Tillamook had two objectives when it played at No. 1 Scappoose in a 4A Cowapa League football showdown Thursday.
The first was to win and keep alive its chances of defending its league title. The second was to win by at least 13 points and secure the tiebreaker in the event that the Cheesemakers (6-2, 3-1) finish tied for first place with Scappoose (7-1, 3-1) and Seaside (5-3, 3-1).
Check, and check.
Behind senior quarterback Tanner Hoskins – who completed 22 of 33 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 102 yards and two scores on 24 carries – co-No. 7 Tillamook won 46-29 to hand the Indians their first loss of the season.
Getting to the 13-point mark was a bit tricky, however. After Tillamook senior Seth Wehinger scored on a 24-yard run to make it 39-29 late in the fourth quarter, the Cheesemakers recovered an onside kick to take over near the Scappoose 35-yard line with 1:08 remaining.
“At that point, it became pretty serious that we had an opportunity to do this, not just win the football game, but to actually steal the 13 points that we knew was our magic number,” Tillamook coach Kye Johnson said.
“Throughout the whole week, I was just running scenarios through my head about managing this 13-point situation. Sure enough, something like that popped up.”
Hoskins scored on a two-yard run with eight seconds left for the winning margin.
Johnson said he approached Scappoose coach Sean McNabb in the postgame handshake line to make sure McNabb knew why the Cheesemakers went for the onside kick and score.
“I just told him, 'That's the only reason we would ever do that is because of the points system,'” Johnson said. “He said that everybody was well aware of the situation.”
If Tillamook, Scappoose and co-No. 7 Seaside win next week, they will finish in a three-way tie for first place, and the Cheesemakers will get the league's top seed and a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
If Tillamook had won Thursday but not met the 13-point margin, the Cheesemakers would have been the No. 3 seed and faced a first-round road game. Scappoose and Seaside would have been No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Tillamook, last year's 4A runner-up, has won three in a row since a 41-35 loss at Seaside.
“We kind of laid an egg at Seaside,” Johnson said. “Not to take anything away from them, but we didn't play very well, and they put it to us. So we were totally backed into a corner.”
Hoskins, who kicked a school-record 45-yard field goal to beat Scappoose in overtime last year and give Tillamook its first league title in 23 years, once again was the catalyst against the Indians. He led an offense that gained 597 yards.
“I think he's the best player in 4A,” Johnson said. “He's so good at throwing and running, it's just a complete nightmare, I would imagine, to prepare to defend him. That's kind of a normal night for him when he's rolling. When he plays like that, we feel like we can play with anybody.”
'Monkey' business
No. 2 Henley put itself in position to end No. 4 Mazama's streak of nine consecutive conference titles with a 42-14 road win over the Vkings in the latest chapter of the South Side Series rivalry Friday.
If the Hornets (8-0, 5-0) win next week at No. 10 North Bend (7-2, 3-2), they will secure the outright title in Special District 4. If they lose, the Vikings (6-2, 4-1) could still claim a share of the title by winning at Marshfield (4-4, 3-2).
Friday marked Henley's first win over Mazama since 2017, when the Hornets won 22-21 and shared the conference title with Mazama and Phoenix. The Hornets have come close to beating the Vikings in recent seasons but lost 14-10 in 2019 on the game's final play and 44-36 in 2022 on a last-minute touchdown.
“When you've got a monkey on your back, you don't want to admit it, but it's always nice to take him off,” Henley coach Alex Stork said of Friday's win. “This class was really the first class – JV and freshman-wise – that beat them. So I think that gave a lot of confidence going into this year's game. I think they really used that to their advantage.”
Mazama dominated time of possession, posting advantages in plays (60-23) and yards (240-237). But Henley was opportunistic, turning three fumble recoveries into touchdowns, including a 59-yards scoop-and-score by senior Chris Janney.
Senior Logan Whitlock rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Janney. Sophomore quarterback Joe Janney ran for two touchdowns.
For the season, Whitlock has rushed for 1,300 yards and 31 touchdowns.
“His on-the-field performance has only been matched by the type of kid he is off the field,” Stork said. “He's a first-class leader. He's our energy out there. He inspires his teammates and rallies them.”
Friday's win was the biggest of the season for the Hornets, but Stork liked how his players kept it in perspective.
“Even after winning and getting the monkey off our back, our guys didn't really react that way,” he said. “They just reacted like it was another step in reaching our ultimate goal of competing for a state championship. The boys' approach has just been humble and hungry. The DNA of this team is special.”
