Heading into next week's much-anticipated Three Rivers League football showdown with No. 2 Lake Oswego, No. 1 West Linn was looking for a momentum-building victory Friday night at home against No. 7 Lakeridge.
The reigning 6A champion Lions fended off Lakeridge 30-20, but on a night when the opening kickoff was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning, they never got into a groove.
“With the whole delay, we just got really out of our routine and out of sorts,” West Linn coach Jon Eagle said. “We just did a lot of things that are uncharacteristic of our teams. Just penalties and dumb things.”
The Pacers (3-3, 1-1) had more total yards, but the Lions (6-0, 2-0) made the plays that mattered. West Linn opened a 23-7 lead with 4:21 left in the third quarter and held on for the victory.
“It was a battle like we thought it would be,” Eagle said.
Lions junior quarterback Sloan Baker completed 16 of 21 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown – a 29-yard strike to senior MJ Kennebrew -- and ran for a five-yard score. Junior Shane Peters returned a punt 39 yards for a touchdown, sophomore Cohen Bissell ran for a 16-yard score and senior Zander Morris kicked a 26-yard field goal for West Linn.
The Lions got an emotional lift with the return of senior running back Viggo Anderson, out of the lineup since suffering a broken foot in the season opener. Anderson rushed for 41 yards on eight carries.
“He's still not 100 percent, but it was sure great to have him out there, just as a leader, and what he means to the rest of the team,” Eagle said. “He gives us a little bit of burst.”
Baker's command of the offense once again proved crucial for the Lions. For the season, Baker has completed 73.8 percent of his passes for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns with two interceptions.
“The difference-maker was our quarterback,” Eagle said. “Sometimes you have players that make you right. He just makes us right time and again. He made some really great plays. He's pretty efficient with the ball. Things break down, and he's got to run around and scramble, make a play. He just keeps doing that.”
Lowering the Boom
Once again, it was senior receiver Griffyn Boomer showing the way Friday as No. 4 Tillamook defeated Astoria 35-15 in a key 4A Cowapa League game, ending the Fishermen's three-game winning streak.
Boomer caught touchdown passes of 38 and 45 yards from junior Kevin Hurliman and ran for a 45-yard score, helping the Cheesemakers (5-1, 2-0) build a 28-7 halftime lead over Astoria (3-3, 1-1).
Boomer caught six passes for 148 yards and two scores. He increased his 4A-leading totals for 38 catches, 607 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has three interceptions on defense.
“He's a real savvy football kid, and I think that rubs off on his teammates,” coach Kye Johnson said of Boomer, a third-year starter. “He's a guy we've relied on a ton the last couple of years, for sure.”
For his career, Boomer has 110 catches for 2,102 yards and 29 touchdowns and has rushed for five scores. He has returned two kicks for touchdowns and recorded 14 interceptions.
Boomer is a difference-maker for Tillamook, which has won its last two games after losing to No. 1 Cascade 35-7.
“We're not the most complete team in 4A, and that was evident when we played Cascade,” Johnson said. “But Griffyn helps mask a lot of the things that we aren't, personnel-wise, because he can individually do some really special things and force teams to account for him in ways that make them more vulnerable. He's one of the best skill kids I've ever coached.”
To take advantage of his skills, the Cheesemakers have moved Boomer around more in the formations this season. He scored on a reverse in last week's win over St. Helens and on a similar run action against Astoria.
“We like to get him involved in motions,” Johnson said.
Tillamook will need a big game from Boomer next week when it plays at No. 3 Scappoose (5-1, 2-0) for first place in the Cowapa. The Cheesemakers are hoping the lessons they learned in the loss to Cascade will help them against the Indians.
“I think what we learned most against Casscade is you have to be a physical football team, and you have to execute, too,” Johnson said. “Cascade is a beast of a team. They remind me of the Estacada team that we played in the finals in 2022.”
Stingy Pirates
Behind one of the state's stingiest defenses, 3A No. 4 Dayton has started the season with six consecutive wins.
The Pirates (6-0, 4-0, Special District 2) notched their fourth shutout Thursday, holding Scio to 100 total yards in a 41-0 home win. Dayton has allowed a 3A-low 20 points this season.
“They've really dialed in,” coach Jacob Peterson said. “This is the best defense I've coached and been able to build at Dayton. All those guys together, it's just a really special group right now.”
In Week 2, Dayton held Warrenton to negative total yards in a 35-0 win that avenged a 36-8 loss from last year. The most yards the Pirates have allowed in a game this season is 201 in a 20-14 win at Taft.
Senior linebacker Stephen Macias is the quarterback of the defense, according to Peterson.
“He is just everything you want in a player,” Peterson said. “He knows every formation. He knows tendencies as well as I do. He gets guys shifted.”
The defensive line has been stout with 6-1, 310-pound sophomore tackle Kolby Woffard (five tackles for loss) and junior ends Jose Hernandez and Royal Carlson. Junior linebacker Wyatt Sherwood complements Macias. Senior strong safety Asher Maxwell (eight tackles for loss) has been dominant.
“He's really the key to holding this together,” Peterson said of Maxwell. “He's so fast. He really helps us on the edge.”
The offense also has been producing, racking up 294.8 rushing yards per game with Macias (671 yards, 11 touchdowns), Maxwell (453 yards, six touchdowns) and junior Makoy Fleeman (331 yards). Against Scio, Macias rushed for 131 yards on 19 carries and Fleeman ran for 101 yards on six carries.
Senior quarterback Ryan Mullins, the returning starter, has proven capable in the passing game. For the season, he has completed 28 of 37 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns.
“He's throwing it around much better than he has in the past, which really helps open up everything,” Peterson said.
