Landon Kelsey has made his name as a receiver at Central Catholic, helping lead the Rams to the 6A football title last year and earning a scholarship to Eastern Washington.

But the 6-foot-4, 197-pound senior showed Friday that he can be a weapon on the other side of the ball, too.

With the No. 3 Rams struggling on offense in a key Mt. Hood Conference game against No. 9 Nelson at Hillsboro Stadium, Kelsey shined in his debut at safety, returning interceptions 35 and 97 yards for touchdowns in the second half as Central Catholic (6-0, 4-0) pulled away for a 37-12 win.

“We just felt that with his size and athleticism, and he's such a smart football player, we really need to get him some more snaps on defense,” Rams coach Charlie Landgraf said. “It speaks volumes to the type of football player he is, and what a great athlete he is. He's a gamer. He'll definitely be a big part of our defense moving forward.”

Kelsey also ran 47 yards on a fake punt on fourth-and-20 late in the second quarter, setting up a 17-yard touchdown pass from junior Robbie Long to senior D'Marieon Gates that put Central Catholic ahead 14-12 at half.

On the 97-yard interception return, Kelsey came over the top to snag a long pass by Nelson senior Avirey Durdahl, then followed his blockers up the field into the end zone.

“That's the skill set he brings,” Landgraf said. “He's a long, rangy athlete, so he's able to cover a lot of ground quickly. He impacted the game in every phase.”

Central Catholic needed the defense to come through on a night when the offense struggled. Aside from the fake punt, the Rams' offense mustered only 137 total yards against the Hawks (4-2, 3-1).

“We never felt like we were able to get into a rhythm,” Landgraf said.

The defense applied the heat on Durdahl, who was coming off a 514-yard, six-touchdown game against Sandy. The defensive line – led by seniors Kainoa Hayes and Zac Stascausky and sophomore Nate Peau – got a consistently strong push. Junior edge Donnie Vercher and senior inside linebacker Ty Newbury also brought pressure.

Landgraf said it was a vast improvement from when the Rams gave up 303 passing yards and four touchdown passes in a 54-28 win over Clackamas in Week 4.

“The biggest thing is he was running around,” Landgraf said of Durdahl. “Getting the quarterback off his spot, that was big for us.”

Wells 'hitting stride'

Reigning Portland Interscholastic League champion Wells has bounced back from opening with nonleague losses to Clackamas and Dallas with four consecutive league wins.

The Guardians (4-2, 4-0) rolled to a 44-21 win at Grant (1-5, 1-2) on Thursday, extending their PIL winning streak to 14. They rushed for 268 yards, mostly in the first half, behind seniors Cam Hammer (10 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown) and Wyatt Andler (13 carries, 72 yards, three touchdowns). Hammer also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior Spencer Reid.

“It's definitely been a bit of a turnaround since Week 1 and 2,” Wells interim coach Robby Scharf said. “We're definitely starting to hit our stride. I've coached teams that have peaked early and peaked at the right moment, and I think we're peaking at the right moment.”

Scharf sensed a change after a 41-22 loss to Dallas (6-0), which is ranked No. 4 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll.

“After the Dallas week, we really started to preach mental toughness,” Scharf said. “The kids have really taken it to heart. There's a grittiness to our kids in the last couple weeks, especially against Roosevelt and Grant, that wasn't there in the first two weeks.”

The Guardians are averaging 332.2 rushing yards per game with their power-T offense, a variation of the wing-T. For the season, they have 287 carries and 21 pass attempts, scoring 23 of their 26 touchdowns on the ground.

The 5-10, 200-pound Andler, who rushed for 1,070 yards in 2023, has run for a league-high 809 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hammer (5-10, 165), playing his first season of football, has rushed for 645 yards and six scores.

“Thunder and lightning is definitely an accurate description,” Scharf said. “Hammer has a level of speed that we haven't had in many years. Andler will run through people and not feel it.”

Hammer, who plays baseball and basketball, broke out last week by rushing for 289 yards in a 50-21 win at Franklin. He showed his versatility against Grant by catching two passes for 73 yards.

Scharf replaced Keith Bennett, who stepped down as head coach in early August but has remained on the staff as the defensive coordinator. Scharf joined the Wells staff in 2020 and by last season was sharing many of the head-coaching duties with Bennett.

“Being a head coach is something I've always wanted to do, so he was more than happy to kind of show me the ropes,” Scharf said.

Wells plans to hire a permanent coach after the season.

