As they blitzed through their first six football games, the Tualatin Timberwolves knew that a season-ending gauntlet of 6A powers West Linn, Lake Oswego and Tigard awaited them.
A year ago, that same stretch took the Timberwolves’ record from 6-0 to 6-3, so they were eager to prove that this year was going to be different. That’s what made last week’s 34-20 home loss to No. 3 West Linn a bit deflating.
“We’ve got to reload. There’s no time to pout in this league,” Tualatin coach Dan Lever said. “The chances of playing one, two or three of these teams again is pretty good.”
Next up for Tualatin (6-1, 3-1), which slipped from second to fifth in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll this week, is a Three Rivers League road game Friday against reigning state champion and second-ranked Lake Oswego (6-1, 3-1). It’s not exactly do-or-die for the Timberwolves, but seeing progress against one of the state’s elite teams would give them a boost as they prepare for the postseason.
“We’re going to reload and do it for keeps here soon,” Lever said. “I’m not telling the kids, ‘If we don’t win this one, it’s over.’ That’s just setting yourself up for disaster. We’re going to put our best foot forward and see where we’re at.”
The game is critical in the Three Rivers standings, where the Timberwolves, Lakers and West Linn (5-2, 2-1) trail top-ranked Tigard (7-0, 4-0). The Tigers play host to West Linn on Friday and Tualatin next week.
The Timberwolves don’t need to be reminded about what happened against Lake Oswego last year. They jumped to a 14-0 lead and were up 21-13 at half, but the Lakers controlled the second half with their offensive line and won 28-21.
Tualatin had a chance to tie in the fourth quarter but fumbled at the three-yard line. Minutes later, the Timberwolves tried an end-around pass but the Lakers intercepted.
“Protect the football,” Lever said of the lesson his team learned. “Our ball security has been much improved from last year to this year. That’s one thing we took away as a program and spent extra time on. We’ve seen the positive results from that, no doubt.”
Tualatin has the full respect of Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury.
“I’ve thought all along they were one of the best teams. I still do,” Coury said. “They’ve got a veteran group of kids. This class that are seniors, coming up, they were special for a lot of reasons. Dan has done a great job of bringing that program back to where it should be with the kind of kids and population they have over there.”
West Linn gashed Tualatin’s defense for four plays of 50 yards or more, including touchdown runs of 80 and 55 yards and a scoring pass of 93 yards.
“Our defense doesn’t usually give up big plays,” Lever said. “Just little mistakes that we’ve got to shore up.”
Now the Timberwolves face arguably the state’s premier home-run hitter in Lake Oswego senior running back Casey Filkins, who has rushed for 1,047 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Tualatin’s offense averaged 48.3 points through six games but struggled to a season-low total against West Linn. Senior running back Kainoa Sayre rushed for 123 yards, giving him 698 for the season, but the passing game sputtered as senior Blake Jackson went 5 of 12 for 24 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
“We had a tough time getting the ball out,” Lever said. “It’s the first time in a long time I can say that up front we had our hands full, just getting the ball out on time. We need to do a little bit better job of protecting our guy back there.”
Lake Oswego’s defense seems to be getting better each week. After a 31-7 loss to Tigard, the Lakers have defeated Clackamas 42-20, West Linn 20-17 and Canby 41-7. They held Canby to 27 total yards.
“I think we’re getting better,” Coury said. “And we’ve played a tough schedule. I think that’s a huge advantage. I’m excited about playing these guys and seeing where we’re at.”
Lake Oswego senior receiver and defensive back Thomas Dukart, sidelined since suffering a broken thumb in a Sept. 20 win at Oregon City, is making steady progress in his recovery. Last week, he had the cast and pins removed.
“I think he’ll be playing sooner than later,” Coury said. “It’s about the timing we had hoped for.”
A look at other top Week 8 matchups across the state:
6A
Barlow (6-1, 2-0 Mt. Hood Conference Division B) vs. No. 6 Central Catholic (5-3, 2-0) at Hillsboro Stadium: The Bruins and Rams square off to determine the top seed from Division B and a berth in next week’s conference title game. The game matches Central Catholic’s conference-leading offense (415.3) against Barlow’s top-rated defense (194.0). Last year, the Rams came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the Bruins 56-42.
