West Linn's top-ranked football team found itself in an uncomfortable position Friday night at home against Sumner, the No. 2-ranked big-school team in Washington.
The visitors took advantage of three West Linn turnovers – two interceptions and a fumble – to build a 17-0 lead in the first half, sending a shockwave through the Lion faithful.
West Linn (3-0) kept its cool, though, and fought back for a 34-27 win. Senior quarterback Baird Gilroy scored on an eight-yard run with 49 seconds left to break a 27-27 tie, and senior Danny Wideman intercepted a pass in the end zone with nine seconds left to seal the victory.
“I'll tell you what, that's a good football team we beat,” West Linn coach Jon Eagle said. “I told the kids that this might be one of the best teams we'll play all year. They've pointed to this group of kids in that town for a long time, that they think this is a real shot to win it all.”
Gilroy completed 25 of 36 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns – both to senior tight end Baron Naone – with two interceptions. Junior Viggo Anderson had his third consecutive 100-yard game, rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, and Wideman had nine catches for 120 yards.
Sumner (2-1) finished with a 459-453 edge in total yards. Spartans junior quarterback Nate Donavan passed for 353 yards.
“That's a very physical team,” Eagle said. “The upper-level teams in Washington are very physical. They've done that because if you want to be competitive and survive, you've got to be super physical.
“Certainly we got our eyes opened a little bit in terms of physicality. We really battled through that. Their plan was to just run it down our throats.. I'm very pleased with how our defense really battled. We're a little bit undersized up front, but boy, they're fighters.”
Down 20-6 at half, West Linn got a 26-yard scoring pass from Gilroy to Naone and a one-yard touchdown run by senior Will Ingle to pull even at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter. Gilroy connected with Naone for a seven-yard touchdown and a 27-20 lead with about five minutes left.
Sumner quickly answered with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Donavan to Montana State-bound senior tight end Carter Cocke to tie 27-27. The Lions methodically drove for Gilroy's go-ahead touchdown run, but had to hold their breath when Sumner moved inside West Linn's 30-yard line in the final minute. Wideman's interception repelled the threat.
“There's a lot of things we'll take away from that game,” Eagle said. “Sometimes kids get a little bit nonchalant about the basic fundamentals. It came back and bit us a little bit on some things.”
Mountain View remains factor in 5A
Despite replacing the entire offensive line and the starting quarterback from last year's 5A runner-up team, Mountain View is off to an impressive 4-0 start.
The No. 4 Cougars built on their momentum Friday with a 41-14 win at Canby (1-3) in what coach Brian Crum called his team's best game of the season so far.
“Offensively, we had a really good mix,” Crum said. “That can make us really tough. We started to establish our run game a little better than we have this year, and that opened up a lot of stuff.”
Senior quarterback Mason Chambers, who has taken over after the graduation of standout Connor Crum, added to his strong start by completing 19 of 25 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns. In four games, Chambers has passed for 1,032 yards and 14 touchdowns without an interception.
“He was a nervous kid last year as a junior when we put him in some varsity games,” Brian Crum said. “He has owned the position this year. He's really settled in, he's confident.”
Chambers' ability to throw on the run keeps defenses off balance.
“When we move him, he's got his eyes down the field the whole time,” Crum said. “He's got that ability to not see the rush, but to just feel it, and go ahead with his eyes down the field and put the ball on guys.”
It helps that Chambers has one of the state's top targets in 6-5, 207-pound senior receiver Jack Foley. In Friday's game, Foley caught seven passes for 217 yards and one touchdown, his sixth score of the season. He has college offers from Utah State, Wake Forest, Washington State, Idaho State and Air Force.
“He really is one of the more special kids I've coached in 29 years,” Crum said. “I've had a couple Division I kids and a couple NFL guys, and I'll tell you what, he's right up there. He's unguardable, if you try to go one-on-one, just with his speed, his length and his route running. He understands space, knows how to create leverage and find the opening. And he's just got soft hands.”
