Reigning 5A football champion Wilsonville has had one month to stew about a disastrous second half in a 45-27 loss at Silverton in Week 7, a defeat that cost the Wildcats the Special District 2 title.
“We kind of imploded,” coach Adam Guenther said.
Fortunately for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (9-2), they get an opportunity to acquit themselves when they meet the No. 1 Foxes (10-1) in a 5A semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday at McMinnville High School.
“I had a gut feeling. I think we all thought we would see them again,” Guenther said. “We were just hoping we'd be on the other side of the bracket so we'd be doing this next week. But you've got to play them all at some point.”
On Oct. 18 at Silverton, Wilsonville led 20-14 at half. But the Foxes dominated play after the break, scoring 31 consecutive points to take over first place in SD2.
Silverton senior quarterback Sawyer Teeney completed 18 of 26 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns, two each to seniors Daniel Kuenzi and Hudson Waples. He outdueled Wilsonville senior quarterback Mark Wiepert, who threw three touchdown passes in the first half but struggled to finish 17 of 41 for 365 yards and four scores.
Teeney has passed for 2,467 yards and 30 touchdowns and run for 535 yards and 12 scores this season, his only interception coming on a pass that deflected off a receiver's hands in the first game. He made a lasting impression on Guenther.
“He controls his offense,” Guenther said of Teeney, a third-year starter. “He sees the field really, really well. That only comes with experience. One play against us, he had like eight seconds to throw because he's so elusive.”
Wiepert, who has passed for 3,270 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushed for six scores, was under a steady pass rush in the second half against Silverton. It didn't help that the Wildcats hurt themselves with penalties and turnovers.
Foxes coach Dan Lever said his defense began to execute in the second half after getting burned in the first half.
“It was one of those I-told-you-so kind of halftime moments,” Lever said. “We settled in and played a lot better. That first half, there were a lot of plays for us that were a foot away, a catch away, a block away. We kind of got those in the second half.”
Silverton has operated at high efficiency in the playoffs, beating La Salle Prep 52-0 and opening a 29-0 halftime lead over Summit in a 36-23 quarterfinal win.
“We're playing pretty clean football,” Lever said. “We feel like we're hitting our stride. We're the healthiest we've been. Our first playoff game was the first time our offensive line had been back together for four weeks. It makes a difference.”
Wilsonville is hopeful that the emergence of junior running back Roman Kealoha will help keep the heat off Wiepert. Kealoha, who injured his hamstring in the team's jamboree and was slowed for much of the season, broke out in a 34-6 quarterfinal win at No. 4 Churchill by rushing for a season-high 180 yards and three touchdowns.
“We've been waiting for him to run,” Guenther said. “He's been a little tentative. We've been missing his explosiveness and ability to cut. He just didn't have that explosiveness, until last week. He turned it on. He's a special talent.”
The Foxes have taken note of Kealoha.
“We're hoping that we're ready for that,” said Lever, noting that Silverton already has faced top running backs such as Lake Oswego junior LaMarcus Bell and Mountainside junior Jordan Hicks.
Silverton also must deal with Wildcats senior receiver Nick Crowley, who has 72 catches for 1,278 yards and 23 touchdowns, including three against the Foxes. Crowley is the only four-year starter in Guenther's 15-year tenure at Wilsonville.
“You can't guard him one-on-one,” Guenther said. “You've got to put two guys on him, otherwise he's going to tear it up.”
The combination of Wiepert, Crowley and Kealoha is potent.
“It's tough to say what you should stop,” Guenther said.
Wilsonville is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. Silverton, the 2021 champion, lost in the semifinals last year to Mountain View.
“They're an incredible team,” Guenther said of the Foxes, who have lost only to 6A No. 1 Lake Oswego. “Our guys feel like we can play with them. When you've got two teams like this, it's a championship-caliber game.”
The winner will face either No. 2 Mountain View or No. 6 West Albany in the final.
A look at the other semifinal games:
Friday
6A Open
No. 5 Central Catholic (11-0) vs. No. 1 Lake Oswego (10-0) at Hillsboro Stadium, 7 p.m.: The Lakers are bidding to make the final for the first time since 2019, when they lost to Central Catholic 49-28. The Rams held Lakeridge to 70 rushing yards in a 40-17 quarterfinal win, but now must face arguably the state's top running back in junior LaMarcus Bell, who rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns as the Lakers thumped Mountainside 35-0 last week.
No. 3 Sheldon (10-0) vs. No. 2 West Linn (9-1) at Willamette University, 7 p.m.: In 2022, a 35-31 nonleague loss to Sheldon provided fuel for West Linn, which got payback by defeating the Irish 23-14 in the state final. Last year, West Linn rolled at Sheldon 41-3 in a nonleague game. Irish senior Mana Tuioti rushed for five touchdowns in a 45-17 quarterfinal win over Sprague.
6A Championship
No. 16 Newberg (6-5) vs. No. 13 South Medford (7-4) at Roseburg HS, 7 p.m.: South Medford – runner-up in the secondary bracket last year, when it was called the Columbia Cup – bids to return to the final. Newberg, 6-1 since an 0-4 start, advanced last week with a 36-33 win over Grants Pass, a team that beat South Medford 42-30. In 2016, South Medford was the No. 3 overall seed but lost at home to No. 30 Newberg 26-23 in the first round.