'Gritty' Olympians

No. 7 Sprague stayed unbeaten Thursday by coming from behind in the second half to turn back visiting South Medford 28-24 in a 6A Special District 1 game.

It was an unfamiliar position for the Olympians (7-0, 6-0) had won their previous three games by a combined score of 146-7. They entered averaging 45.3 points per game.

“They played with great resolve,” Sprague coach AJ Robinson said. “It was a gritty performance. It was good for us to have that experience and have our backs against the wall a little bit. It was something we haven't shown before. Our kids showed they can get it done when it counts, which is a big cultural step for them.”

Trailing 24-16 in the fourth quarter, the Olympians drove 97 yards to score on seven-yard pass from senior Dukatti Witherspoon to senior Kenya Johnson with 5:49 remaining. Their two-point pass attempt failed, keeping the score at 24-22.

After a holding call nullified a South Medford first down, the Panthers punted it back to Sprague with 3:39 left. On third-and-12, Witherspoon connected with senior Trayton Futi for a 42-yard pass to the South Medford 31-yard line.

“He did a great job creating separation,” Robinson said of Futi.

Johnson scored on a 13-yard run to put the Olympians ahead 28-24 with about 1:30 to go. South Medford started its final possession at its own 42-yard line, but after a sack, junior quarterback Makana Brown's heave downfield was intercepted by Futi.

Other than his touchdowns rushing and receiving, Johnson also recorded a safety on defense when he tackled a runner in the end zone. Witherspoon passed and ran for scores, and junior Carter Lovell ran 57 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt.

It was a tough loss for South Medford (3-3, 3-2). The Panthers lamented their missed opportunities – settling for an 18-yard field goal after driving to the Sprague 1-yard line at the end of the first half and failing to eat up the clock while holding a 24-22 lead in the final minutes.

The holding penalty loomed large, according to South Medford coach Bill Singler.

“If we make that first down, who knows, maybe we can run that clock down and force them to use their timeouts and change field position to make them have to go a longer distance,” Singler told the Rogue Valley Times. “A lot of things could happen but it didn’t go our way, and that was a tough one.”

Summit spark

The return of junior receiver and defensive back Connor Conneely has been integral in Summit rebounding from an 0-3 start to even its record at 3-3.

Conneely, who suffered a dislocated elbow during daily doubles and missed the first four games, has had two impactful performances since returning to the lineup.

One week after catching two touchdown passes in a 24-17 win at Ridgeview, he had two interceptions and returned a fumble 70 yards to set up a score as the Storm (3-3, 2-0) rolled to a 21-6 home win over fourth-ranked and previously unbeaten Bend (5-1, 1-1) in a 5A Intermountain Conference game Friday. It was his first full game at safety after moving over from cornerback.

“We taught him at Ridgeview at halftime,” coach Corben Hyatt said. “He's been playing phenomenal the last two weeks. It's been huge to get him back. He's one of our best all-around players.”

Conneely was part of a defensive effort that stuffed Bend. The Lava Bears managed only 47 rushing yards on 37 carries and finished with 102 total yards. Summit forced four turnovers.

Senior linebacker Sawyer Crocker recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Junior defensive tackle Kellen Elliott caused three fumbles and senior defensive end Alex Nevarov hounded the Lava Bears all game.

“He probably had his best game as a varsity player for us,” Hyatt said of the 6-4, 210-pound Nevarov. “He put pressure on things.”

Summit's .500 record is misleading considering the team's schedule. The Storm opened by losing to 5A No. 2 Silverton 35-12, reigning Idaho champion Highland 28-19 and 5A No. 1 Wilsonville 34-7 before beating 4A No. 3 Henley 24-6, Ridgeview and Bend. Summit's opponents have a combined record of 22-4, not counting the games against the Storm.

Hyatt believes the schedule had his team ready to face Bend.

“We've faced great opponents, and I wasn't sure how Bend might react to being in a tight game,” Hyatt said. “They've been playing so well but they haven't faced the opponents that we have.”

The Storm is building momentum for the stretch run after a difficult start to the season.

“I wasn't sure how they would react to that,” Hyatt said of his players. “I think we're finally starting to come together. We're still not a finished product. I wish offensively we were a little bit more consistent, but our defense is starting to play the style of football that we're accustomed to.”

Adrian dominates 1A-8 showdown

Adrian, ranked No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 1A-8 coaches poll, continued its season-long dominance Friday with its most impressive win of the season, defeating No. 2 Crane 36-14 with first place in Special District 2 on the line.

