HILLSBORO – Up against the ropes in the third quarter Friday night, Lake Oswego was saved by the Bell.
With the Lakers facing 1st-and-33 from the five-yard line, junior running back LaMarcus Bell came through with the play of the game to rescue the top-seeded Lakers in a 6A Open football semifinal against reigning champion Central Catholic at Hillsboro Stadium.
Bell broke loose for an 82-yard run – setting up his go-ahead three-yard touchdown run – as Lake Oswego took control and held on for a 33-24 win to advance to the state championship game for the first time in five years.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Bell rushed for 255 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries, delivering the final blow on a 13-yard score with 1:18 left in the game.
“Best player in the state, no question,” Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury said. “He takes stuff on his own shoulders. He takes the game over. We were backed up, and looking grim, and things were going the wrong way, and he does what he does. He's phenomenal.”
The No. 5 Rams (11-1) did not have an answer for Bell.
“He's legit. That's a legit D-I guy,” Central Catholic senior receiver and defensive back Landon Kelsey said of Bell. “Our defense couldn't stop him. We game-planned for him and everything. He was just out there making plays himself, breaking tackles and stuff. All the credit to him.”
Bell increased his season totals to 1,630 yards and 26 touchdowns.
“That guy is so special, it's incredible,” Lakers junior receiver Jalen Bauman said. “I'm so proud of everything he's accomplished so far. He's only getting better every single week. That dude just keeps on grinding. And his work ethic is unmatched.”
Bell was determined to lead the Lakers to the final.
“It's amazing. We manifested it,” Bell said. “We've been saying it since the beginning of the season, this is where we want to do. We want to get that ring.”
The Lakers (11-0), who last won a state title in 2018, will face No. 2 West Linn (10-1) in the championship game. They handed the Lions their only loss this season, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 21-17 in a Three Rivers League game.
“It's hard to beat a team twice,” Bell said. “We've got to go in there expecting to win. We've got to have confidence. Keep on going.”
Central Catholic, which won the championship in three of the last four postseasons, had the upper hand in the third quarter Friday. The Rams opened the second half with an 80-yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior Robbie Long to Kelsey, to lead 24-18.
When the Lakers got the ball back, they committed three consecutive penalties and seemed to be reeling, backed up deep in their own end.
“We had them where we wanted them,” Kelsey said.
“We looked a little flustered,” Coury said.
But that's when Bell's run up the right sideline changed everything. After he finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, and junior Hudson Gasperson kicked the extra point, Lake Oswego led 25-24 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.
“I did feel the shift,” Bauman said. “Everybody, we could feel the whole crowd. The whole energy from the whole stadium just felt like it was on our side.”
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers took 7:25 off the clock on a drive that reached the Central Catholic 3-yard line. But on fourth-and-goal from the 3, junior quarterback Hudson Kurland's pass was batted down by 6-foot-7 senior defensive lineman Zac Stascausky, energizing the Rams.
Central Catholic took over with 3:09 left in the game, trailing 25-24. But five plays later, as Long set up to pass, the Rams were called for an illegal block in the end zone, giving the Lakers a safety to make it 27-24 with 2:00 left.
“In a lot of interviews, they said our defense was OK,” said Bell, who also plays defensive back. “We got the safety, proved them wrong.”
The Rams tried a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Bauman easily covered the ball after a bounce. Two Central Catholic personal fouls moved the ball into the red zone, where Bell ran for a 13-yard touchdown as the lead grew to 33-24 with 1:18 to go.
Lakers sophomore Summit Cvitash intercepted a deep ball at the Lake Oswego 2-yard line with 47 seconds left to seal the win.
The Lakers finished with a 415 total yards, 330 on the ground.
“They're big and physical, and we knew that going in,” Coury said of the Rams. “Our kids matched up with them really well. We ran the ball. That was the plan. As long as they were going to stay in coverage, we'd run the ball. And LaMarcus, getting him the ball makes a coach look pretty good.”
Bell's five-yard touchdown run gave Lake Oswego a 7-0 lead, but the Rams surged ahead 17-7 after the first quarter. They got a 31-yard field goal by junior Mario Martinez-Ibarra, a four-yard touchdown run by senior Ty Newbury (set up by an interception by junior Cole Thomas) and a 63-yard scoring pass from Long to senior D'Marieon Gates.
The Lakers rebounded to lead 18-17 at half. Bell ran for a three-yard touchdown and Liam Davis, the holder on the extra-point attempt, ran for a two-point conversion. Gasperson booted a 24-yard field in the final minute of the half.
Central Catholic, which gained 339 yards, was plagued by penalties on both sides of the ball. A personal foul negated a one-yard touchdown run by Long, forcing the Rams to settle for a field goal on their first drive of the game.
“I feel like we played our hearts out. We had a few calls that were on us,” Kelsey said. “A lot of those penalties led to first downs, giving them extra possessions. You can't have that.”
Long completed 14 of 23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Kelsey caught eight passes for 112 yards and one touchdown and Gates had four catches for 87 yards and one score.
jerryu@osaa.org
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