state. Here's what stood out during the sixth full weekend of action. 

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Newberg rebounds from challenging start to position itself for Pacific title

While Newberg opened its season 0-4, coach Jeremy Johnson was unfazed. He knew his Tigers faced a difficult slate including two unbeaten teams (Sprague and Lake Oswego) and Nelson at 4-2.

Now, the Tigers sit 3-4, finishing their nonconference games by defeating Sunset before opening Pacific Conference play with wins over Century and McMinnville — the latter a 24-21 victory over their Yamhill County rival.

“Our team and unity has always been strong during the tough games,” Johnson said. “We were tested and challenged each week as we learned who we are as a team this year. We have been able to churn more yards on the ground in the past few weeks, which we did not do as well in the early part of the season.

“We know our kids will compete with the better programs in our state. We had to go through some tough lessons to learn who we are as a team.”

Who they are appears to be a balanced offense, with three rushers amassing more than 300 yards and a dual-threat junior quarterback in Parker Sellner who has shown great improvement in his second season as the starter, with 1,286 total yards and throwing for seven touchdowns and running for a team-high five.

Johnson credited a team of assistant coaches (Caleb Burris, Dylan Stacy, Brian Martz and Josh Luciani) with challenging Sellner over the summer to put in extra reps in the weight room and on the practice field, and the results have shown this season. Johnson called him one of the strongest players in the program.

“Parker’s commitment to lead and encourage his teammates is where he has grown the most,” Johnson said. “He knows he still has room to grow here, but he is developing into a strong leader by instilling belief in each of his teammates to get their job done.”

Senior Cole Thomas has been a solid two-way performer, with a team-high 22 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns and making 44 tackles, second-most on the team to junior linebacker Austin Wilhelm’s 45. Another Austin — senior defensive lineman Austin Phillips — leads the team with seven tackles for loss and three sacks among his 37 tackles.

The Tigers might be riding high right now, but for them to achieve something they haven’t done in a full season since 1960 — win an outright league title — they’ll need to beat Liberty and Sherwood, the teams that have dominated the Pacific Conference in recent seasons.

They’ll get their shot at the Falcons this week in Hillsboro, with a week off the following week (they moved their Week 8 game with Sprague to Week 0) before closing with the Bowmen at home.

“Our schedule is a tough one, and our Pacific Conference has a number of great coaches and tough teams to battle week in and week out,” Johnson said. 

“Playing on the road is tough, and our kids will prepare each day this week to be our best against Liberty to beat a good, quick, strong team who has put up quite a few points on the scoreboard. We have our work cut out for us and are excited to take on the challenge.” 

Mountainside ready for challenge of taking on Jesuit with Metro title on the line

Keanon Lowe knows first-hand the Jesuit mystique and the grip the Crusaders have held on the Metro League the past two decades.

The Mountainside coach starred at Jesuit in the late 2000s, winning 6A defensive player of the year honors as a cornerback in 2009 when they reached the state championship game — part of a run during which they have won outright or shared 17 of the past 19 league titles, including the past nine.

So, as the Mavericks prepare to head to Cronin Field this week to take on the Crusaders, with the winner seizing control of the league title race, Lowe is well aware of the challenge ahead.

“They have run the Metro League for decades, and the only way we can turn the corner as a program is by beating them for the first time in school history,” Lowe said. “We know who they are, what they will do on defense, and who they want to get the ball to on offense.”

Mountainside opened the season 1-2, but its defeats were to a couple of one-loss teams — Silverton (24-21) and Lakeridge (27-20) in games the Mavericks had chances to win down the stretch.

Since then, they’ve won three in a row, including a 49-0 victory over nearby rival Southridge, and Lowe believes those close losses helped prepare his team for the remainder of its schedule.

“I am proud of our effort week in and week out,” he said. “We always talk about what makes a good team — and what makes a good team is one that can consistently get better week in and week out. I think our players have taken that to heart, and every week, we have improved.”

Junior quarterback Cade Mitchell has seized the starting role after splitting time with Alex Ingalls last season, accounting for six touchdowns last week with three rushing and three passing. 

Senior wide receiver Kellen Hicks and junior running back Jordan Hicks (no relation) have been among the top skill position players at Mitchell’s disposal, with Lowe saying of the duo, “They are both guys we will be watching on Saturdays in the near future. Both of those guys exemplify the type of player we want at Mountainside — tough and unselfish players that have great work ethic and character.”

Still, Lowe knows that to beat Jesuit at Cronin Field — the Crusaders are 66-3 at home against Metro opponents since 2012 and have won 18 in a row overall in league play — the Mavericks must match them on the line of scrimmage.

They rebuilt their offensive line during the offseason, with junior left tackle Aiden Jakubauskas the only returning all-league performer. The rest of the group features senior right guard Brayden Beasley and left guard Julian Villastrigo (who stepped in for injured sophomore Isaiah Ormond) alongside junior right tackle Reed Hicks and center James Hartshorn.

“The game will always be won or lost in the trenches,” Lowe said. “I’m excited to see if our guys can step up to the challenge.”