Senior Colten Bayes rushed for three touchdowns and senior Rance Jordan had two scoring runs for the Antelopes (7-0, 4-0), who pulled away in the second half after the Mustangs (5-2, 4-1) had come back to tie at 14-14.

“Our offensive line executed so well in the second half,” Adrian coach Bill Wortman said. “We struggled a little bit in the first half to put some points on the board. We responded really well. Our two senior running backs did a great job.”

Adrian controlled the line of scrimmage with junior center Tyler Mundlin, sophomore guard Braysen Jordan, freshman guard Juan Rico and junior ends Chase Franklin and Brooks Martin.

The 6-1, 180-pound Bayes, who also grabbed his ninth interception of the season, is having a big year. He added about 15 pounds of muscle and improved his speed, clocking 4.65 in the 40 last week.

“He's a great player,” Wortman said. “He's grown so much since last year. He's all muscle. He's quick, and if he gets out in front, he's pretty hard to catch.”

Adrian has outscored its opponents 400-78 this season. Are the Antelopes on the level of their unbeaten 2014, 2019 and 2021 state championship teams?

“It's hard to compare teams just because we're so different,” Wortman said. “This team is more like our 2014 team where we just have a really physical defense, and we also run the ball really well out of tight formations. In 2019 and 2021, we had so much speed, we just spread it out.”

Other highlights in Week 6:

6A

No. 1 West Linn posted its third consecutive shutout and fourth in five games, blanking No. 4 Lakeridge 13-0. The Lions got two touchdown passes from Baird Gilroy and interceptions in end zone by sophomores Shane Peters and Josiah Molden. … Sandy thumped Gresham 61-21, opening a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Caden McMahon rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns on five carries and Mataio Olomua had 11 carries for 105 yards and two scores. Gracyn Fitch caught four passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. … Lincoln has posted back-to-back shutouts after blanking McDaniel 44-0. Liam Eldridge rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, Finn Davies completed 2 of 4 passes for 65 yards and two scores and the Cardinals collected three interceptions, two by Blake Timothy. … Ethan Hein had an 83-yard touchdown run in Newberg's 24-21 victory over McMinnville. …

Franklin picked up its first win, stopping Cleveland 47-28. King Solomon Hamilton completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns, three to Cash Landau (four catches, 108 yards). Jay Sayre rushed for 119 yards on 15 carries and returned an interception 10 yards for a score. … Sherwood got two touchdown runs each from Jackson Bell and Wilson Medina in dropping Century 43-7. Bell completed all eight of his passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. … Jordan Rossetta completed 23 of 40 passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns – two each to Isaac Johnson and Brevik Hill – to propel Grants Pass past Liberty 52-28. …North Medford held McNary to minus-23 total yards in a 37-0 win. Traeger Healy passed and ran for touchdowns. …

Sheldon stayed unbeaten by blitzing South Salem 66-13. Mana Tuioti rushed for four touchdowns and had an interception. … Westview rallied from a 28-7, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Sunset 35-28 in overtime. Heath Thompson had touchdown runs of 43, 46 and 1 yard in the fourth quarter, and added a five-yard scoring run in overtime. Thompson finished with 154 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. Peyton Read had nine catches for 113 yards for Westview. ... Nolan Keeney completed 11 of 17 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards in Tualatin's 38-6 win over Oregon City. ... West Salem led 33-0 at half and defeated North Salem 36-7. Koen Campos rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and Jacob Sanderson completed 14 of 19 passes for 146 yards and one score.

5A

Wilsonville's Mark Wiepert completed 25 of 31 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns, three to Nick Crowley, in a 42-6 win over Canby. Keona Tam had a touchdown catch and an interception. … Noah Blair passed for five touchdowns – two each to Matt Newell and David Macdonald -- and ran for another as Thurston defeated Crater 52-31. Crater's Valentin Rodriguez had 37 carries for 189 yards and two touchdowns. … Hillsboro handed Hood River Valley its first defeat, winning 28-14. Emmett Curl threw a touchdown pass and ran for a 45-yard score and Sorne Olson turned a bad punt snap into a 66-yard touchdown run. Hood River Valley's Davis Parr completed 16 of 32 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns, one to Davin Snyder (six catches, 100 yards). …