Sunset (4-3, 2-1 Metro League) at No. 4 Jesuit (5-2, 3-1): A huge game in the Metro standings, which are crowded at the top with Beaverton (3-0), Jesuit (3-1), Aloha (3-1) and Sunset (2-1). Jesuit can claim at least a share of its sevemtj consecutive league title by beating the Apollos on Friday and Beaverton next week. Sunset, which gave up 350 rushing yards in last year’s 56-21 loss to Jesuit, must deal with a Crusaders rushing attack that features Ted Atkinson, who ran for 313 yards and seven touchdowns against Southridge last week.
No. 3 West Linn (5-2, 2-1 Three Rivers League) at No. 1 Tigard (7-0, 4-0): West Linn bounced back a crushing, last-second loss to Lake Oswego by beating previously undefeated Tualatin 34-20 last week – getting 236 rushing yards from Gavin Haines – and now faces another unbeaten team in league-leading Tigard. The Tigers have won the last three meetings – all at West Linn – 9-0 and 24-21 in 2017 and 23-21 last year.
5A
No. 7 Dallas (5-2, 5-2 Mid-Willamette Conference) at No. 2 West Albany (7-0, 7-0): West Albany has one more hurdle to clear before next week’s showdown with co-conference leader Silverton. The Bulldogs have held opponents to a 5A-low 29 points. West Albany is 11-0 all-time in the series, never allowing more than 14 points in a game to the Dragons.
4A
No. 3 Marist Catholic (6-1, 3-0 Sky-Em League) at No. 10 Marshfield (5-2, 3-0): The Spartans and Pirates meet for the league title in the regular-season finale. Marshfield has won five in a row since losing to 5A North Bend and Gladstone – shutting out Junction City and Elmira in its last two games – but hasn’t faced a dynamic offense like Marist Catholic, which is averaging 46.1 points per game. The Pirates defeated the Spartans 21-14 last year.
No. 5 Henley (7-0, 3-0 Skyline Conference) at No. 4 Mazama (6-1, 3-0): The conference title is on the line as the crosstown rivals meet in last regular-season game. Mazama rebounded from a 55-21 loss to Marist Catholic to thump Klamath Union 28-0 last week, holding the Pelicans to 55 total yards. Mazama, the reigning Skyline champ, beat Henley 40-14 last year. The teams shared the conference title with Phoenix in 2017.
3A
No. 3 Amity (6-1, 3-0 Special District 1 West) at No. 4 Clatskanie (5-2, 3-0): Amity, coming off a 24-20 win over reigning state champion Rainier, can take a giant step toward its first league title since 2009, when it won the 3A championship. The Warriors are undefeated in Oregon, losing only to Onalaska (Wash.). Clatskanie has won its last three since a 43-0 loss to 4A power La Grande. Amity edged the Tigers 40-32 a year ago.
2A
No. 4 Monroe (6-1, 3-0 Central Valley Conference) at No. 5 Oakland (6-1, 3-0): A first-place showdown between Monroe, which is going for its third consecutive conference title, and Oakland, which has improved from 2-7 last year and is in position to win its first league title since 2014. Monroe has a dynamic running game with Zach Young, but Oakland’s defense is holding foes to 14.0 points per game.
1A 8-man
No. 8 Elgin (5-1, 4-1 Special District 3 East) at No. 5 Crane (6-1, 4-1): The Huskies and Mustangs face off for the No. 2 spot in the division behind unbeaten Adrian/Jordan Valley, heading into next week’s district playoffs. Crane has won five in a row since a 42-36 loss to Adrian/Jordan Valley. The Mustangs rolled over Elgin 62-18 in 2018.
1A 6-man
Semifinals at Sherman High School, Saturday: Six-man football does not have an OSAA championship, but the schools have devised a playoff for Weeks 8 and 9. Saturday’s semifinals match No. 1 Joseph against No. 5 Prairie City/Burnt River at 3 p.m. and No. 2 South Wasco County against No. 3 Triangle Lake at 6 p.m. The winners play next week for the unofficial title.
jerryu@osaa.org
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