The Cougars also have junior running Angel Valenzuela, who rushed for 1,827 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore. He ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against Canby, giving him 365 yards for the season.
Valenzuela's numbers are down a bit this season in part because he is playing defense, lining up at defensive end for about 65-70 percent of the plays, according to Crum.
'Not going to be denied'
Trailing two-time reigning 3A champion Cascade Christian by one point and with the ball at the Challengers' two-yard line with three seconds left, Siuslaw could have opted for a chip-shot field goal attempt by senior soccer player Charles Nelson, who made his two extra-point tries in the game.
Vikings coach Sam Johnson said he was all for kicking it, until senior left guard Deegan Smith offered his input.
“He looked me in the eyes and said, 'That's not who we are. We don't kick the ball in these situations,'” Johnson said. “He said, 'Just run the ball behind me.'”
Junior quarterback Micah Blankenship took the snap and dived into the end zone behind Smith, giving No. 6 Siuslaw a 40-35 home win over the No. 3 Challengers in the nonleague game. The Vikings improved to 3-0 heading into their Special District 4 opener at No. 7 South Umpqua on Oct. 4.
“It was kind of no-doubt when he said that,” Johnson said. “I said over the headset to the coaches right when we got lined up, 'Get ready to celebrate,' because the kids were not going to be denied a win right there.”
Johnson said that Smith, who has excelled on defense at middle linebacker this season, has not been a leader on the offensive line during his career. But he rallied his teammates in the week leading up to the game.
“Week 1 and Week 2, we put up 21 and 14 points, which to the kids is unacceptable,” Johnson said. “A lot of it had to do with little mistakes from our offensive line, and we were playing really talented front-six guys from other teams. Deegan just said to the guys all week, 'Keep buying in.' It was fitting that it was him leading us in for that final touchdown.”
Siuslaw, which won the state title in 2021 before Cascade Christian took the last two championships, celebrated wildly after Blankenship crossed the goal line.
“It was unreal. The place went absolutely bonkers,” Johnson said. “It was way more of a pop and celebration than I even remember from that 2021 year. It was lots of kids never winning a game that big and close, so they didn't know how to celebrate. They were all just yelling and crying and hugging.”
Siuslaw rushed for 451 of its 471 yards. Senior Max Reynolds ran for three touchdowns and junior Will Johnson had two scoring runs, including one from 76 yards, for Siuslaw. The Vikings threw only three passes all game out of their split-back veer offense.
Cascade Christian, which entered the season with a 26-game winning streak, fell to 1-2. The Challengers took a 35-34 lead with 4:24 left on a 55-yard touchdown run by sophomore Bryson Walker, but could not stop Siuslaw on its winning 80-yard scoring drive.
Walker finished with with 187 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
Bucks pull through
A six-hour bus ride wasn't enough to keep No. 2 St. Paul from settling a score at No. 5 Lost River in a 2A nonleague showdown Saturday afternoon.
The Buckaroos had lost three of four games against Lost River in the 1A-8 classification the last two seasons, including defeats in the 2022 state final and 2023 semifinals. But St. Paul (3-0) made the plays when it counted Saturday to emerge with a 32-22 road win over the Raiders (2-1.).
The Buckaroos left St. Paul at 7 a.m. for the 2 p.m. game.
“It's brutal,” Buckaroos coach Tony Smith said of the long trip. “It's definitely an advantage for a team at home. I was proud of our kids for that reason. We got down there a little bit late, it took a little longer. We didn't have our normal warm-up time, and it was hot as heck.”
St. Paul led 20-8 at half on two touchdown runs by senior Grady Wolf and one by senior Clay Smith. Lost River pulled within 20-16 after a seven-yard touchdown run by senior Kayden Hartman, but the Buckaroos pushed it back to 26-16 on a 26-yard fumble return by sophomore Wyatt Smith late in the third quarter.
The Raiders closed to 26-22 on a 18-yard touchdown pass from junior Kyle Diaz to junior Eugene Dunlea. St. Paul put it away when sophomore Bricen Britten ran 17 yards for a score to make it 32-22 with about 1:30 to go.