Ceville Pasi rushed for 159 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries to propel Churchill past North Eugene 34-0. … Mountain View held Redmond to 56 total yards and six first downs in winning 43-0. Mason Chambers completed 15 of 22 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns and Ryder Carpenter rushed for 112 yards and two scores on nine carries. ... Eli Hess completed 10 of 17 passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns – two to Jack Strange – to lead unbeaten Dallas past Crescent Valley 55-12. Sean Ward rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries and Hunter Rivers had two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. …

Maveryck Akers ran for 150 yards and five touchdowns as unbeaten Willamette downed Roseburg 41-21. Brody Robinson and Dylan Freeman had interceptions and Tony Cumberland had a fumble recovery. … Glencoe's Daniel Heninger rushed for 315 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries as the Crimson Tide turned back Forest Grove 35-20. Forest Grove's Nolan Hudgins completed 29 of 39 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Miguel Quijas had seven catches for 103 yards for the Vikings. ... Tyler Hart-McNally rushed for 160 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown on the game's first play, to lead West Albany past Corvallis 36-6. Craig Maynard returned a kickoff for a score. ... La Salle Prep rolled over Centennial 45-6. Mason Mueller rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries and caught a scoring pass.

4A

Philomath stayed unbeaten by drilling Stayton 49-14. Caleb Russell completed 24 of 30 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Rocco De La Rosa had eight catches for 153 yards and two scores for the Warriors, who had 439 total yards. … Cascade routed Junction City 40-6 as Cade Coreson completed 12 of 14 passes for 284 yards and one touchdown. Josiah Hawkins had three catches for 103 yards and one touchdown, ran for a score and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Matthew Hinkle had four catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns and Carter Condon rushed for 114 yards and one score on 13 carries. … Gladstone rolled 35-6 at The Dalles behind Colton Kowalski, who rushed for 306 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries, giving him seven scores in the last two games. Garrett Steyskal returned a fumble for a touchdown. …Molalla's Mason King rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries and completed 6 of 12 passes for 112 yards and one score to push his team past Parkrose 30-12. ...

Scappoose overwhelmed rival St. Helens 46-0 as Max Nowlin completed all 11 of his passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns, two to Jayden Smith (two catches, 86 yards). … Marshfield got its first win, topping Ashland 41-33. Elijah Fox ran for touchdowns of 18, 43 and 65 yards and Hadyn Widdicombe caught two touchdown passes and ran for a score. Ashland's Jojo Harrower passed for four touchdowns, two to Oscar Hernandez. … La Grande ran away from Baker 43-6 as Landon Hood rushed for three touchdowns and Savonn Chab had two rushing scores. … Tillamook beat Astoria 40-6 as Kevin Hurliman completed 10 of 16 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns and Ashtyn Irwin ran for three scores. Griffyn Boomer had two catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. ... Ryder Jackson rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and had two catches for 103 yards and one score for Seaside, which downed Milwaukie 42-15. Zayden Anderson completed 5 of 8 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns.

3A

In a battle of unbeaten teams, Siuslaw overcame a 14-0 deficit to dispatch Douglas 38-30. Will Johnson ran for two touchdowns and Micah Blankenship passed and ran for scores. … Nyssa broke from a scoreless tie at half to beat Umatilla 22-0. Julian Rios had 12 carries for 90 yards and one touchdown and Jose Neri caught a 26-yard scoring pass for Nyssa, which held Umatilla to 121 yards. …. Warrenton rushed for 311 yards in topping Rainier 50-0. Ryder Sturgell rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries and Brayden Greenawald had 10 carries for 92 yards and three scores. … Caleb Scaglione had four catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score for Cascade Christian, which dropped Phoenix 42-7. Deryk Farmer completed 11 of 18 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score. …Dayton rushed for 372 yards in beating Scio 45-8. Asher Maxwell rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and Stephen Macias had 13 carries for 104 yards. ...

John Erkeneff rushed for three touchdowns for North Valley, which led 41-0 at half and beat St. Mary's 54-3. Davis Jones of St. Mary's kicked a 42-yard field goal. … Sutherlin outscored Brookings-Harbor 23-0 in the second half to win 37-13. The Bulldogs rushed for 285 of their 416 yards as Tauj Flora (14 carries, 113 yards, two touchdowns) and Tucker Mack (13 carries, 102 yards, two touchdowns) eclipsed the century mark. Travis Ragon booted a 41-yard field goal. … Banks built a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised past Kennedy 40-7. Lane Gilbert ran for two touchdowns and Jarrett Martin had an 80-yard scoring run in the win. … Ezra James completed 19 of 20 passes for 268 yards and five touchdowns in Taft's 42-0 win over Willamina. Kol Tolan had seven catches for 136 yards and one score. Willamina had minus-27 total yards. …Zaryk Winters rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and had two interceptions for Lakeview, which subdued Klamath Union 29-15. Reese Johnson completed 20 of 37 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions for Klamath Union.