Lowe faces Jesuit
The last time Keanon Lowe wore a Jesuit uniform, he nearly single-handedly led the Crusaders to a win over Sheldon in the 6A final in 2009, rushing for 310 yards and six touchdowns in a 50-43 loss.
Thursday night, the first-year Mountainside coach saw Jesuit from the opposite sideline for the first time as his team fell to the No. 9 Crusaders 31-14 with a share of the Metro League title on the line.
It was a chance for Lowe to reconnect with his high school coach, Jesuit coach Ken Potter.
“I've played and coached a lot of football since I put that helmet on at Jesuit,” said Lowe, who went on to play receiver at Oregon and was the the 5A coach of the year at Parkrose in 2019. “I've been a lot of places. I will say it was really, really cool to share the opposite sideline with Coach Potter.”
Potter has fond memories of Lowe, in particular the championship game against Sheldon. Lowe also had an interception in the game.
“Oh, my. I don't think there's been a better performance in any state championship than Keanon Lowe in that one,” Potter said. “It was pretty phenomenal. He had such a great heart. He played for Oregon and was one of their best receivers because he worked harder than anybody else.”
Lowe was the 6A defensive player of the year at free safety as a senior. For his Jesuit career, Lowe had 107 catches for 1,966 yards and 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,213 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior.
“I love Keanon Lowe. I'm so proud of him,” Potter said. “He is a class act and a great person, and a phenomenal coach. He's done a really good job with the kids here at Mountainside. Just seeing him made me feel good.”
Lowe said he has stayed in touch with Potter since he left Jesuit.
“At this point he's a good friend to me,” Lowe said. “So it was special. I wish we could have won this game. But I don't ever plan on losing to Coach Potter ever again. Ever, ever, ever.”
'The one we've had circled'
No. 3 Mountain View validated its impressive run this season with a 21-6 win at No. 4 Summit in a 5A Intermountain Conference first-place showdown Friday.
The Cougars (8-0, 4-0) clinched at least a share of the conference title by beating the reigning 5A champion Storm (4-4, 3-1), which is tied for second place with Caldera (6-2, 3-1).
“That was our test,” Mountain View coach Brian Crum said. “This was the one we've had circled for a while.”
The Cougars lost to Summit handily the last two seasons after beating the Storm 7-3 during the COVID-shortened season three years ago, when Mountain View finished 4-0 in the 6A Mountain Valley Conference.
“We've kind of traded back and forth for the last 15 years,” Crum said of the inner-city rivalry. “It's been us or Summit. This is really the first time the teams have played where they were both in the top five.”
Mountain View set the tone early when junior Brady Kennedy blocked a punt, setting up the Cougars at the Summit 15-yard line and leading to a five-yard touchdown run by sophomore Angel Valenzuela.
“I couldn't have asked for a better start,” Crum said. “I think to our kids it was like, 'Yeah, we've got this.'”
Valenzuela (34 carries, 115 yards) ran for a two-yard touchdown for a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, then threw a two-yard halfback pass for a score to senior quarterback Connor Crum on third-and-goal with six seconds left in the half, making it 21-0. It was Valenzuela's first pass of the season.
“They didn't see that one coming,” Brian Crum said.
Down 21-6, Summit threatened to draw closer in the fourth quarter but Mountain View made a goal-line stand, stopping the Storm on fourth-and-goal at the 2.
Mountain View had a 233-195 edge in total yards. The Cougars' defense had another outstanding game, led up front by senior Eli Clason and junior Garren White and at linebacker by senior Ben Cockrum.
The win gives Mountain View a jolt as it prepares for the postseason.
“Certainly, the work is not done,” Brian Crum said. “The kids celebrated and they had fun, but they know it's just another check mark in the box.”
Out-Foxed
No. 2 Silverton locked up the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference with its biggest win of the season, 49-28 at second-place West Albany on Friday.
The Foxes (8-0, 8-0) pulled away from a 14-14 tie in the second quarter with three consecutive touchdowns, opening a 35-14 lead over the No. 6 Bulldogs (6-2, 6-2) in the third quarter.
Junior quarterback Sawyer Teeney led the way. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 110 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
Last year, West Albany beat Silverton 21-20, forcing the Foxes to settle for a three-way tie atop the Mid-Willamette with South Albany and Central.
