Just in time for the 6A playoffs, the return of junior dual-threat quarterback Nolan Keeney has sent a jolt of electricity through Tualatin's football team.
The Timberwolves (9-1) were good enough to lock down the No. 2 seed without the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Keeney, who suffered a broken collarbone in his non-throwing shoulder in Week 4 and missed the rest of the regular season.
To reach their ceiling, though, they need a healthy Keeney. And he showed no rust in a 49-3 first-round win over Roosevelt last week, completing 14 of 17 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns and running for a score and a two-point conversion.
“It was great to have him back. He looked like the same guy,” said Tualatin coach Dominic Ferraro, whose team plays host to No. 10 Nelson (8-2) in a quarterfinal Friday.
Keeney took the controls back from senior AJ Noland, who switched from receiver to fill in at quarterback. With Keeney back, and two college-bound athletes at receiver in Noland (Colorado State) and senior Jayden Fortier (Arizona State), the Timberwolves are back to running on all cylinders.
Against Roosevelt, Noland caught four passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Fortier also caught a scoring pass.
“AJ and Jayden, they both told me they knew they were going to hold it down while I was gone,” said Keeney, who transferred to Tualatin from Westview this year. “It was really good to come back. It makes us a lot more dangerous, especially with AJ at receiver. He's so elusive. And with Jayden also going to get more targets, it's really hard to stop our offense.”
Ferraro said the “cherry on top” of Keeney's return was having Noland back at receiver.
“He made his presence felt,” Ferraro said. “It gives us a different dynamic. In Three Rivers play, I kind of felt like it was easy to focus on Jayden. Teams double-teamed him from time to time. West Linn did that to us. Now we've got a guy on the other side who's equally as capable of stretching defenses.”
Keeney suffered the injury against Jesuit when a defensive lineman landed on him, squeezing his upper body against the turf.
“Right when it happened, I thought I could play through it and finish the game,” Keeney said.. “But as I was rolling out to my left, I made a throw and it kind of popped. So I knew it. The pain was really bad then, so I definitely knew I had to get it checked out.”
X-rays revealed two cracks in his collarbone.
“The bottom part of it was still connected, so it was one of the best possible breaks I could've had,” Keeney said.
In the first 3 ½ games, Keeney passed for 735 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 333 yards. For five games, though, he was relegated to being a spectator, a stretch that included a 37-0 loss at No. 1 West Linn (10-0).
“It was really hard. I definitely got emotional sometimes,” Keeney said. “I sacrificed a lot to be in this position, and missing a lot of games was pretty tough. The West Linn game was definitely a hard one, especially knowing I could have hopefully helped a little bit.”
A doctor told Keeney that he could play again as soon as he could do a push-up on his left arm. He returned to practice three days before the regular-season finale against Tigard.
“We were just getting done with warm-ups, and he came jogging out, strapping up his helmet,” Ferraro said. “Kids started getting pretty excited.
“We were pretty certain we were going to get him back sooner than later. He'd come out to practice Week 7, Week 8, and he'd pick up a ball and throw it, and we'd have to tell him to stop doing that. He was definitely itching to get back.”
Keeney didn't practice throwing deep balls until last week as he gradually built up strength in his arm. Against Roosevelt, he was able to cut loose on throws without issue, and just as important, held up fine to absorbing a few hits.
“I felt great,” Keeney said. “Even getting tackles on it didn't hurt at all. It's healed up really well. Just finally being able to air it out against felt great.”
Subconsciously, though, he was a bit hesitant to run, which is a key part of his game.
“I could definitely see it on film,” he said. “I think it'll all just come back the more I start to trust it, and trust that it's healed. I wasn't really running much against Roosevelt. I'll probably work it back into my game the more it starts to feel better.”
Other notable quarterfinal match-ups:
Friday
6A
No. 5 Lakeridge (8-2) vs. No. 4 Central Catholic (10-0) at Hillsboro Stadium, 7 p.m.: There has been much talk about a potential Central Catholic-West Linn semifinal showdown, but the Rams can't afford to overlook the dangerous Pacers, who have lost only to No. 1 seed West Linn and No. 2 seed Tualatin. Central Catholic has had eight consecutive running-clock wins since beating Jesuit 28-6 in Week 2.
6A Columbia Cup
No. 21 Sunset (6-4) at No. 20 Mountainside (7-3), 7 p.m.:The Mavericks and Apollos finished second and third, respectively, in the Metro League behind Jesuit. Mountainside has won the last three meetings by a combined seven points – one-point wins in 2021 and 2022 and 21-16 at Sunset this season.
5A
No. 8 Thurston (8-2) at No. 1 Wilsonville (9-1), 7 p.m.: When the teams played in the season opener, Wilsonville ran away with a 44-15 home victory. But the Colts, riding an eight-game winning streak, are much improved and eager for another shot at the Wildcats. Thurston has won the last three postseason meetings – 34-14 at Wilsonville in the 2021 semifinals, 48-9 in the 2019 quarterfinals and 30-27 in the 2018 championship game.
No. 7 West Albany (8-2) at No. 2 Silverton (10-0), 7 p.m.: The Mid-Willamette Conference rivals clash in another high-stakes game. The Foxes rolled past the Bulldogs 49-28 at West Albany on Oct. 20, breaking away from a 14-14 tie in the second quarter. The teams played in the 2021 semifinals, with Silverton prevailing 44-14 on its way to the state title.
4A
No. 12 Cascade (7-3) at No. 4 Scappoose (9-1), 7 p.m.: Scappoose is seeking a return to the semifinals, but it won't be easy against a Cascade team coming off a 32-8 first-round win at No. 5 Tillamook. The Indians lost to Tillamook 46-29 in Week 8, their only defeat of the season.
No. 7 Mazama (7-3) at No. 2 Marist Catholic (9-1), 7 p.m.: Marist Catholic defeated the Vikings 33-29 at home in Week 3, taking the lead with 1:24 left on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nick Hudson to CJ Guistina. That was the start of an eight-game winning streak for the Spartans under first-year coach Charlie Landgraf.
3A
No. 11 Yamhill-Carlton (7-3) at No. 3 Dayton (10-0), 7 p.m.: Dayton has steamrolled its opponents with a crushing running attack this season, but the Pirates' closest game was a 38-36 win at Yamhill-Carlton in the season opener. In that game, Dayton's Zach Smith rushed for 216 yards.
2A
No. 7 Gervais (9-1) vs. No. 2 Oakland (9-1) at Sutherlin HS, 7 p.m.: Gervais is the feel-good story of the state playoffs, getting its first postseason victory in 72 years last week when it stopped Toledo 24-12. The Cougars will need a complete performance to compete with the Oakers, last year's state champions.
1A-6
No. 6 South Wasco County (7-2) at No. 3 Elkton (7-1), 1 p.m.: A rematch of last year's quarterfinal, won by South Wasco County 46-12. Elkton, which has lost only to unbeaten Powers, is bidding for its first semifinal berth since 1981.
Saturday
1A-8
No. 5 St. Paul (9-1) at No. 4 Imbler (8-1), 1 p.m.: St. Paul has won nine in a row since a 40-36 loss to undefeated Lost River. Imbler has won six in a row since a 30-26 loss to unbeaten Crane. Imbler hasn't made the semifinals since winning the 2013 title.
jerryu@osaa.org
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