What we learned in Week 3 of Oregon high school football
The Oregon high school football season continued last week with Week 3 action around the state. Here's what stood out during the third weekend of action.
Photo by Dan Brood
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Senior QB helps Lakeridge keep pace with Three Rivers League rivals
Lakeridge coach Spencer Phillips has never been shy about giving chances to freshmen and sophomores at key positions.
This year, however, the fourth-year coach went with a veteran behind center to take over for three-year starter Ryan Oliver, selecting senior Gabe Motschenbacher over promising sophomore Drew Weiler.
So far, the decision has paid off for the Pacers, who joined their Three Rivers League brethren by starting the season 3-0 with a 24-10 win Friday at defending Columbia Cup champion Westview.
Motschenbacher hasn’t been flashy, but he’s been proficient. He went 12 of 21 for 211 yards and a touchdown against the Wildcats, improving his numbers to 50 of 72 for 652 yards and five touchdowns — and most important, zero interceptions.
“Gabe has been really great at leading the team and the offense,” Phillips said. “He has made some really big throws and game-changing plays. His understanding of the offense is driving our team.”
But don’t think Phillips stopped giving youngsters immediate chances to produce. One such newcomer is sophomore linebacker Yahkyll Noil, a 6-foot-2, 230-pounder who has stepped into the role previously held by Ethan Biondine, the team’s leading tackler a year ago who transferred to Mililani, Hawaii.
Noil led the team with 19 tackles (five for loss) in its first two games.
“Yahkyll has been great,” Phillips said. “He really had to step up, but he is a very smart and instinctive player.”
Lakeridge’s 3-0 start has kept pace with the rest of the league, which is a combined 18-0 through three weeks, outscoring opponents 561-177. Phillips looks at the strength of the league and some injuries his team has suffered along both lines and knows the grind that lays ahead following the Pacers’ final nonleague game Thursday against Sunset.
“There is a good chance the state champion comes out of this league,” Phillips said. “I just hope we continue to get better each week.”
Red-zone stops show ‘character’ of Lake Oswego’s defense
The Mountainside Mavericks had their own standout sophomore in their backfield in Jordan Hicks, who rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2’s 34-27 victory over Barlow.
So, like the Mavericks did with Lake Oswego sophomore LaMarcus Bell, the Lakers focused their defense on stopping the run, holding Mountainside to 60 yards on the ground in Friday's 28-14 win.
“Our focus every week is just to stop the run,” said senior Tobia Tagliabue, who had a game-high nine tackles. “That’s the main thing. We have some young players, and these (nonleague) games are really going to help us grow as a team.”
Lake Oswego also held the Mavericks twice inside the 5-yard line, taking advantage of an offensive pass interference penalty on the first trip to force a missed field goal attempt, then denying them on fourth down late in the third quarter with the game still in the balance.
“They hurt themselves a little bit, but I was really proud of our kids,” Lakers coach Steve Coury said. “They stepped up when their backs were against the wall. It shows a lot of character, so I’m hoping that keeps developing.”
One negative coming out of the game was the loss of junior linebacker Oliver Macy to an ankle injury late in the first half. Coury said it appeared to be a high ankle sprain and hoped it wouldn’t sideline Macy more than a couple of weeks.
Mountainside a program in transition under first-year coach Lowe
Keanon Lowe returned to the high school ranks this year, taking over for John Mannion, who had led the Mountainside program since the school opened in 2017.
He’s still implementing his schemes with a young group surrounding senior quarterback Alex Ingalls — his top two running backs and leading receiver are sophomores, and junior Jacob Pimental caught both touchdown passes Friday.
“We have a lot of special young players in our program who we’ve asked to do a lot of things,” Lowe said after his team fell to 1-2. “I’m really proud of our guys. These three games they’ve been in were really tough games, really physical games that were back and forth a lot of the time. So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about our group, it's that we’re going to continue to fight until the end.”
Lowe was especially frustrated by his team’s two empty trips to the red zone and watching Victory Orikannu’s game-opening 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown called back for an illegal block.
“That was a big point of emphasis this week, winning on third downs and winning in the red zone,” said Lowe, whose team was 3 of 11 on third-down conversions. “It’s tough to win football games if you can’t score in the red zone. And we had some untimely penalties. We returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and we got called back. That kind of told the story of the whole night. ...
“So, there is a learning process that we’re going through. But at the end of the day, we always expect to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we just didn’t do that today.”
South Salem aerial attack remains potent with return of QB from Sprague
The return of the prodigal quarterback and the blossoming of a star receiver have combined to push South Salem to a second consecutive 3-0 start.