Dayton went 11-1 and made the 3A semifinals in 2023 but slipped to 6-4 last season, losing in the first round of the playoffs. To get back on top in Special District 2, the Pirates need to win next week at No. 10 Santiam Christian (5-1, 4-0).
Young Colt
A breakout performance from sophomore cornerback Bentlee Davenport helped propel No. 7 Thurston (7-1, 5-0) to sole possession of first place in the 5A Midwestern League on Friday night.
Davenport had three interceptions, returning the last one 30 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, as the Colts rolled to a 44-7 home win over Crater (4-2, 3-1). He also excelled on offense, turning a short pass into a 64-yard gain in the first quarter.
“He's been playing really well at corner for us all year,” Thurston coach Justin Starck said of Davenport, who has four interceptions on the year. “He's a burner, and he's got good instincts. He plays the ball well. A lot of guys, when the ball is in the air, they'll play the man and get pass interference. He looks for the football.”
Davenport thrived Friday in part because Thurston's run defense forced Crater into passing situations. Th Colts did not allow the Comets to cross midfield until late in the first half.
“Our defense played lights out,” Starck said. “We stopped the run. They're a heavy run team, and we tried to make them one-dimensional.”
Davenport is part of a sophomore class that is making an impact for the Colts. Quinn Paquette started at the other corner Friday. Defensive back Quintin Fisher and defensive end Leofatu Felipe also are regular contributors.
"It's amazing, man. They're really balling," senior linebacker Cruz Gray told the Register-Guard. "At a young age, too. They're only going to improve and get better."
Junior Emmit Distefano threw touchdown passes to seniors Caleb Jones and Rylan Sharp for Thurston. Gray, senior Justin Fisher and junior Logan Raube ran for scores.
Thurston can cement its hold on first place next week when it visits Churchill (4-2, 3-1).
Clatskanie to 6-0
By passing its biggest test of the season Friday, 2A No. 10 Clatskanie improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1930, according to available records.
The host Tigers came from behind in the second half to defeat Harrisburg 20-14. in a nonleague game. They had not trailed in the second half of their first five games.
“It was good to see what the kids were made of,” Clatskanie coach Sean Gorley said. “This way I know going forward that they're not a team that's going to roll over.”
Harrisburg (4-2) scored two long touchdowns in the third quarters – one a quarterback scramble, the other a long pass – to pull ahead 14-6.
Clatskanie got a 65-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Will Van Voorst to senior Daylon Gutierrez on the last play of the third quarter and took a 20-14 lead on one-yard run by senior Lucas Andreasen with about three minutes left.
Harrisburg drove to within a shadow of the red zone on its last possession, but two passes near the goal line were knocked away by Clatskanie defensive back Quentin Combs, a 5-7 senior.
The Tigers, 3-0 in Special District 1, are tied for first place with No. 5 Knappa (5-0, 3-0) and Nestucca (5-1, 3-0). They play host to Knappa on Oct. 23 and Nestucca on Oct. 31.
“I can't imagine it not coming down to the last night to find out how things fall,” Gorley said.
Clatskanie has made a leap after going 3-6 last season.
“I knew it was going to be a solid group. We've probably achieved a little higher,” Gorley said. “We got a lot of pieces back from last year, so we didn't have the huge learning curve.”
Gutierrez, who played quarterback in 2024, switched to receiver this season and has six touchdown catches, including two Friday. Andreasen has rushed for 932 yards and seven touchdowns and Van Voorst has thrown for eight scores.
1A-6 showdowns
The top four teams in the OSAAtoday 1A-6 coaches poll squared off in two league games Friday.
Top-ranked and reigning state champion Harper Charter blitzed No. 4 Joseph 62-7 at home in a Special District 1 game. No. 2 Triangle Lake overcame No. 3 Eddyville Charter 19-13 at home in Special District 2 play.
Triangle Lake (6-0, 3-1) was tied 13-13 with Eddyville Charter (5-1, 2-1) with five seconds left when junior quarterback Owen Mooney threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior Ivan Surcamp as time expired for the victory.
It was the second touchdown catch of the game for Surcamp, who had six receptions for 88 yards. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery.
Mooney passed for 177 yards and two scores. Senior Zayd Zuniga-West had eight carries for 68 yards and one touchdown and excelled on defense with an interception and a forced fumble.
The Lakers' win was payback for a 56-20 home loss to the Eagles last year, a game that decided the district title.
Harper Charter (6-0, 6-0) had not allowed a point this season entering Friday, outscoring its first four foes 295-0 and winning its fifth game by forfeit. The Hornets yielded a touchdown pass to Joseph (5-2, 5-2) in the first half Friday, spoiling their perfect mark on defense.
“We've told them all along that in six-man football, somebody is going to score,” Harper Charter coach David Marker said. “All along, our goal wasn't to shut everybody out. They've kind of relished in that role of not giving up much.”
Marker said his defense has allowed about a half-dozen first downs all season. The unit is led by junior safety Richard Joyce and senior ends Hoss Johnson and Colt Bentz.
“They're physical, but they're not big,” Marker said. “We're not intimidating. We get off the bus and people just kind of wonder why. They're just a bunch of rough, tough ranch kids. They're just ornery little guys. They flat get after you.”
Junior Madoxx Martinez rushed for four touchdowns in Friday's win. Joyce caught two touchdown passes and returned an interception for a score.
Martinez became the team's lead running back after senior Cope Christensen, the state offensive player of the year in 2024, suffered a broken scapula in practice after the season opener. The Hornets are hopeful he will return for the playoffs.
“We've known all along that Madoxx was going to be a great running back,” Marker said. “But we just had Cope and didn't have to play Madoxx a ton. Given the opportunity, he's really shining.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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