The teams appeared evenly matched. The Buckaroos had a 22-18 edge in first downs and Lost River had a 317-314 advantage in total yards.
“It wasn't pretty,” Tony Smith said. “I didn't feel like we executed really well offensively or defensively, but we persevered. … It's kind of like I thought it would be. When we play those guys, it's just good, physical football.”
Wolf rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries for St. Paul. Hartman had 81 yards and two scores on 20 carries for Lost River.
'Special' Irish
Sheldon got a big boost from its trademark special teams Friday in a 40-7 win at North Medford in a 6A Special District 1 game.
The No. 6 Irish (3-0, 2-0) not only consistently won the field position game on punts and kickoffs, but they got a 43-yard field goal from Oregon-bound senior kicker Rocco Graziano, a blocked punt for a touchdown by senior Quincy Peterson and a safety when a North Medford punt snap sailed out of the zone.
“It was huge for us,” first-year Sheldon coach Tyler Martell said. “It's neat for our guys to see the fruits for all the time we put into special teams during the week. We're one of the few teams statewide that dedicates a whole bunch of time to special teams every day in practice.”
Sheldon opened a 33-0 halftime lead on North Medford (1-2, 1-2). Senior quarterback Kelsen Sperry threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior Brody Thomas and ran for a score. Thomas and senior Mana Tuioti (11 carries, 125 yards) also had touchdown runs.
Sheldon's defense, led by its active front, held North Medford to minus-12 rushing yards on 21 carries. Senior lineman Luka Saraceno had three of the team's six sacks, senior defensive tackle Brody Borrevik had an interception and Tuioti dominated at inside linebacker.
“He's just all over the place. It's impressive,” Martell said of the 5-foot-11, 235-pound Tuioti, who has offers from Boise State, Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State. “He's in on every tackle.”
Sperry (6-3, 195), who completed 9 of 18 passes for 111 yards and ran for 34 yards and one touchdown on five carries, is progressing nicely is his first season as the starting quarterback.
“People think he's more of just a pocket passer than we've had in the past couple years, but he's pretty athletic,” Martell said. “He looked pretty good running the ball. The attention that Mana Tuioti gathers, it just kind of opened him up to run.”
The Irish – who start 11 seniors on offense and eight on defense – are quietly stacking victories. But the only team on their schedule currently ranked in the top 10 of the OSAAtoday coaches poll is No. 9 Sprague (4-0, 3-0), which plays host to Sheldon in the regular-season finale.
Can the Irish hang with teams such as the Three Rivers League powers and reigning champion Central Catholic?
“It's hard to tell,” Martell said. “We have such good experience, the problem is, the thing that a bunch of teams have up there that we don't have is the depth, especially on the line. We're just thin there.”
Shutout streak
Two years removed from finishing 2-6, Burns is looking like a potential contender in 3A.
The fifth-ranked Highlanders improved to 4-0 on Friday with their third consecutive shutout, throttling Lakeview 39-0 in a nonleague game. They held the Honkers to six total yards and two first downs, both of which resulted from penalties. Junior Coltin Miller and senior Easton Kemper had interceptions and junior Joe Weil blocked a punt.
Junior Tommy Winn had two of the team's five rushing touchdowns. Junior Jack Wright passed for 157 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to senior Canon Winn.
Burns has made steady progress in its three seasons under coach Matt Bruck, a former assistant under Terry Graham. The Highlanders have matched their win total from last season, when they finished 4-5 and finished second in Special District 4.
“The first year was rough. Last year was big-time improvement,” Bruck said. “This year we've definitely taken another several big steps forward. It helped returning a lot of guys who either started or split time playing.”
The defense, which replaced four starters with rotation players, has been outstanding in beating Sisters 20-0, Madras 39-0 and Lakeview the last three weeks. The unit features senior linebackers Kemper, Jaxon Hoyt and Kale Connell.
“They're physical and they fly around,” Bruck said.
Burns has a bye next week before opening Special District 6 play Oct. 4 at No. 1 Vale (4-0). The week off will give the Highlanders a chance to get some of their key players healthy.
