Central Catholic has proven to be the class of 6A football in recent years, winning state championships in three of the last four postseasons.
This year, though, it's difficult to gauge where the undefeated Rams (10-0) stack up with the state's other elite programs. The only team they have played that is currently ranked in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll is No. 10 Nelson.
That changes Friday when fifth-seeded Central Catholic plays at No. 4 Lakeridge (7-2) in the quarterfinals of the 6A Open bracket.
“We're excited. It's a big challenge,” first-year Rams coach Charlie Landgraf said. “This is going to be our biggest test of the year.”
Central Catholic, which defeated No. 12 Wells 38-14 in a first-round game, will be leaning on a nucleus of players who helped lead last year's championship run.
Many of the Rams have proven that they can excel on the big stage. Junior running back Tyson Davis and senior receivers Landon Kelsey and D'Marieon Gates scored touchdowns in last year's state championship game. And Washington-bound senior tackle Zac Stascausky (6-7, 287) and senior lineman Kainoa Hayes (6-2, 290) helped the Rams control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“I think that leadership helps,” Landgraf said. “It's a senior class that's won a lot of football games, and they've played in a lot of big-time football games.”
Central Catholic hasn't been pushed to the limit all season, winning every game by at least 16 points. But the Rams believe that their high-intensity practices – in which the No. 1s often square off – give them an edge.
“There's a level of confidence that we get, knowing the competition we're going against each week,” Landgraf said. “We've got good-on-good a lot in practice. It's that iron-sharpens-iron mentality that we talk about. The guys take a lot of pride in that.”
The Rams, who beat Lakeridge 42-6 in a quarterfinal last year at Hillsboro Stadium, are very familiar with the Pacers. Lakeridge, which features Washington-bound junior running back Ansu Sanoe (540 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) and a dual-threat quarterback in junior Drew Weiler (1,933 passing yards, 18 touchdowns), has lost only to No. 1 Lake Oswego and No. 2 West Linn.
“They've got all of our attention,” Landgraf said. “Big up front, they've got a really good running back, a quarterback that makes a lot of plays. Defensively, they've got some athletic guys. They're stout in the run game and they pursue the football really well. We've got our hands full.”
In the first round, Central Catholic had its issues in defending Wells' wing-T offense. The Guardians were able to move the chains and eat up clock, but the Rams came up big in key moments.
“There's a ton of stuff that we can clean up,” Landgraf said. “That wing-T is tough to stop, and I think Wells runs it better than anyone else I've seen. For us to hold them to 14 points, we felt really good about it.”
The Rams played the game without Davis, who was out with a shoulder injury and is questionable for Friday's game. Senior Ty Newbury stepped in and ran for two touchdowns.
The 6-1, 206-pound Davis, who rushed for a team-high 651 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, is key to Central Catholic's running attack.
“He's a big back, and he's not going to go down on first contact,” Landgraf said.
For Central Catholic to win, it will need another steady performance from junior quarterback Robbie Long, who has passed for 1,703 yards and 22 touchdowns with two interceptions this season. Long has had a solid year in replacing star quarterback Cru Newman, a three-year starter.
“We're going to need him to be at his best Friday,” Landgraf said. “The big thing going into this year was letting him know, 'You don't need to be a Cru Newman, just be yourself, and we've got a ton of weapons and a really good offensive line.' Robbie's done a really good job of being that point guard.”
A look at other intriguing quarterfinal match-ups:
Friday
6A Open
No. 8 Mountainside (8-2) at No. 1 Lake Oswego (9-0), 7 p.m.: It's been a breakthrough year for Mountainside, which beat Jesuit and won the Metro League title, first-time accomplishments. Now, the Mavericks can make the semifinals for the first time ever. But they must deal with Lakers junior running back LaMarcus Bell, who has rushed for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns.
6A Championship
No. 18 West Salem (6-4) at No. 15 Jesuit (8-2), 7 p.m.: Jesuit isn't playing for the big prize for the first postseason since 1990, but the Crusaders might be the team to beat in the secondary bracket. Since a 1-3 start, West Salem has won five of its last six games, led by junior running back Koen Campos, who had 20 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-23 first-round win over Westview.
5A
No. 5 Wilsonville (8-2) at No. 4 Churchill (9-1), 7 p.m.: Injuries have mounted for Churchill, which lost star senior running back Ceville Pasi (1,604 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns) to a cracked scapula in the regular-season finale and all-conference guard Tyler Howe (ACL) and tackle Ethan Vang (concussion) in last week's win over Central. Junior Lukas Babbitt filled in for Pasi and ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Churchill's defense, which had five interceptions last week, must deal with Wilsonville's dynamic combination of quarterback Mark Wiepert (3,092 passing yards, 45 touchdowns) and receiver Nick Crowley (1,021 yards, 18 touchdowns).
4A
No. 13 Tillamook (6-4) at No. 5 Scappoose (9-1), 7 p.m.: The Cowapa League rivals meet with a semifinal berth on the line. Last year, Tillamook won at Scappoose 46-29, handing the Indians their only regular-season loss. This year, Scappoose won at Tillamook 46-27 in a game that ultimately decided the league title. The Cheesemakers are coming off a 20-17 win at previously unbeaten and fourth-seeded Crook County.
3A
No. 7 Cascade Christian (7-3) at No. 2 Banks (9-0), 6 p.m.: A rematch of last year's state championship game, won by Cascade Christian 34-24. The Challengers ran their winning streak to six last week with a 57-7 rout of Yamhill-Carlton, which lost to Banks 43-18 on Oct. 18. Cascade Christian's losses have come against teams with a combined record of 28-1.
2A
No. 5 St. Paul (10-0) at No. 4 Culver (10-0), 7 p.m.: Culver, which went 3-6 last season, has reached double-digit wins for the first time since 2008, when the Bulldogs last made the semifinals. St. Paul, which moved from 1A-8 to 2A this year, can make the final four for the seventh consecutive postseason. The Buckaroos haven't won a title since 2010, though.
Saturday
1A-8
No. 6 Dufur (9-1) vs. No. 3 North Douglas (9-0) at Sutherlin HS, 1 p.m.: North Douglas, which has never won a title, has a dynamic weapon in junior Hunter Vaughn, who has rushed for 2,114 yards and 36 touchdowns (25.8 yards per carry), racking up 50 total touchdowns. But Dufur, 2-7 last year, also has a star in senior Nolan Cates, a transfer from 4A The Dalles who has rushed for 1,523 yards and 23 scores.
1A-6
No. 6 Prairie City/Burnt River (8-2) vs. No. 3 Eddyville Charter (8-1) at Toledo HS, 1 p.m.: Prairie City/Burnt River is coming off an offensive explosion in an 89-22 first-round win over Falls City as Maison Teel rushed for 371 yards and five touchdowns, caught a scoring pass and passed for a score. Eddyville has had two weeks to recover from suffering its first loss, a 51-6 throttling at the hands of top-seeded Powers.