Senior Athan Palmateer, who transferred back after spending last year at Sprague, continued his solid start by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in the Saxons’ 40-6 rout of Grants Pass to open South Central Football Conference play.
Palmateer, who was stuck behind all-state quarterback Daschel Smith on the Saxons’ depth chart two years ago, left for Sprague for his junior season, where he threw for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Since his return to South Salem, Palmateer has thrown for 873 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception in three games, and he’s rushed for four scores.
“He is a very intelligent young man and has done a great job of reacquainting himself with the offense,” coach Scott Dufault said.
Senior Eli Johnson has emerged from the shadows cast by all-state receiver Zach Wusstig and all-leaguer Tini Tinitali. While he had a quiet night against the Cavemen, he started the season with 11 catches for 303 yards and three touchdowns through two games, forming an instant connection with Palmateer.
“Eli has taken advantage of his opportunity this year,” Dufault said. “He gives us a 6-4 option at wide receiver that other teams have to account for.”
While the SCFC isn’t quite at the same level as the Three Rivers League, it has three undefeated teams — and don’t sleep on 2022 Class 6A state finalist Sheldon, which picked up its first win Friday at Sprague after back-to-back blowout defeats in nonconference play.
“We need to continue to improve,” Dufault said as his team prepares to face fellow unbeaten South Medford. “We have a big challenge this week. South Medford is big, athletic and very physical.”
Stingy defense has Newberg in position to battle for conference title
While offense has fueled South Salem’s 3-0 start, Newberg has ridden a stingy defense that has posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since the end of the 2019 season.
In their 49-0 victory over Aloha, the Tigers doubled their season total for turnovers forced, recovering four fumbles and intercepting three passes — two by senior Dylan Portlock, who returned one for a touchdown. Their 13 points allowed trails only Oregon City (six) among 6A schools through three weeks.
The Tigers finish nonconference play this week against Mountainside before kicking off their Pacific slate against fellow unbeaten McMinnville as they bid to win their first full-season league title since 1960 (they won the COVID-shortened spring 2021 crown).
Coach Jeremy Johnson credited the work of his defensive staff — coordinator Dylan Stacy, line coach Andy Bowlby, linebacker coach Brian Martz and backs coach Josh Luciani — for “doing a phenomenal job of getting all our players ready.”
“Our defensive keys thus far have been our preparation, the work our coaches do and the intensity our seniors and leaders bring each day,” Johnson added. “Dylan has poured a ton of time into getting our schemes, our coaches and our players on the same page.”
Senior Nolan Dikeman, a returning all-Pacific Conference first-team selection at defensive end, has been a leader again, including a 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown in Week 1. Other top performers include seniors Walker Hilton (linebacker), Ezra McNamara (defensive tackle) and Isaac Heveron (safety), and junior Austin Phillips (defensive end).
The Tigers have scored three defensive and two special teams touchdowns to help them average 42.3 points in their three victories. Heveron (more than 300 yards rushing) and Hilton (150-plus rushing yards) have formed a solid backfield duo, and Dikeman (200 yards receiving) is the leading receiver at tight end.
“Our kids have an identity on what we are doing on offense,” Johnson said. “We have a number of offensive linemen who work their tails off for a stable of running backs who run hard through tackles.”
The beat goes on at Roosevelt despite graduation, transfer losses
Roosevelt lost several key players to graduation and transfer, including senior linebacker Dexter Foster, now starring at Central Catholic.
And yet the Roughriders continue to roll, thanks to a defense that bounced back from a 35-6 loss to North Salem in Week 1. They shut out Reynolds a week later, then held Jefferson scoreless in the second half to allow them to rally for a 13-12 victory over their North Portland rivals to open PIL play.
The Democrats scored both their touchdowns in the second quarter after taking advantage of short fields set up by fumble recoveries.
They had a chance to take a three-score lead after Roosevelt fumbled on its first drive of the third quarter, but that’s when the Roughriders defense kicked into another gear. Roosevelt coach Ryan McCants praised the play of several players, including seniors Demir Johnson (a transfer from Jefferson) and Ronald Woods and juniors Tau Takau and Jamarrion Causey.
Takau had two sacks, Johnson added another, and Causey intercepted a pass and returned it to the Jefferson 7-yard line with 7:59 to play to set up the winning touchdown.
“They gave us the opportunity to stay in the game, including getting us great field position for the final score,” McCants said.
Junior Dontrell Betts was the extent of Roosevelt’s offense, rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns — including the winner from six yards with 7:19 remaining. The Roughriders went 0 for 8 in the passing game, and McCants knows that can’t hold going forward.