“We're hoping to have our entire roster back,” Bruck said.
Other highlights from Week 3:
6A
Jesuit handed coach Ken Potter his state-record 353rd win by beating Oregon City 38-15. Dominic Locati rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Joe Stimpson rushed for 96 yards and one touchdown on nine carries, had six catches for 136 yards and one score and collected 90 return yards. … Ajani Ingram caught an 89-yard touchdown pass from Makana Brown in the fourth quarter to help South Medford overcome South Salem 30-20. … Sprague moved to 4-0 by blanking McNary 42-0. Kenya Johnson ran for two touchdowns, Dukatti Witherspoon passed for two scores and Ty Moseby returned a fumble for a touchdown. … Cole Hachmeister rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown for Tualatin, which defeated Sherwood 55-35. Nolan Keeney passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 45 yards. Calvin Evans scored touchdowns rushing and receiving. Logan Sunnell had two sacks and a fumble recovery. …
Westview ran over McKay 38-22 behind Heath Thompson, who rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. … Clackamas amassed 459 yards in defeating Sandy 34-31. Sandy's Mataio Olomua rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. … West Salem trailed McMinnville 14-12 at half before winning 38-28. Jacob Sanderson completed 13 of 15 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns and Koen Campos rushed for 214 yards and three scores on 16 carries. … Grants Pass dispatched North Salem 46-20 as Jordan Rossetta completed 10 of 21 passes for 155 yards and four touchdowns, two to Treyton Powers, who also rushed for 177 yards and one score on 29 carries. … Wells rushed for 459 yards in beating Lincoln 52-20. Wyatt Andler rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns and Spencer Reid ran for two scores. McDaniel's Tre'Marion Crawford had two touchdown catches and a scoring run. …
Lakeridge got a four-yard touchdown run from quarterback Drew Weiler with 29 seconds left to turn back Mountainside 27-20. Ansu Sanoe rushed for two scores for the Pacers. Mountainside's Jordan Hicks had 27 carries for 123 yards and caught a touchdown pass. … Central Catholic smothered Barlow 65-0 at D'Marieon Gates returned a kickoff and punt for touchdowns and ran for a score. James Wade also had a punt-return touchdown and Tyson Davis had two scoring runs. … Jefferson outlasted Franklin 28-21 in overtime. Franklin had a chance to win at the end of regulation but missed a 38-yard field goal attempt. Jefferson scored on the first series of overtime when Brave Johnson connected with EZ Cozart for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Lightning lost a fumble on its overtime series. … Grant got a 69-yard touchdown run from Camari Owens in the third quarter of a 9-0 win over Lincoln. … Nelson scored seven touchdowns in the first half – getting two touchdown runs apiece from Rowan Gandert and Corbin Crosslin – on its way to dropping Reynolds 63-13. Chaz Katoanga had an interception-return score.
5A
Wilsonville's Mark Wiepert completed 25 of 37 passes for 365 yards and seven touchdowns, two to Nick Crowley, in a 56-34 win over Sunset. Riddick Molitor scored touchdowns rushing and receiving and had two sacks. … Silverton turned back West Albany 44-34 as Daniel Kuenzi rushed for three touchdowns and Sawyer Teeney completed 18 of 22 passes for 225 yards and scores to Brody Kuenzi and Hudson Waples. … Summit picked up its first win, shrugging off a 6-3 halftime deficit to beat reigning 4A champion Henley 24-6. Andrew Guthrie passed and ran for touchdowns. … Dallas overwhelmed Beaverton 38-11 to improve to 3-0. Sean Ward had 12 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown, Hunter Rivers had four sacks and Jack Strange had two interceptions, returning one for a score. …
Corey Kimball and Carson Yraguen each rushed for 127 yards as Roseburg topped Crater 34-8. The Indians had 445 total yards. … Thurston, playing without starting quarterback Noah Blair (injury), brushed aside cross-town rival Springfield 39-7. Kyle Miller filled in for Blair and passed for 198 yards and three touchdowns, two to David Macdonald. Drayton Young returned a punt for a touchdown and had an interception. … Glencoe thumped rival Hillsboro 35-0 as Daniel Heninger rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Zach Bryan also ran for two scores for the Crimson Tide, who compiled 295 rushing yards. Aidan Beauchamp returned an interception for a touchdown. ... La Salle Prep's game at Putnam was canceled due to security concerns at the facility.
