What we learned in Week 9 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during Week 9 of games on the Oregon high school football schedule

The Tualatin Timberwolves and their high-powered offense will open the 6A Open playoffs at Mountainside. / Photo by Dan Brood

The 2024 Oregon high school football regular season concluded last week with Week 9 games around the state. Here's what stood out during the ninth full weekend of action. 

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Tualatin looking to prove how capable it is to reach third 6A final in past four seasons

A month into the season, Tualatin was cruising along at 4-0, its high-powered offense causing scoreboard operators’ fingers to cramp from overuse.

Then, Three Rivers League play kicked off, and the Timberwolves found themselves sputtering. They lost to Lake Oswego, Lakeridge and West Linn, with standout senior wide receiver Zhaiel Smith missing the Lions game because of injury.

Smith also sat out Tualatin’s 44-0 victory over district rival Tigard in the regular-season finale, which left the Timberwolves as the No. 9 seed in the OSAA Class 6A Open championship bracket.

They’ll open on the road in Round 1 at Metro League champion Mountainside, and while coach Dom Ferraro expects Smith to be available for the playoffs, he knows getting the all-state receiver back will not cure all that ailed his team during the recent downturn.

“Some of our losses were self-inflicted wounds,” Ferraro said. “We know we are a good team, and we know we are capable of playing with the best teams in the state. At this point, you try to block out all the noise because everyone is a good football team.”

The Timberwolves still have one of the best quarterbacks in the state in senior BYU commit Nolan Keeney, who has thrown for 1,703 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 95 of 175 passes (54.3%). Smith, a University of Idaho commit, is one of four receivers with double-digit catches, leading the team with 30 for 587 yards and seven scores.

But one of the keys for the Timberwolves to get back to the 6A title game for the third time in the past four seasons will be the continued emergence of sophomore running back Cole Hachmeister, who had a team-high 562 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per carry.

Hachmeister gave Timberwolves fans a glimpse of what he can do last season when he ran for 60 yards on five carries at the end of their first-round playoff win over Roosevelt.

“He had the JV offensive line in front of him, and Roosevelt had most of their starters in,” Ferraro recalled. “He broke off a couple of nice runs, and you could tell he had something special to him. He worked very hard in the offseason, and that hard work has paid off. He is quickly becoming one of the leaders of our team regardless of age.”

Another key will be continuing the defensive effort that led to the team’s first shutout of the season. Senior linebacker Calvin Evans, who has 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks, led the way against the Tigers with two sacks and a blocked punt that led to a safety, and Trenton Herzog returned an interception for a score.

In Tualatin’s three defeats, it allowed 144 points to three teams with solid running games, and the Mavericks (38.7 points per game) present problems with their running back trio of juniors Jordan Hicks and Sam Vyhlidal and sophomore Reece Ballew to complement steady play from junior quarterback Cade Mitchell.

“Mountainside is well-coached, aggressive, and has very good team speed,” Ferraro said. “It’s playoff football. Anything can happen.”

Can quarterback change help West Salem earn 6A tournament title?

Last season, West Salem had to sweat out the final night of the regular season to learn it qualified for the 6A championship bracket as the No. 16 seed.

There wasn’t any drama for the Titans this year after their 40-14 victory at Grants Pass to close the regular season. The change in the 6A playoff format that reduced the upper bracket to 12 teams meant West Salem was not in contention, but the win did propel the Titans to the No. 18 seed and a first-round home game against Westview in this week’s 6A state playoffs.

While the Three Rivers is “the SEC of Oregon high school football,” Titans coach Shawn Stanley said, the South Central Football Conference in which his team resides might be the Big Ten equivalent. 

Both leagues qualified six teams to the postseason, and playing the likes of Open qualifiers Sheldon and Sprague prepared the Titans for the rigors of a postseason run.

They went 4-4 in SCFC play with sophomore running back Koen Campos breaking through this season with 1,307 yards and 17 touchdowns on 188 carries (he led the team with 16 catches for 249 yards). He ran for 219 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s victory.

Stanley made a quarterback change last week after going with junior Jacob Sanderson most of the season. Sanderson, the JV starter last year, took over behind center after all-state quarterback Kaden Maritrano transferred to West Albany over the summer, and Sanderson posted solid numbers (82 of 145, 1,097 yards, seven touchdowns, nine interceptions).

But Stanley decided to go with junior Jarrett Piel against the Cavemen, and Piel did well enough — the Titans scored a season high in points — to earn the nod again this week against the Wildcats.

“Jacob has done well, but we gave Jarrrett a shot, and he seized the moment,” Stanley said.

Westview entered the season after a tumultuous offseason that led to the resignation of coach Jamal Jones and hiring of Dan Weaver in the week before the start of the season. The Wildcats found their footing over the past month, winning three of their past four games as junior running back Heath Thompson and senior wide receiver Peyton Read emerged as big-play threats.