Teeney said beating the Bulldogs “is really going to boost all of our confidences. West Albany is a good team. It could've gone either way.”
Silverton amassed 535 total yards. Senior Brody Sullivan rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, senior Diego Flores ran for 78 yards and one score and junior Brody Kuenzi caught seven passes for 107 yards and one touchdown.
The Foxes took the lead for good late in the first half when Teeney threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Elijah Howard, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone to make it 21-14.
Sullivan scored both of his touchdowns in the third quarter as the lead grew to 35-14. He scored on a 10-yard run after the Foxes recovered a fumble on the opening series of the second half and added a 25-yard touchdown run.
“We came out of halftime with the mindset that we want to win and we put the points in them,” Kuenzi said. “They got a couple of scores, but we came back and we finished.”
West Albany twice drew within two scores, but Silverton answered both times with touchdowns – a 19-yard run by Flores and a two-yard run by Teeney.
“When they got within two scores of us, it started to get nerve-racking,” Teeney said. “One thing goes wrong and it could go south real quick.”
-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
Highlights from other games in Week 8:
6A
Wells clinched at least a share of its first league title since 2012 by winning at Roosevelt 36-8 in a battle for first place. Wyatt Andler rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries for the Guardians, who held Roughriders running back Dontrell Betts to 32 yards on seven carries. … Sherwood recorded its seventh consecutive shutout, beating Glencoe 49-0. The Bowmen are the first team to with seven shutouts in a row since Heppner in 2007. Sherwood rushed for 345 of its 452 yards and held the Crimson Tide to 93 total yards, including 10 plays of negative yardage. … Westview trampled Beaverton 40-33 by rushing for 412 of its 511 total yards, getting big games from Irason Kekaualua (20 carries, 204 yards, three touchdowns) and Heath Thompson (21 carries, 154 yards, one touchdown). … Drew Nees passed for three scores and Justin Craigwell ran for two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score as Sunset thumped Aloha 64-0. Blake Hurley returned an interception for a touchdown. …
Central Catholic routed Clackamas 56-14 behind Cru Newman, who completed 10 of 12 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores. Landon Kelsey had five catches for 109 yards and one touchdown, Tyson Davis ran for a touchdown and had a 76-yard scoring catch and Timmy Mitchell returned a punt 71 yards for a score. … South Medford dispatched Roseburg 35-0, getting three touchdown runs from Bridger Foss and a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown from Jacob Dalton. … North Medford held McNary to 80 yards in a 45-0 win. Jeremiah Robbins rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and Traeger Healy completed 9 of 13 passes for 165 yards and three scores. The Black Tornado played without star tight end AJ Pugliano, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL on Wednesday. … Lonnie Burt rushed for 133 yards and one touchdown and Trey Cleeland tossed two touchdown passes as Jesuit tripped Mountainside 31-14 to clinch at least a share of its 10th consecutive Metro League title. ...
Cody Shields and Marley Bonin had interception-return touchdowns in Sheldon's 49-0 win over Grants Pass. Colby Parosa ran for three touchdowns and passed for a score. … West Linn topped Lakeridge 52-10, getting a 52-yard field goal from Oregon-bound kicker Gage Hurych. Baird Gilroy threw two touchdown passes to Gus Donnerberg and Hunter Haines returned a kickoff and interception for scores. … Franklin downed McDaniel 32-14 as Silas Combs completed 15 of 20 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, two to Ethan Aman (eight catches, 99 yards). Jay Sayre rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. … South Salem stayed unbeaten by defeating Sprague 50-14. Athan Palmateer completed 16 of 29 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns – both to Esteban Mendez – and ran for a score. Palmateer also had an 82-yard kickoff return.
5A
Roman Kealoha rushed for 260 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries for Wilsonville, which blasted Forest Grove 68-14. Kallen Gutridge completed 11 of 13 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns, two to Mark Wiepert (three catches, 104 yards). Lucas Larson returned an interception for a score. ... Dallas topped Central 57-12 as Zayvian Webster rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and Hunter Rivers returned an interception for a score and had two tackles for loss. … Connor Dye rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 63-yard scoring pass in Springfield's 33-11 victory over North Eugene. …Caldera clinched its first playoff berth in school history by beating Redmond 20-0. Tommy Morris passed for two touchdowns and ran for a score. ... Lebanon held Crescent Valley to just over 200 yards in a 49-7 win. Luke Rose returned an interception for a touchdown to start the scoring and Isaac Jordan had two sacks and three tackles for loss. Lebanon rushed for 295 yards, led by Wyatt Wessel (nine carries, 117 yards, two touchdowns). ...