4A
Cascade bounced back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Tillamook 50-14, getting two touchdown passes and two scoring runs from Cade Coreson. … Tied at 20-20 after three quarters, Scappoose pulled away for a 47-26 win over Estacada, bolstered by an interception return for a touchdown by Quinton Olson. Scappoose quarterback Will Kessi, playing for injured starter Max Nowlin, completed 12 of 16 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown and ran for two scores. Estacada fought back after trailing 20-0. … Sweet Home, winless last season, improved to 3-0 by beating Milwaukie 27-7. Kayo Ebbs ran for two touchdowns. …Stayton improved to 4-0 by topping Gladstone 41-6. Hunter Mollerstrom rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Hudson Hughes completed 10 of 15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Kaden Arnold -- and ran for a score. ...
Parkrose's Jabri Smith threw four touchdown passes in a 34-13 win over St. Helens. … Caleb Russell completed 22 of 37 passes for 297 yards and six touchdowns – three to Rocco De La Rosa and two to CD Nuno (nine catches, 132 yards) – as Philomath defeated North Bend 43-20. … Marist Catholic bounced back from a loss to Henley to win at Seaside 35-7. Nick Hudson completed 18 of 26 passes for 219 yards and four touchdowns and Connor Harvey rushed for 104 yards and one score on 12 carries. ... Junction City's Josh Berry rushed for 231 yards and one touchdown on 39 carries to lead his team past Marshfield 26-22. Carter Franks had 10 carries for 81 yards and two scores. ... Ashland defeated Ontario 53-47, overcoming a stellar effort by Tigers quarterback Diego Rodriguez, who completed 31 of 48 passes for 490 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns with one interception.
3A
Top-ranked Vale stayed unbeaten by rolling over Baker 48-19 behind Kase Schaffeld, who ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns. Landon Haberman rushed for 105 yards and three scores for the Vikings, who racked up 481 rushing yards. Baker's Rasean Jones returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and had nine catches for 83 yards. … Kennedy held off Warrenton 10-8. Raul Vazquez made an interception in the end zone when the Warriors had fourth-and-three at the Kennedy 12-yard line in the final moments. Kennedy took a 10-8 lead on a 36-yard field goal by Josiah Martinez with 4:47 left. … Ryder Sawyer completed 14 of 18 passes for 243 and three touchdowns in Douglas' 41-0 win over Valley Catholic. Reese Willis had five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Connor Honn rushed for 78 yards and three scores on 13 carries. ... North Valley rushed for 359 yards, getting 264 from John Erkeneff and 80 from Hayden Taylor, to beat Hidden Valley 40-15. The Knights held the Mustangs to fewer than 200 total yards. ...
Madras ended a 10-game losing streak by stopping La Pine 28-13. Orion Reynoso rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and Gavin Williams had a touchdown catch and a punt return for a score for Madras, which overcame five turnovers. … David Logan rushed for 175 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries for South Umpqua, which downed Klamath Union 30-7. Klamath Union got to within 9-7 on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Reese Johnson to Anthony Weiser, but the Lancers sealed the win on a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown by Drew Camp in the last two minutes. … Sutherlin halted Phoenix 42-7 in a battle of unbeaten teams. Tucker Mack rushed for two touchdowns and more than 150 yards. Xavier Cafferata and Rylan Bryant returned fumbles for scores. ... McLoughlin ended a 24-game losing streak by defeating La Grande's JV 34-0. Randall Montgomery and Judah Elliot combined for four touchdowns.
