So much has fallen into place this season for Lake Oswego’s football team.
Senior quarterback Jackson Laurent, a first-year starter, has proven to be a gamer. An inexperienced offensive line is gelling into a cohesive unit. And the team is enjoying good health, a key factor considering the program’s drop-off in turnout in recent years.
Add all that to the team’s impressive collection of athletes, and the Lakers are 3-0 and No. 1 in both the 6A coaches and media polls.
“So far it’s kind of come together,” said Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury, who appears to have his best team since going to back-to-back state finals in 2011 and 2012.
The Lakers have beaten three quality teams in No. 10 West Salem, No. 5 Jesuit and Oregon City. But much will be revealed Friday when they play a nonleague game at reigning state champion Clackamas (3-0), which is No. 2 in both polls.
“This is a whole ’nother step. This is a step up to the big boys,” Coury said.
“They’re as good as we’ve seen to date, for sure. They’re gifted over there with a bunch of athletes and big kids and experience. They’re all they’re made out to be. It’ll be a great barometer for us and a great learning experience, no matter what.”
The winner could end up carrying the No. 1 ranking for the rest of the season and be the favorite entering the state playoffs.
“The kids are aware of what’s going on,” Clackamas coach Joe Bushman said. “It’s a little bit of a litmus test for both of us.”
Laurent has been in command of the offense in the first three games, completing 43 of 66 passes for 722 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception. Coury said Laurent reminds him of Alex Matthews, the quarterback of the 2011 state championship team.
“The thing I respect about him – with the world today of transferring, and if I’m not playing, I’m gone – this kid’s been behind Jake (Dukart) for the years he’s been here, and just kind of waited his turn, and he got it, and he’s taken full advantage,” Coury said. “He’s just been super. He’s been unbelievable, really.”
Juniors Casey Filkins and Thomas Dukart each have four touchdown catches for the Lakers. Senior Collin Bracken leads the team in rushing with 379 yards, and Filkins has been dangerous near the goal line in the wildcat formation, rushing for touchdowns on all five of his carries this season.
But Lake Oswego has yet to see a defense like Clackamas, which has allowed a 6A-low 28 points. The Cavaliers have dominant defensive linemen in Oregon State-bound senior Kelsen Hennessy and senior Justice Pagan and a force at linebacker in senior Jake Bushman.
“Our front guys have played up to expectations,” Joe Bushman said.
Clackamas has split time at quarterback with juniors Austin Atkeson and CJ Jordan, a transfer from Jefferson, rotating them every two series. Atkeson has passed for 444 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 123 yards. Jordan has passed for 344 yards and one touchdown.
“They’re pretty similar in style,” Joe Bushman said. “I don’t think the offense changes much at all depending on who’s in there. We feel pretty good about both of them.”
Clackamas has passed for 58 percent of its yards, up from 55 percent last year. Six different receivers have caught touchdown passes.
“We’re a little bit more wide open,” Joe Bushman said. “We’ve got some nice speed on the perimeter, so we may be airing it out a little bit more.”
The Cavaliers have beaten Iolani (Hawaii) 7-0, Sherwood 43-14 and Beaverton 49-14. They have yet to see a team the caliber of Lake Oswego, which is the only top 10 team on their schedule.
“They’re kind of like us. They have a lot of really good athletes out there,” Joe Bushman said.
A glimpse at other Week 4 games across the state:
North Medford (2-1) at Mountain View (2-1): The nonleague game matches two of the state’s top running backs in North Medford senior Eli Spence (745 yards) and Mountain View senior Jonas Larson (721 yards). Both teams are coming off hard-fought losses after opening the season with two wins.
No. 6 Tualatin (3-0) at Sunset (2-1): It’s getting harder to downplay what Tualatin is doing this season. The Timberwolves haven’t played a top-10 team, but have been awfully impressive in their wins, going from unranked to No. 6 in the coaches poll. Sunset, coming off wins over South Salem and Southridge, should provide some resistance.
No. 5 Pendleton (3-0) at No. 6 Scappoose (3-0): The division leaders in 5A Special District 1 collide. Pendleton improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2013 by rushing for 340 yards in a 56-14 win over Putnam, but lost speedy receiver Cam Sandford for 6-8 weeks with a broken ankle. The Indians, a 5A newcomer, are led by senior running back Connor McNabb (336 yards).
No. 4 West Albany (3-0) at South Albany (2-1): The crosstown rivals, reunited in the Mid-Willamette Conference now that West Albany has dropped back to 5A, meet for the first time since 2013, when the Bulldogs beat South Albany 37-8. Carson Van Dyke threw three touchdown passes last week in West Albany’s 41-17 win over Central.
No. 6 Cottage Grove (2-1) at No. 2 Marshfield (2-1): A rematch of last year’s 4A final, won by Cottage Grove 48-14. The Lions’ 14-game winning streak ended last week with a 28-27 home loss to Stayton. They rallied from a 28-6 deficit in the fourth quarter only to come up short on a failed two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds. Marshfield lost its opener 23-21 to 5A North Bend but has bounced back strong, beating No. 5 Gladstone 20-17 and Klamath Union 49-0.
No. 10 North Marion (3-0) at Woodburn (3-0): The schools, only six miles apart, have had a good football rivalry over the years, but they haven’t met since North Marion beat the Bulldogs 32-0 in 2009. Woodburn, playing down in 4A this season, is 3-0 for the first time since 1991, which also is the last time the Bulldogs finished with a winning record (5-4). North Marion hasn’t been 3-0 since 2012.
Warrenton (2-1) at No. 3 Knappa (3-0): Warrenton won only one game in the past two years but has benefited from playing down in 2A this season. The Warriors will find out if their improvement is for real against Knappa, which beat them 54-0 and 41-0 the last two seasons.
No. 6 Elkton (3-0) at No. 8 North Douglas (2-1): Class 1A North Douglas will try to rebound from a dramatic 48-46 loss to No. 3 Hosanna Christian against the Elks, who have outscored their opponents 186-8 with an all-senior backfield of quarterback Austin Luzier and running backs Trentyn Halstead and Spencer Moore.