McKay dropped Corvallis 30-20 as Kyrin Fuimaono passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns and Joel Sanchez rushed for 111 yards and one score. Rudolfo Flores had three sacks. … Crater edged Churchill 26-24 behind Valentin Rodriguez, who rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries. Quarterback Ben Higginson added 80 yards and one score on 14 carries. …Hillsboro led 42-0 at half in beating Southridge 55-0. Preston Echeverria rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on seven carries and returned a blocked punt for a score. Braiden McCann had an interception-return touchdown. ... Bend outlasted Ridgeview 41-34. Uriel Valdez ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns and Treyden Lucas scored rushing and receiving. ... Thurston scored touchdowns on nine of 10 possessions to rout Willamette 63-6. Noah Blair completed 14 of 15 passes for 253 yards and five touchdowns, three to Walker Bonar (four catches, 125 yards). Holton Halstead ran for two touchdowns for the Colts, who gained 487 yards.
4A
La Salle Prep wrapped up its first conference title since 2012 by beating The Dalles 38-0, the Falcons' fourth consecutive shutout and fifth of the season. JJ Kuunifaa had an interception-return touchdown and Grant Ellison scored rushing and receiving. La Salle Prep went 0-10 in 2021 and 2-7 last season. … Pendleton shook off an early 14-0 deficit to stop La Grande 33-14. Tugg McQuinn rushed for 162 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries and Thaiden Cannin had a touchdown catch and a punt-return score. … Stayton blanked Sweet Home 40-0. Hudson Hughes completed 18 of 27 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns -- all to Bishop Szmyd (nine catches, 158 yards) -- and Tanner Starbuck ran for two scores. ...
CD Nuno scored on a 40-yard run and 66-yard catch in Philomath's 30-8 win over Klamath Union. Kaden Muir ran for two touchdowns and threw for a score. … Marist Catholic fell behind Cascade 15-14 early in the fourth quarter before winning 22-15, getting a 30-yard touchdown run from Brady Bidwell out of the wildcat formation with 8:18 left. Logan Kast returned a fumble for a score for the Spartans. … St. Helens quarterback Aaron Liebelt completed 10 of 20 passes for 157 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions defeated Milwaukie 47-6.
3A
Banks shrugged off Valley Catholic 41-6 as Kade Long completed 7 of 12 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards on three carries. Parker Littlejohn had four catches for 129 yards. … Vale scored touchdown on seven of its 12 plays in the first half – and got a score on defense – in beating McLoughlin 56-0. Kase Schaffeld rushed for 85 yards and two scores on four carries. … Tony Gonzalez, Ethan Eby and Justin DeSmet had short touchdown runs and Landen Scott scored on a 51-yard pass as Sisters clinched at least a tie for the Mountain Valley Conference title with a 27-20 victory over visiting Siuslaw. … Warrenton drubbed Rainier 26-0 as Max Smith ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. …
Dayton led 46-0 at half in beating Jefferson 46-22. Zach Smith rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and caught a scoring pass from Boston Hodges, who threw for two touchdowns. … Cascade Christian blitzed St. Mary's 60-0. Caleb Scaglione had two punt-return touchdown and Luke Nelson scored touchdowns on an interception return, run and catch. … South Umpqua turned back Sutherlin 48-14 as Jacob Logan ran for three touchdowns and Elijah Bates passed for two scores. Kacey Benefiel scored touchdowns rushing and receiving. … Quinton Buckland completed 14 of 18 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score to propel Elmira past Harrisburg 34-15. …Coquille scored 30 consecutive points after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter and beat Douglas 30-13. Douglas' Alex Metianu ran for a 55-yard touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter with a broken ankle.