2A
Hayden McMahon rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on six carries and Alakae Rodriguez ran for two scores as Heppner blasted Irrigon 44-6. … Gervais held Umatilla to minus-51 yards in a 57-0 win. Frank Ojeda threw two touchdown passes to Alex Kuznetsov and Johnny Mariano rushed for 153 yards and four scores on 16 carries. … Korben Schumacher propelled Regis past Monroe 59-26. He rushed for two touchdowns, threw for another and had an interception on defense. … Ty Hellenthal threw for two touchdowns and ran for two scores to lead Glide past Oakridge 46-6. Jayden Williams had a touchdown run, sack and interception and Ryker Ervin had to sacks. ... Maddox King rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns in Weston-McEwen's 47-30 victory over Gold Beach. ...
Enterprise subdued Grant Union 54-26. Tyler Knapp completed 27 of 42 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a score and had an interception on defense. Quentin Arellano caught five passes for 105 yards and four touchdowns. Pearce Schnetzky scored touchdowns returning an interception and fumble. ... Oakland handled Salem Academy 44-7 as Gabe Williamson ran for three touchdowns. Ryan Fullerton completed 6 of 10 passes for 186 yards, Corbin Hoover had two catches for 128 yards and Andrew McCurdy returned an interception 36 yards for a score. ... Israel Monkus rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and Jesus Arellano had two scoring runs for Stanfield, which downed Riverside 30-6. Stanfield forced six turnovers. ... Bandon's Reggie Turner rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries and passed for a score in a 50-16 win over Toledo. Bandon rushed for 378 yards.
1A-8
North Douglas' Hunter Vaughn – coming off a state-record performance last week (450 all-purpose yards in one quarter vs. Country Christian) – rushed for 301 yards and six touchdowns on 13 carries in a 58-30 win over Camas Valley. Jaycen Marois rushed for 102 yards and one score on eight carries for the Warriors, who led 52-0 at half. Camas Valley's Riley Wolfe passed for three touchdowns and ran for a score. … Crane handed Powder Valley its first defeat, winning 38-22. The Badgers' Tucker Martin excelled in defeat, running for two touchdowns and returning a kickoff for a score. …Nolan Cates had seven carries for 268 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 35-yard scoring pass as Dufur torched Chiloquin 80-36. ...
Crosspoint Christian routed Riddle 62-6, owning a 485-124 edge in total yards. Kody Sparks completed 7 of 10 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns – two to Treyton Johnson (three catches, 97 yards) – and ran for a score. Chris Kelly rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. … Carson Ramsay of Lyle (Wash.) turned in a stellar performance in a 44-36 loss to Waitsburg (Wash.). He rushed for 307 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries and had five catches for 57 yards and one score. … Jayden Churchill rushed for 85 yards and five touchdowns on nine carries and Ian Holmes returned an interception for a score to lift Yoncalla over Glendale 70-20.
1A-6
Prairie City/Burnt River led 50-0 at half in a 56-0 win over Dayville/Monument/Long Creek. Maison Teel rushed for 252 yards and six touchdowns on 12 carries and Carter Watterson had 132 yards and one score on 12 carries. … Eddyville Charter opened a 34-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised past Elkton 48-6. Darian Schultz passed for four touchdowns, three to Garrett Reed (135 receiving yards). Parker Crowe rushed for 106 yards and scored two touchdowns. … Keegan Stufflebeam was the catalyst for Days Creek's 41-37 win over Gilchrist. He passed for a touchdown and had five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, five carries for 77 yards and one score, two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Camden Stufflebeam passed for four touchdowns for Days Creek, which held on after leading 41-23. ... Kohlvin Wyse threw five touchdown passes, three to Kayden Smith, as Echo rolled past Ione/Arlington 52-0. Cole Ayers had an interception return for a score. ... Braden Bushnell completed 10 of 14 passes for 357 yards and six touchdowns to lead Powers past North Lake 66-19. Patrick Mahmoud had six catches for 292 yards and five touchdowns. Rene Sears rushed for two touchdowns and Jayce Shorb had to fumble recoveries, one returned for a score.