“They have improved as the season has progressed,” Stanley said. “They’re really solid defensively, and their running back looks like the real deal.” 

Willamette looks to continue best season in nearly two decades in 5A playoffs

Three years ago, Josh Line had a front-row seat for one of the state’s best turnaround stories in some time.

Line was the Sheldon coach in 2021 when the Irish survived a 49-47 Southwest Conference battle at Roseburg, which won six games over the previous three seasons but went 9-2 that year.

This fall, it’s Line’s turn to lead a woebegone program to heights it hadn’t hit in some time. Line moved across town from Sheldon to take over Willamette this season, and in less than 12 months, he’s taken the Wolverines from a winless 2023 campaign to an 8-1 record — their most victories in a season since 2007 — and their first playoff berth since 2015.

The good times kept rolling with a 23-15 win over Thurston that marked the program’s first victory over the Colts since 2017. The Wolverines’ only defeat came in Week 7 to Midwestern League champion Churchill. 

When Line opened camp, he knew he had a mix of talented newcomers transferring to the program — players such as junior defensive tackle Tony Cumberland, a University of Oregon commit who leads the team in tackles for loss, and junior running back Maveryck Ayers from Roseburg — plus some promising returnees, led by senior linebacker Dylan Freeman, the team leader in tackles. 

Then, just before the jamboree, senior quarterback Tre People arrived from California, offering the final piece to the puzzle.

“I think we were able to come together quite a bit over the course of the season,” Line said. “Our culture grew stronger as the year went on, and it showed on the field for the most part. We feel like we are heading in the right direction; however, establishing culture takes time, and we will hopefully have a much stronger culture next season.”

Ayers developed into a 1,000-yard rusher Line called “one of the top running backs in the state,” and Mackai Adams has more than 600 yards receiving. The offensive line also has jelled into a solid unit, easing People’s transition to the lineup after missing most of camp.

“Tre has been able to get into a groove since the Springfield game (in Week 5),” Line said. “But that is a tribute to our offensive line continuing to get better and our receivers making plays when they get the chance. Also, you cannot forget Maveryck. They all have contributed to Tre’s performances being more consistent of late.”

Roseburg’s run three years ago ended in the second round of the 6A playoffs against Summit. And who will the Wolverines — who last won in the postseason in 2007 — meet Friday in the first round of the 5A playoffs?

That’s right: Summit, which has rebounded from an 0-3 start to go 5-4 and earn a home game in this 8-9 matchup.

“Summit is a great program with a lot of recent success,” Line said of the 2022 5A champion. “They are a stout defense with a really strong front, and they are physical and fly around in the defensive backfield. We will have to play our best football to be successful. We’ll have to get stops and possess the ball as much as possible.”

‘Electric’ atmosphere in Scappoose after winning first solo title since 2017

Scappoose had to share the Cowapa League title with Seaside and Tillamook last season.

So, with a chance to secure the outright championship last week, it wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip. Scappoose romped past Milwaukie 54-15 for the program’s first solo title since 2017 and the No. 5 seed in the 4A playoffs, which the team will open this week against Hidden Valley at home.

“The atmosphere on Friday was electric,” Scappoose coach Sean McNabb said. “We were very disappointed the past two years not winning it outright. Our guys were extremely excited about returning the Cowapa title to Scappoose.”

Scappoose’s only defeat this season came in Week 3 to Cascade during which senior quarterback Max Nowlin sustained an ankle injury. Nowlin missed one game but returned for Cowapa League play, and Friday, he threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores.

The emergence of sophomore running back Elijah Greenan-Biggs has added an element to the offense that was lacking. His breakthrough came in Week 7 at Tillamook when senior Cayden Baker had to serve a one-game suspension, with Greenan-Biggs scoring three touchdowns in a 46-27 victory.

He ran for a career-best 135 yards and a touchdown against the Mustangs, and Baker added 63 yards and a score and made a team-high eight tackles at linebacker.

“Elijah is such a good athlete and will be very decorated by the time he leaves high school,” McNabb said. “His versatility makes him a very good back to have in a spread offense. We can open the playbook a little bit more when Elijah is in the game.

“That’s not taking anything away from Cayden. He is a beast to tackle, and Cayden’s physicality makes for a good combination. It also gives Cayden the chance to have fresh legs on defense.”

Greenan-Biggs is one of three sophomores starting on offense. Center Matthew Neilson and left guard Shaun Washburn joined veterans James Sessions, Mason Campbell and Cooper Carlascio up front, and McNabb said, “I have been impressed with the improvement I have seen since Day 1. A lot of this credit goes to our leaders. They instill confidence that others don’t want to let them down.”