2A
Weston-McEwen ended Heppner's 30-game conference winning streak, beating the Mustangs 14-0 at home to take over first place in Special District 4. The TigerScots had a 252-104 edge in total yards. Maddox King rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries and Easton Berry passed to Seth Mullenberg for a score. … Lowell dominated Toledo 56-14 in a showdown for first place in Special District 2, leading 56-8 at half. JaMar Thurman rushed for 234 yards and seven touchdowns on 17 carries and caught three passes for 67 yards, all in the first half. Carter Harris completed 9 of 11 passes for 139 yards and one score. Rowan Files and Brody Thurman had two sacks each. … Monroe's Nate Young rushed for 320 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries in a 48-32 win over Santiam. Braiden Ellis rushed for two scores and passed for one. …Glide defeated Rogue River 37-18 as Paul Kercher rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Lucas Miller returned an interception for a score and had two interceptions. ... Kollin Schumacher passed for 328 yards and five touchdowns, three to Noah Koenig (202 receiving yards), to lead Regis past Willamina 48-22. Schumacher has 40 touchdown passes for the season, 18 to Koenig. Willamina's Jacob Hadley rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. ...
Irrigon defeated Riverside 68-18 as Mason Harrison passed for 138 yards and four touchdowns – three to Saige Ely -- and rushed for 195 yards and two scores. Lee Harrison rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. … Central Linn outlasted Umatilla 40-36 despite the performance of Vikings quarterback Aaron Villareal, who passed for 262 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a score. … Pablo Galindo passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns – all to Connor Logan (six catches, 182 yards) – to lead Stanfield past Grant Union 54-26. Zander Wright and Alex Logan had five and three sacks, respectively. … Price Martinez rushed for 166 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries in Clatskanie's 31-14 win over Corbett. … Eli Freitag rushed for 283 yards and six touchdowns on 17 carries for Bandon/Pacific, which had 453 rushing yards in a 64-8 win over Reedsport. … Gabe Williamson rushed for 305 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries in Oakland's 46-8 win over North Douglas/Yoncalla. It marked the 100th win for coach Ben Lane, who is in his 14th season at Oakland.
1A-8
Enterprise escaped with a 54-52 win over Perrydale after leading by 18 points in the third quarter. The Pirates rallied to tie 46-46 with four minutes left, but Enterprise got an 11-yard touchdown run by Ashtyn Irwin (137 rushing yards, five touchdowns) and a two-point catch by Tegan Evans to lead 54-46. Perrydale answered with a 64-yard touchdown run by Brandon Lux with two minutes to go, but the two-point pass attempt failed. The Pirates recovered the onside kick but turned the ball over on downs. … Myrtle Point routed Crosspoint Christian 76-16. Billy Reynolds rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, Logan Backman completed all seven of his passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score, Logan Clayburn ran for two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass and Evin Warner had 101 receiving yards with a touchdown catch. …
Connor Dunlea ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on four carries, caught a touchdown pass and threw for a score for Lost River, which drilled Bonanza 49-6. Chase McAuliffe threw two touchdown passes and Emmett O'Brien had two scoring catches for the Raiders, who outgained Bonanza 390-98. … Owen Koegler caught two touchdown passes from Joziah Swift and Tanner Cummings and James Standley scored two touchdowns each to lead Camas Valley past Chiloquin 66-6. Seth Lamell returned an interception for a touchdown. ... St. Paul jumped to a 40-0 lead in the first quarter and defeated Sherman/Condon 53-0. Clay Smith rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on four carries and Diego Medina returned a fumble for a score.
1A-6
Powers held off Elkton 26-19 in a battle of unbeaten teams to win the Special District 2 South division title. Braden Bushnell threw touchdown passes to Jayce Shorb and Patrick Mahmoud, who each had scoring runs. Elkton's Jordyn Nederhood rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. … Eddyville Charter handed Alsea its first loss of the season, winning 40-22 to keep its chances alive for a title in the Special District 2 North division. Darian Schultz passed for six touchdowns, four to Cameron Jenson and two to Preston Segaline. Eddyville can finish tied for first place with Alsea by beating Crow in the regular-season finale. Alsea's Parker Crowe passed for two touchdowns. ...
Days Creek got a monster game from Wyatt Geiger in defeating Riddle 26-18. Geiger returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, passed for a score and had an interception and forced fumble on defense. He made the tackle on a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter to preserve a two-point lead, then ran 17 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 left. Riddle's Jadon Coker rushed for 141 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. … Echo handled Pine Eagle 50-12. Dom Curiel threw for four touchdowns and caught a scoring pass and Keegin Chitty ran for two scores. ... Maison Teel rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in Prairie City/Burnt River's 32-19 win over Harper Charter. Wes Voigt completed 11 of 18 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns and had two tackles for loss.
jerryu@osaa.org
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