“Our running game is strong, and we’ll need to complete some passes to keep defenses honest,” he said. “But we’re focused on Franklin. It’s too early to talk about a league title.”
Corvallis trades long losing streak for back-to-back wins under new coach
Corvallis coach Thomas Casey took over the program last spring at one of its lowest moments.
The Spartans went 0-9 last year, the first time since 2000 they went winless and the 10th consecutive full season they finished with a losing record (they went 3-2 during the COVID-shortened spring 2021 season).
The first task the 1989 Corvallis graduate undertook upon taking over in March was reshaping a program that won four state championships from 1970-1983 and added a fifth to the trophy case in 2006.
“The biggest challenge was trying to reframe and redirect the culture of the program that currently existed,” Casey said. “We had to get the kids to believe in themselves and instill the core values of the program.”
The Spartans dropped their season opener at West Albany to extend their losing streak to 15. A week later, they ended the streak against the previous team they’d beaten, trouncing Central 48-15.
Friday, they defeated crosstown rival Crescent Valley 21-14, and while Casey isn’t about to declare mission accomplished, he noted the progress the program had made.
“We’re not overly talented or overly deep,” he said. “So, we’re going to be a little unorthodox to put guys in positions to be successful and make plays.”
For example, the Spartans start just one true defensive lineman, yet they sacked Raiders quarterback Rocco McClave three times before his disqualification late in the third quarter for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
It was McClave’s counterpart, junior Axel Prechel, who exemplifies what the Spartans are all about. Casey praised his improvement from a year ago, when Prechel finished second to McClave in the Mid-Willamette Conference in passing yards with 1,996 (12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions).
Through three games, Prechel has thrown for 450 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions, continuing his connection with top receiver Truman Brasfield (21 catches in three games after catching 59 passes a year ago).
“Axel was young like most of the team last year and took his lumps,” Casey said. “His biggest asset right now is his ability to manage the flow of a game.”
Senior RJ Young has emerged to complement him in the running game, going over 100 yards in back-to-back games.
“Our ground game is pretty strong right now,” Casey said. “So, we use Axel’s arm in strategic places.”
Still, Casey knows his team has a long way to go before it can think about challenging for one of the conference’s five Class 5A playoff spots. That starts with a trip this week to Lebanon before two-time defending conference champion (and 2021 state champion) Silverton comes to Bob Holt Stadium in two weeks.
“It’s a little early to say we’re a playoff program,” Casey said. “It’s hard to even say that out loud with a program that hadn’t won since September 2021 before this year.”
South Eugene celebrates first league victory in past four years
A year ago, South Eugene resurrected its football program after a three-year absence, finishing 1-8 under Chad Kessler.
Kessler departed after the season, and his defensive coordinator, Edmund Rivera, took over the program.
Through three weeks, the Axe have doubled their win total and recorded their first Midwestern League win since Week 7 of 2019, defeating Willamette 28-25 at Morrow Field.
The Wolverines beat South Eugene 58-0 last season and had won four of the past five meetings between the teams.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Rivera told KEZI-9 following the game. “I’m happy for the families. I’m happy for the community. I’m happy for the student body, and I’m happy for this school.”
Ontario building off momentum of playoff appearance in return to 4A
It was just four years ago that Ontario underwent a horrific 2019 season, concluding with the program forfeiting a state play-in game after a winless regular season because of injuries whittling the roster to 15 players.
The Tigers dropped to Class 3A last year and enjoyed a renaissance, winning five games and qualifying for the state playoffs, losing in the first round to eventual champion Cascade Christian.
They’ve built off that playoff appearance this season, jumping out to a 3-0 start (their first since 2007) in their return to 4A and averaging a state-leading 59.3 points per game.
“Our team gained a lot of confidence from last season’s success and proved to themselves how good they can be,” coach Greg Simmons said. “A vast majority of our team this season were starters last year, so they’re taking ownership of continuing that success. They worked their tails off to dedicate themselves to the team.”
Senior Ethan Hendrickson led 4A with 402 rushing yards (20 per carry) and eight rushing touchdowns through two weeks, and junior Diego Rodriguez has continued his transition from all-league receiver as a freshman to one of the best 4A quarterbacks in the state.
He threw for more than 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns last year, and in his first two games this season, Rodriguez threw for 424 yards and six scores.
“The awesome thing about Diego is how coachable he is and how positive his attitude is literally every day,” Simmons said. “He’s a football nut, so even when he’s on the sideline, specifically defense, he knows every responsibility of every player and is the most vocal guy on the sideline. Those intangibles aren’t always found in leaders but are crucial for a team’s success.”