Lebanon focuses on physical play as it challenges for Mid-Willamette title

Like Mountainside, Lebanon started its season 1-2, which coach Troy Walker attributed to a lack of focus.

That became the focus of practices, where Walker said, “we have pushed hard for the boys to focus on us. We challenged our kids to focus on execution, effort, and being physical. We feel if we can do that, then we’ll have a shot.”

The result has been a three-game win streak on the field, including last week’s 46-14 victory over South Albany, which combined with receiving a forfeit win from Caldera gives Lebanon a 5-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Mid-Willamette Conference play entering this week’s matchup at fellow MWC unbeaten West Albany.

Walker especially credited his lines with picking up their game since their Week 3 loss to the Wolfpack. 

“We try to play a physical style of football,” he said. “When the big boys are together, we are a solid group. Offensively, we go as our O-line goes. We are not huge up front, but we are physical and mobile, and it all starts with (seniors) Isaac Jordan and Bradley Beard.”

Their improved play has made life easier for junior quarterback Brison Edwards, who had 216 total yards, ran for three touchdowns and threw for two in the South Albany game. 

For the season, he has completed 53.8% of his passes (63 of 117) for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions, and his eight touchdown runs tie for the team lead with junior running back Cade Weber (673 yards).

“This year has been a big year for Brison,” Walker said. “He has always been very athletic, but this year, he has turned himself into a leader as well.”

Jordan, a two-way all-state pick as a junior, also was a beast against the RedHawks (11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack), and junior linebacker Zach Halsey forced two fumbles and had an interception.

Weber leads the team with 50 tackles, and Halsey has 41 (four for loss) to go with 15 catches for 321 yards and four touchdowns, second to junior Logan Large’s 23 catches for 320 yards and five scores. Senior defensive lineman Ashton Dailey has a team-high six tackles for loss (two sacks).

Lebanon now faces a West Albany team that also has turned the corner after splitting its four nonconference games, blasting Corvallis 36-6 last week.

Walker called the Bulldogs “a complete team — they have tough, physical, athletic kids in every position. Coach (Brian) Mehl and his staff do an amazing job of getting their kids ready to go on game day. If we can take care of ourselves and all 11 kids do their jobs, I believe we can make a game of it.”

Tillamook finds its quarterback of the present (and future)

Tillamook coach Kye Johnson knew it would be a challenge this year replacing the production he received the previous two seasons from two-year starting quarterback Tanner Hoskins, a second-team 4A all-state selection as a senior.

By the Cheesemakers’ second game, Johnson found his signal-caller of the present in someone he might have foreseen as his future hope. 

Sophomore Kevin Hurliman took over behind center early in their game against Marist Catholic and over the past four weeks has solidified his hold on the job. Last week, he was 11 of 17 for 179 yards and two touchdowns in Tillamook’s 40-6 win at Astoria that evened its overall record at 3-3 and improved the Cheesemakers to 2-0 in Cowapa League play as they prepare to face Scappoose in a massive league showdown. 

Johnson taught Hurliman in class during the second half of his freshman year last spring and knew right away he had a keeper.

“He has a great memory, and he learns quickly,” Johnson said. “Kevin has a live arm, and he’s a really cerebral player. I’ve been pretty impressed with the mentality he’s displayed being a sophomore. He literally didn’t take a single snap with the varsity group during fall camp, but we had to move him in there after the opener, and he’s been improving every week.”

It didn’t hurt that Hurliman has an experienced receiving corps. Junior Griffyn Boomer, who started behind center in Week 0 against Estacada, returned outside and leads the team with 20 catches for 420 yards and five touchdowns, and senior Carsen Rieger (11-182-3) provides balance on the other side of the formation.

The Cheesemakers also have cranked up their running game the past two weeks, rushing for 494 yards and eight touchdowns in wins over St. Helens and Astoria after being held to minus-11 yards by Cascade in Week 3.

“Marist and Cascade gave us plenty of football lessons in those two games,” Johnson said. “Both of those teams in the box can play some pretty physical football. Experiencing that is important for a fairly new varsity group. It’s no fun losing, but there were plenty of good things that came out of those trips.”

Johnson hopes those lessons will combine with the confidence gained the past couple of games as they prepare to face Scappoose, which shared the league title with Tillamook and Seaside last season.

Johnson knows he’ll need to find a way to slow Scappoose’s passing game, led by senior quarterback Max Nowlin, who is fully recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him in Week 3. 

“Their quarterback is legit, they always have talent, and we’ll need to play a good ballgame this week to have a shot,” Johnson said.

Taft finding its way back from pandemic lows to start 5-1 

It has never been easy to build a program at Taft, a 3A school in Lincoln City along the north-central Oregon Coast. 

The Tigers have not won more than seven games in a season since 1949, and their last league title came in 2003. A five-year stretch from 2017-21 during which they went 7-30 (including three forfeits in 2021) led to a year playing 2A, where they won seven games and made the playoffs, prompting a move back to 3A.