That confidence remains sky-high as Scappoose prepares to take on another team of Mustangs — this one from Grants Pass that finished third in the Big Sky Conference and is a bit of a mystery team from the south.

“They have some very good athletes and offensively, they are very multiple and get into a lot of different formations,” McNabb said. “Playing a team like that can be difficult to prepare for. I expect us to have a great week of practice and am excited about the matchup.”

Family connections run deep as Siuslaw looks to add state title to 2021 crown

Siuslaw coach Sam Johnson is loath to compare this year’s team, which enters the 3A playoffs undefeated and the top seed, with the 2021 squad that ran the table and won the school’s first state championship since 2006. 

“That ’21 team was special and had a ton of guys who could make plays,” Johnson said. “In that sense, it reminds me of this team — lots of guys who are willing to make plays and do what it takes to win close games.”

That is something the Vikings have needed to do several times this season. Six of their eight wins have been in one-score games, including a 40-35 victory in Week 3 over two-time defending champion Cascade Christian in which junior quarterback Micah Blankenship scored on a 1-yard sneak as time ran out.

Friday, it was Johnson’s younger brother, Will, who scored on a 9-yard run with 1:46 to play to lift Siuslaw to a 37-32 victory over Coquille that kept the undefeated season going.

Will is 11 years younger than Sam, 28, and the youngest of three brothers and 10 cousins. Their father, Andy, is the offensive coordinator, and cousins Nick (defensive coordinator) and Jack (special teams coordinator) are on the staff.

“And another of our cousins, Jordan, is Sheldon’s offensive coordinator,” Sam said, failing to note that Jordan’s father, Marty, was a three-time state champion at Sheldon in the early 2000s and uncle, Lane, won the 2012 title with the Irish. 

“A fun football family to grow up in for all of us. Will is as good of a football player, though, that the Johnson family has ever produced.”

Will shares duties in the backfield with Max Reynolds, who is one of 10 seniors who were on the title-winning team as freshmen. Reynolds has outgained Johnson by five yards (729-724), although Johnson has more touchdowns (8-6). The duo is also 1-2 on the team in tackles, with Reynolds making 63 and Johnson 53 (with a team-high six for loss). 

“He and Max are phenomenal players and young men,” Coach Johnson said. “They’re a really good duo in the backfield and do a great job of running, blocking and catching. They’re a joy to coach.”

Johnson thinks the team’s propensity to play (and win) close games will pay dividends in the postseason, especially as the Vikings prepare to face Dayton in the first round.

“Dayton is a phenomenal program and will be a really tough first-round game,” Johnson said. “They’re hard-nosed and play football the right way.

“But I think any time you play in close games as much as we have, it breeds a confidence that you can find ways to win no matter what the scenario is. It has led to a level of composure from them that is something to be admired.”

Longtime Heppner coach hopes to have one final ride before heading to retirement

It hasn’t quite hit Greg Grant yet that the longtime Heppner coach is in the final stretch of a four-decade career during which he has won 348 games — third in state history — and three state championships.

All that runs through the Mustangs coach’s mind as he prepares for his final 2A state playoff run is adding a fourth title to his resumé before he hangs up the whistle for good.

“I am focused on what is next. Always have been,” said Grant, 63, who announced before the season that it would be his last.

Heppner is the No. 1 seed in this month’s playoffs and will play host to Waldport in Saturday’s first round after completing the regular season 9-0 — the 11th time in Grant’s 35 years at the Northeast Oregon school he’s gone undefeated in the regular season and 29th league title during his tenure — with a 36-0 victory over Enterprise.

It was the Mustangs’ third shutout in Blue Mountain Conference play and lowered their points allowed average to 8.4 per game, third-best among 2A schools.

Grant attributes the defensive success to “our offense and special teams have done their jobs well. We have good balance and reasonable team speed. Also, our kids have improved each week in their preparation.”

The offense spreads the wealth, with six running backs with more than 100 yards total but none with more than senior Hayden McMahon’s 494, while sophomore Alakae Rodriguez has a team-high 18 touchdowns on 81 carries for 431 yards — he also leads the team with 51 tackles (seven for loss).

Grant said Rodriguez’s emergence was not a surprise, “but we are certainly happy for him and contribution to his team. We’re excited about how hard he has worked since last season and how much he cares and tries.”

Junior wide receiver Caleb George (four receiving touchdowns) recently returned from an injury, and senior wide receiver/defensive back Nick Wenberg not only leads the team with five receiving touchdowns but also has four interceptions and three pass breakups.

All those weapons will come into play this week against the Irish, who won their last three regular-season games — including a 16-12 win at Toledo — to finish second in their district and qualify for the playoffs.

Grant said his players have been “great” about how they’ve handled the news of this being his final season. 

“They are focused on this season,” he added.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

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