2A

St. Paul remained unbeaten by routing Waldport 38-8. Grady Wolf completed all 10 of his passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Clay Smith had 10 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 70 yards. … Heppner forced three turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown by Alakae Rodriguez, in beating Weston-McEwen 20-0. … Tyler Knapp completed 18 of 28 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 68 yards and one score on 12 carries to lead Enterprise past Irrigon 52-16. Isaac Bedard had nine catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. Irrigon's Mason Harrison rushed for 159 yards and one touchdown and threw for a score. …

Ezra Chouinard and Andrew McCurdy returned an interception and fumble, respectively, for touchdowns, to help Oakland take out Illinois Valley 44-0. Gabe Williamson had five carries for 96 yards and one touchdown and Kellan Sabo caught three passes for 94 yards and one score. … Ty Hellenthal passed for 266 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two scores for Glide, which defeated Rogue River 46-7. Caden Cox had two catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. … Lost River rushed for 236 yards in beating Oakridge 46-0. Noah O'Neil ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries and Kayden Hartman ran for 99 yards and one score on eight carries. Kyle Diaz threw two touchdown passes to Kellen Dunlea.

1A-8

North Douglas' Hunter Vaughn rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries – becoming the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,341 yards – to lead an 88-21 win over Yoncalla. Vaughn racked up 445 all-purpose yards, returning a kickoff (71 yards), interception (82 yards) and fumble (86 yards) for touchdowns. … Perrydale turned back Pilot Rock/Ukiah 30-20, overcoming three touchdown passes by the Rockets' Carter VanHouten. … Riley Wolfe had three carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Camas Valley's 46-14 win over Glendale. Camas Valley rushed for 295 yards. …

Carson Ramsay of Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat/Glenwood rushed for 368 yards and six touchdowns and caught four passes for 126 yards and three scores to help beat Country Christian 92-26. … Dufur scuttled Sherman/Condon 50-14 behind Nolan Cates, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, caught four passes for 85 yards and two scores and returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown. Gavin Anderson completed 7 of 12 passes for 180 yards and three scores. .. Undefeated Crosspoint Christian throttled Prospect Charter/Butte Falls 46-16, owning a 436-15 edge in total yards. Kody Sparks completed 7 of 9 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, all to Treyton Johnston (five catches, 124 yards). Sparks also had an interception on defense.

1A-6

Prairie City/Burnt River defeated Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler 80-0 as Sawyer Quinton passed for 227 yards and five touchdowns, two each to JW Haskins and Colby Alderton. Carter Watterson ran for three touchdowns and had an interception. Kingdon Mitchell-Kirby had four sacks and a forced fumble. … Days Creek defeated Crow 52-32 behind Keegan Stufflebeam, who completed 6 of 12 passes for 197 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. On defense, Stufflebeam had an 81-yard fumble return for a touchdown to go along with 14 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a sack. Trenton Ladd and Joseph Young each caught two touchdown passes and Paydyn Borg returned an interception for a score. …Powers opened a 48-0 lead at half and defeated Elkton 55-12. Braden Bushnell tossed five touchdown passes, two each to Patrick Mahmoud and Talon Blanton. Mahmoud also had a 66-yard punt return score. ...

Gavin Hinchberger rushed for 327 yards and six touchdowns on 13 carries and had two sacks for Alsea, which thumped CS Lewis Academy 58-25. Chris Foster had 14 carries for 131 yards and one touchdown and Tanner Hibbs had four catches for 109 yards and two scores and an interception on defense. ... Echo thumped Dayville/Monument/Long Creek 51-6 behind Kohlvin Wyse, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score. ... Eddyville Charter ran its record to 6-0 by handling Triangle Lake 56-20. Darian Schultz passed for 323 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 25 for the season. Parker Crowe had 105 rushing yards (one touchdown), 140 receiving yards (two touchdowns) and 63 passing yards (two touchdowns). Garrett Reed had 133 receiving yards and a scoring catch. ... South Wasco County dominated Ione/Arlington 52-13. Gavin Hagen had seven carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns, caught a touchdown passes and returned a kickoff 74 yards for a score. Storm McCoy completed 7 of 13 passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns, two to George Barnett (four catches, 66 yards).