The Tigers have one nonleague game remaining against Malheur County neighbor Nyssa before kicking off Greater Oregon League play against Crook County. Then comes a grueling closing stretch that includes a home game against Baker and road games at Pendleton and La Grande.
“We’re ecstatic to be 3-0,” Simmons said. “But with potential is the danger of underachieving. Our players have taken ownership of that. They’re confident, they’re hungry, and they’re ready to own the opportunities the league has to offer. We have to play our best games to make a playoff push, but we’ve got the group to do it.”
North Bend finally shaking off effects of COVID to get to 3-0
For the past three seasons, the North Bend football program suffered from the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Finally, Bulldogs coach Gary Prince can see the light at the end of the tunnel. His team accomplished a couple of firsts since 2019 — the last pre-pandemic season — with its 21-12 victory over Marshfield in the 143rd edition of the Civil War rivalry that dates to 1907.
“For some reason, it took us a little longer than other schools to recover from the COVID environment,” Prince said. “This season, we are fortunate to bring up our numbers in the senior class to 18 kids. A lot of them have been starting since their sophomore season where we went 2-7.
“They have learned a lot during those years, and I am really proud of the resilience they have shown to keep getting back after it and working hard to get better.”
Among those senior leaders is quarterback Cole Hansen, who was 19 of 30 for 214 yards and ran for a touchdown against the Pirates. He has thrown for 690 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions this season.
“Cole has been a warrior for us since his sophomore year,” Prince said. “He has overcome multiple injuries and has always put in the time and effort, not just during the season but the offseason as well.”
While the Bulldogs were happy to end Marshfield’s three-year winning streak in the rivalry (the Pirates still lead the series 89-43-10), Prince knows with nine-time defending league champion Mazama up next and Big Sky Conference games against Ashland and Henley looming to close the season, there’s much remaining to be done.
“The kids, as you could imagine, were ecstatic, and our community really showed up and showed the kids how proud they were of their team,” Prince said. “But while we did get the win, there are still many issues that we have to get worked out. We have to get back to work, shore up our O-line play, and prepare our kids to defend Mazama’s flex-bone offense.”
Elgin looks to shake up Eastern Oregon hierarchy on heels of 3-0 start
For the past three seasons, Adrian and Powder Valley have ruled the roost among Eastern Oregon eight-man football teams.
The Antelopes won 1A state titles in 2019 and 2021, defeating the Badgers in the 2021 final. Last year, Powder Valley was the Eastern Oregon team that advanced the furthest in the state playoffs, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Lost River — which dethroned Adrian in the previous round.
This season sees several teams ready to disrupt the order in the league. One is Elgin, which made its case to win its first league title in more than four decades with a 40-20 victory over Powder Valley to improve to 3-0.
“Powder Valley is always a powerhouse, so this game meant a lot,” said third-year coach Kirt McClure. “Adrian and Powder Valley, that’s the standard. It’s good to get Powder Valley down. It was huge.”
McClure decided this year to junk his previous offense and install the spread to take better advantage of his personnel — specifically senior quarterback Ty McLaughlin, who has blossomed into one of eight-man’s leading signal-callers.
Through three games, he’s rushed for 606 yards and 10 touchdowns and thrown for 398 yards and four scores, fulfilling the promise McClure saw when he moved him behind center as a sophomore.
“I told him, ‘You’re going to be my quarterback,’ and he was like, ‘You sure?’” McClure said. “I said, ‘Yes, I’m sure.’ He’s very smart with his football knowledge and a heck of a runner. He was not the best passer, but we’ve been working on it, and he’s become more accurate. The spread gives him the opportunity to make reads and puts the ball in his hands more.”
McLaughlin also has made a team-high 32 tackles and returned two interceptions for touchdowns, and he has returned a punt for a score.
A couple of seniors, Wyatt Vollman and James Cupp, transferred to Elgin from the west side of the state last year and have stepped up in their second season in the program, and senior receiver Owen Johnson also is a key contributor.
Up front, the Huskies depend on three sophomores on the offensive line, led by 6-2, 250-pounder Joey Hale, who started every game as a freshman and McClure predicts will be an all-state performer by the time his career is over.
“They’re doing a good job of learning the blocking schemes,” said McClure, whose team plays host to longtime rival Imbler this week. “Yes, without Ty, we don’t do a lot of things. But it’s going to take all 26 of us, the coaches, the filmers, the managers, everybody buying into it.”
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