WEST LINN – With a chance to knock off No. 1 West Linn, Lake Oswego's LaMarcus Bell wasn't going to be denied Friday night.
The junior running back was the cataylst for an 89-yard, go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter, capping it with a 10-yard touchdown run with 5:41 remaining. And after a turnover, he helped the No. 3 Lakers run out the clock to seal a 21-17 win in a 6A Three Rivers League football showdown between unbeaten teams.
Bell finished with 197 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries against a defense that was coming off three consecutive shutouts. Last week, West Linn smothered Washington-bound Lakeridge senior running back Ansu Sanoe, holding him to 26 yards on 15 carries.
“It was just grit,” Bell said. “LO 48. We stand by it all day, all practice, all week. We play 48 minutes, non-stop. We were down pretty bad and LO 48 was always in our mind, always been in our mind and always will be in our mind.”
Lake Oswego hadn't beaten West Linn since 2019, when a Casey Filkins-led team won on the Lions' field 20-17. This time, it was another standout tailback showing the way.
“He's got big heart,” Lakers coach Steve Coury said of the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Bell. “He's physical. He was going to get first downs. Our offensive line did a great job, too. … He runs so physical, and gets that extra yard or two. He breaks through tackles. You can't arm-tackle him.”
In a game marked by missed opportunities by both teams, West Linn (6-1, 2-1) held the upper hand for the first three quarters. Lions senior quarterback Baird Gilroy threw two touchdown passes to senior Danny Wideman – from 12 yards in the second quarter and 24 yards in the third quarter – for a 17-7 lead.
But Lake Oswego (7-0, 3-0) owned the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Hudson Kurland scrambled and found senior Jake Drakalovich for a 48-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-14 with 11:34 left, giving the Lakers a jolt.
“It gave us a feeling of, oh yeah, we're back in this,” Bell said. “We were feeling like we had a chance to lose, and that play, we got back in it.”
The Lakers started their next possession at their own 11-yard line. Bell ran for 28 yards on the first play and had five carries for 66 yards on the march, running for a 10-yard score. He gained much of his yardage on the right side behind senior Amin Alshaati and junior Jackson Graetz.
“Honestly, my line, they put in so much work, I'm not surprised at all,” Bell said of his success.
Bell hit the hole quickly and punished defenders, racking up yards after contact.
“He can't be stopped,” Kurland said. “That boy's amazing. Best backfield in the state, best O-line in the state.”
Lions coach Jon Eagle tipped his cap to Bell.
“For a guy that plays two ways, and ran the ball like that in the fourth quarter, I'm impressed,” Eagle said. “I'm very impressed.”
West Linn reached the Lake Oswego 41 on its last drive, but on third-and-6, Lakers senior Liam Davis made a sliding interception of a long Gilroy pass intended for senior Kevin Benson with 3:15 remaining. The Lakers gained two first downs to run out the clock, the first one by Bell and the second one a seven-yard keeper by Kurland.
“We just never lost hope,” Kurland said. “We stayed up, we got excited. We had a couple plays that kept us up. … Super rocky first half. I was missing throws. Defense kept us in it.”
It wasn't long ago that Lake Oswego was the team to beat in the TRL. In the last decade, the balance of power has shifted toward West Linn, which defeated the Lakers by an average of 34.0 points in the last four meetings.
“This wins means a lot,” Kurland said. “They're a great team, one of the greatest teams in Oregon. We haven't beat them in a long time. This one just felt amazing, even to beat them at home. That was the icing on the cake, was beating them here at The Den.”
The Lakers have a healthy respect for the Lions, who had won 16 consecutive league games.
“They're really good,” Coury said. “That's what I feel most great about is we beat a really good team. They're just well-coached. We'll see them again if we're lucky. They'll be there in the end. They're that good.”
The win means that Lake Oswego stands alone in first place ahead of West Linn and No. 4 Lakeridge (6-1, 2-1), which won 33-22 over No. 5 Tualatin (5-2, 1-2) on Friday.
“It means a lot, but there's still more to come,” Drakalovich said. “We want to go undefeated. We want that ring.”
West Linn led 10-0 on a 30-yard field goal from senior Zander Morris and Wideman's first scoring catch. Lake Oswego made it 10-7 midway through the second quarter on a 31-yard interception return by junior Hudson Gasperson, his first of two interceptions.
The Lions had a chance to extend the lead late in the second quarter, but on fourth-and-goal at the Lake Oswego 1, Gilroy was stopped short by Bell and senior linebacker Riley Van Deusen.
Gilroy – who passed for 18 touchdowns with three interceptions through six games – struggled against the Lakers. He completed 14 of 32 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions.
Wideman had six catches for 106 yards and the two scores, but he lamented how the offense failed to capitalize on opportunities.
“The offense played pretty bad,” Wideman said. “The defense has been bailing us out all year, so the offense has to be a lot better.”
The Lions took the loss hard.
“It definitely hurts,” Wideman said. “I think we kind of needed a loss. Last year our only loss was in the semifinals. The year before that, we lost early in the year and we won the state championship. I feel like a loss was kind of needed.”
West Linn had a 204-115 edge in total yards in the first half, but Lake Oswego outgained the Lions 221-102 in the second half. The Lakers rushed for 236 of their 336 yards, getting 39 yards on 11 carries from Kurland, who completed 8 of 18 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown.