After going 4-5 last year, the Tigers are 5-1 this season, with shutouts in four of their six games — including a 42-0 win last week against Willamina in which they held the Bulldogs to minus-27 yards while breaking the school record for shutouts in a season. 

“COVID had a huge impact on our program,” ninth-year coach Jake Tolan said. “We really struggled getting our older players to come out for the COVID season and the season after. Our participation numbers for those two seasons were 16 and 24 total players, with only one senior in each. 

“Even though it was a difficult decision at the time, we made the decision to move down to 2A in hopes to get some success on the field, gain some momentum as a program and grow our numbers. I would say, looking back, it was the correct decision and really the catalyst for where we are today as a program. Our numbers have continued to grow, and this year, we have over 60 players in our program, 16 of them seniors.”

Among those seniors is quarterback Ezra James, who has had a strong season with 1,492 yards and 20 touchdowns to just one interception while completing more than 77% of his passes (102 of 132), spreading the ball to four receivers who have 10 or more catches, led by junior Kai Tolan (35 for 553 yards and six touchdowns).

It’s the defense that has been the real eye-opener for the Tigers this year. Their 10.5 points per game allowed ranks sixth among the 40 teams in 3A and would be their best for a season since 1992 if they keep it going.

Tolan credits his defensive staff for “creating and implementing a dynamic scheme that utilizes our athletes’ abilities and puts them in the best spots to make plays. We have some really great athletes on the defensive side of the ball, and that is pretty helpful as well.”

The schedule sets up favorably for the Tigers to match that 1949 team’s school-record eight wins. They face Amity this week, a team that runs similar schemes to previous opponents Sisters, Blanchet Catholic and Dayton.

Taft closes the regular season at home against Santiam Christian, a game that very easily could have the PacWest Conference title on the line.

“We understand playing Amity on their field in potentially adverse weather will propose some challenges,” Tolan said. “And our last home game with Santiam Christian will have huge implications. We look forward to playing such a game with such high importance. Games like these are why we play and coach football and why we invest so much time and effort.”

Nestucca looks to win first outright league championship since 1967

Nestucca has rebounded from an 0-2 start to win its first four games in 2A Northwest League play, putting the Bobcats on the cusp of accomplishing something that hasn’t occurred at the North Coast school since Lyndon B. Johnson resided in the White House.

A win Friday at defending league champion Gaston would put the Bobcats one victory from their first outright league title since winning back-to-back championships in 1966-67. 

They’ve shared the title several times since, including two years ago with Knappa, but a solo crown would be quite the accomplishment.

Leading the way is an offensive line that welcomed back senior Jack Manning, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL and the first two weeks — losses to Gervais and Salem Academy — with a foot injury.

“They’re now coming together, and that’s basically been the difference,” coach Jeff Schiewe said. “They’re following their assignments better, being more efficient. Jack is playing really well.”

That has allowed their play-action heavy offense, directed by senior quarterback Nolen Hurlimann flanked by senior wingbacks Draven Marsh (their leading scorer this season) and Zak Chatelain, to excel. 

In last week’s 34-22 victory over Knappa — Nestucca’s second win over the Loggers in the past nine meetings — Chatelain rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns, and Marsh gained 113 yards, recovered two onside kicks and intercepted a pass.

Asked if Marsh has been the engine that drives the team, Schiewe agreed. 

“That’s a great way to put it,” he said. “We have multiple backs who divide the yards, but Draven, with his defense, his receiving, recovering onside kicks, he’s been a really strong team leader.”

Schiewe knows the Bobcats can’t take their game against Gaston for granted. The Greyhounds handed them their only NWL loss two years ago, denying Nestucca the outright title, and the Bobcats haven’t defeated Gaston since 2019.

“We’re very similar teams. They like to run the football and play pressure defense,” Schiewe said. “They’re very good defensively, and we’ve got to respond to their defensive challenge. We just need to make fewer mistakes than they do.” 

This and that …

• Lincoln tuned up for its Southwest Portland rivalry game with reigning PIL champion Wells by posting its second consecutive shutout, beating McDaniel 44-0. Blake Timothy had two of the Cardinals’ three interceptions as they improved to 3-1 in PIL play, one game behind the Guardians, who extended their league win streak to 14 with a 44-21 victory over Grant.
• The return of junior wide receiver/defensive back Connor Conneely has helped Summit open Intermountain Conference play 2-0 after toppling Bend 21-6. Conneely dislocated an elbow during camp and missed the Storm’s first four games, during which they went 1-3. After catching two touchdown passes in his Week 5 return against Ridgeview, he had two interceptions and a 70-yard fumble recovery against the Lava Bears in his first game playing safety.
• New-look Willamette continued its revival from a winless 2023 season, remaining undefeated at 6-0 with a 41-21 victory over Roseburg. The Wolverines had last won six games in a season in 2008 and last started a season with six consecutive victories in 2003.
• Cascade won 48-6 against Junction City despite missing standout junior running back Bryce Kuenzi, who suffered a leg injury in the second half of a Week 5 win against Stayton. His status is week-to-week with the Cougars preparing to face fellow unbeaten Philomath in a key Oregon West Conference matchup this week.

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