No. 15 Jesuit (9-2) vs. No. 14 North Medford (7-4) at Willamette HS, 7 p.m.: Jesuit, which came back from a 20-7 deficit to edge West Salem 21-20 last week, takes on a Black Tornado team that rolled over West Salem 35-0 in Week 4. North Medford won 15-8 in the quarterfinals over Tigard, which lost to Jesuit 42-21 in Week 2.
5A
No. 6 West Albany (9-2) vs. No. 2 Mountain View (11-0) at McNary HS, 7 p.m.: Mountain View, the runner-up last year, is back in the semifinals in pursuit of its first title since 2011. West Albany is seeking its first finals berth since 2013, when it won the last of its three state championships. The Bulldogs have won seven in a row since losing to No. 1 Silverton 44-34.
Saturday
4A
No. 5 Scappoose (10-1) vs. No. 1 Marist Catholic (10-1) at McMinnville HS, 1 p.m.: Two of the state's top quarterbacks go head-to-head in Marist Catholic senior Nick Hudson (3,043 yards, 33 touchdowns) and Scappoose senior Max Nowlin (2.629 yards, 35 touchdowns). Marist Catholic was the state runner-up last year. Scappoose lost in the semifinals the last two seasons.
No. 3 Henley (10-1) vs. No. 2 Cascade (10-1) at Grants Pass HS, 4:30 p.m.: Henley, which went undefeated and won its first state title in 41 years last season, has lost only to 5A Summit this season. Cascade, seeking its first title since 2015, has won three in a row since a 47-0 loss to Marist Catholic. Last season, Henley won at Cascade 33-21 in a nonleague game.
3A
No. 9 North Valley (9-2) vs. No. 4 Vale (11-0) at Summit HS, 1 p.m.: North Valley, a quarterfinalist last year, is in the final four for the first time since 1986. The Knights throttled No. 1 Siuslaw 55-22 last week. Vale has won a state-record 12 championships, the last one in 2015. Vale senior Kase Schaffeld has rushed for 1,897 yards and 28 touchdowns (eight in playoffs).
No. 11 Burns (9-2) vs. No. 2 Banks (10-0) at Summit HS, 4:30 p.m.: Banks, the 4A champion in 2018, is making its fourth semifinal appearance in five postseasons. The Braves beat Burns 38-13 in the first round last year on their way to a runner-up finish. Banks, averaging 40.7 points per game, must deal with a Burns defense that is allowing 8.7 points, recording five shutouts.
2A
No. 5 St. Paul (11-0) vs. No. 1 Heppner (11-0) at Caldera HS, 2 p.m.: Heppner has reached the semifinals in its 35th and final season under coach Greg Grant, who led the Mustangs to state titles in 1992, 2015 and 2019. St. Paul, which moved up from 1A-8 this year, is in the semifinals for the seventh consecutive postseason. The teams met in the 2A quarterfinals in 2017, with St. Paul winning 26-0.
No. 6 Gervais (9-1) vs. No. 2 Oakland (11-0) at Cottage Grove HS, 4:30 p.m.: A rematch from last year, when Oakland defeated Gervais 32-18 in the quarterfinals. Gervais, a semifinalist for the first time since 1951, is chasing its first title. The Oakers, 2022 champions, beat Myrtle Point 29-14 last week as Gabe Williamson rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns.
1A-8
No. 4 Crane (8-2) vs. No. 1 Adrian (10-0) at Eastern Oregon University, 4:30 p.m.: Adrian defeated Crane 36-14 on Oct. 11 in a game that decided the Special District 2 title. In that game, the Antelopes pulled away in the second half after Crane had come back to tie 14-14. Crane made the final last year, losing to Lost River.
No. 3 North Douglas (10-0) vs. No. 2 Crosspoint Christian (9-1) at Grants Pass HS, 1 p.m.: The Special District 1 rivals clash for a finals berth. On Oct. 25, North Douglas routed Crosspoint Christian 52-14 as junior Hunter Vaughn rushed for 363 yards and five touchdowns. Vaughn has run for 2,367 yards and 41 scores in 2024. Crosspoint Christian made its only final in 2017, when it was known as Hosanna Christian.
1A-6
No. 5 South Wasco County (8-3) vs. No. 1 Powers (10-0) at Cottage Grove HS, 1 p.m.: Much time has passed since the teams opened the season Aug. 30 at Powers, where the Cruisers clubbed South Wasco County 66-29 in a game matching the top two teams in the OSAAtoday preseason 1A-6 coaches poll. Patrick Mahmoud caught five touchdown passes from Braden Bushnell and returned a kickoff for a score in the win.
No. 6 Prairie City/Burnt River (9-2) vs. No. 2 Harper Charter (9-0) at Eastern Oregon University, 1 p.m.: The teams have not met since Prairie City topped Harper Charter 32-19 in a SD1 playoff game last year. No team has come closer than 33 points against Harper Charter this season. Prairie City lost to Joseph in the semifinals last year.
