What we learned in Week 9 of Oregon high school football
The Oregon high school football regular season concluded last week with Week 9 action around the state. Here's what stood out during the ninth weekend of action.
Photo by Alex Tam
—
‘We haven’t forgotten.’ Lake Oswego ready to avenge 2021 playoff loss to Jesuit
Lake Oswego senior Tobia Tagliabue was a backup linebacker two years ago when the Lakers took on Jesuit in the most recent edition of one of the best playoff rivalries in the state.
One mention of the Lakers’ first-round 6A playoff opponent Friday was all it took to bring back bitter memories.
“We definitely have a chip on our shoulders from when they upset us in 2021,” Tagliabue said, referring to the Crusaders’ 56-49 victory when Lake Oswego was the No. 1 seed. “We haven’t forgotten about it.”
The two storied programs have met seven times in the postseason since 2008, with the Lakers owning a 5-2 advantage — including three consecutive victories from 2017-19.
“There was one team that I wanted another shot at. That team was Jesuit, and now it’s real,” said Tagliabue, an all-state selection a year ago. “I am more than excited to play these guys.”
The matchup didn’t seem possible a month ago, when the Lakers started the season 4-0 while the Crusaders sat 0-4. Since then, Lake Oswego went 2-3 in the rugged Three Rivers League, while Jesuit ran the table to win a 10th consecutive Metro League title.
Still, Lake Oswego finished No. 6 in the OSAA rankings and Jesuit was No. 10. That’s when OSAA bracketing rules played a hand in bringing these rivals together again — as a league champion with a top-16 ranking, the Crusaders were guaranteed a first-round home game, necessitating a bump up to No. 8 in the rankings.
South Salem (No. 7) and Wells (No. 8) were also league champions, so they also were guaranteed home games, and Jesuit’s rise pushed them up one spot each. The odd team out was Lake Oswego, which dropped to No. 9.
“Personally, I think that we should have been a higher seed,” Tagliabue said. “But a matchup against Jesuit is something that I have wanted for a while. It’s another tough game for us. No one takes this rivalry lightly, and it will be a battle down to the last minute of the game.”
Grants Pass sweats out late night to find itself in Columbia Cup
Once the final whistle blew Friday night on Grants Pass’ 7-3 loss to Roseburg in both teams’ regular-season finale, the Cavemen started looking anxiously at the OSAA rankings page.
They started the evening No. 25 in the rankings, which seemingly meant they were safe regardless of what happened against Roseburg.
Then, coach Brad Page watched as his team steadily dropped in the rankings. By 10:30 p.m., when the rankings were supposed to have frozen, they’d dropped to No. 33 — the first team out of the playoffs.
An hour later, and a refresh of the page revealed they’d switched places with Westview. Grants Pass was now the last team in the Columbia Cup field, while the defending Cup champion Wildcats were out.
“Settling in as the last team in was a relief and a little bit of a gut punch, knowing how close we were to potentially even having a home playoff game if we would have won,” said Page, whose team will play at Columbia Cup top seed Liberty on Friday in Hillsboro.
“Regardless, we are juiced for the opportunity to keep playing. Our schedule has been very difficult, and our team has been able to get invaluable reps this season.”
The Cavemen have relied on a couple of youngsters — sophomore Nathan Bassett and freshman Jordan Rossetta — behind center this season, and getting at least one more week of practice could pay dividends beyond this Columbia Cup.
“This type of experience is priceless,” Page said. “We are building for the future of our program, so all this experience helps our younger players. Playoff competition against an unfamiliar opponent is such a great opportunity to get better.”
Page also has no illusions about what his 2-7 team faces this week. The Falcons finished second in the Pacific Conference to Sherwood and enter the Columbia Cup with a 6-3 record.
But he also watched North Salem, another South Central Football Conference team, make a run to the Cup final last year as the 28th seed, and he believes his team is capable of a similar run.
“There is a lot of parity in this bracket, and it should be exciting to see what all shakes out,” Page said. “Liberty is a good program. They play hard and are physical.
“But we are confident in our ability to still make a run in this bracket. This week will be one of the biggest hurdles to do that. We need to unite and continue to build off the good that we have done this season. When our guys play with heart, we can compete at an extremely high level.”
Hood River Valley survives final night to return to 5A playoffs
Hood River Valley coach Caleb Sperry had the same experience as Page, only the equation for Sperry’s Eagles came down to this:
Was a 21-7 loss to Hillsboro in Thursday’s NWOC district seeding game worth more than Forest Grove’s 45-28 win Friday over Centennial?
In the end, it was — barely. Hood River Valley edged the Vikings by one spot in the final OSAA rankings to claim the conference’s final berth in the 5A state playoffs.
It wasn’t quite as wild a ride to the postseason for the Eagles as last year, but at least a year ago, they controlled their fate on the field.
“I’m not sure nervous is the right descriptor as we waited,” Sperry said. “There isn’t much you can do as it comes down to computers. We are excited for the opportunity and proud we did what we had to do to earn a spot in the playoffs.”
One similarity for Hood River Valley this fall is the daunting challenge awaiting the Eagles in Round 1. Last year, it was No. 1 seed Summit, which went on to win the state title. This year, it’s No. 2 Silverton, which allowed 14.1 points per game (second-best in 5A) en route to a 9-0 record and the outright Mid-Willamette Conference title.
“Silverton has been playing at a high level for a long time,” Sperry said. “Watching them on film shows they are an elite team.”
The Eagles have relied on a young, rebuilt offensive line to protect junior quarterback Davis Parr (534 passing yards, 10 touchdowns) and open holes for senior Ethan Rivera (632 rushing yards, seven touchdowns).
“Offensively, we will need to sustain drives to keep their offense off the field,” Sperry said. “Defensively, we will need to limit their big plays and make them earn what they get. It will be a tall task, but as I said, we are excited for the opportunity.”
Ashland turns potential into first playoff berth since 2019
After Ashland’s Week 6 loss to Marshfield dropped the Grizzlies to 1-3 in Big Sky Conference play, the players started working out all the potential playoff tiebreaker scenarios.
Job 1 was to defeat North Bend in their home finale — and do so by significant margin. Job 2 was not to stumble against Klamath Union in their season finale.
They took care of both those tasks, beating the Bulldogs 44-20 and the Pelicans 41-0. Then, everything else fell in place. Henley rallied to beat North Bend, meaning Ashland would win the tiebreaker for fourth place.
Up north, Cascade won its finale against Stayton, clinching third place in the Oregon West Conference, meaning Ashland and Philomath were the only eligible teams for 4A’s lone at-large berth. The Grizzlies’ superior OSAA ranking gave them the spot.
Considering the journey they’d taken since their last playoff trip in 2019 — canceling their varsity season in 2020, going winless in 2021, dropping to 4A and finishing 2-7 last year — the bus ride home from Klamath Falls was a jubilant one.
“It’s exciting,” Ashland coach Beau Lehnerz said. “This is all a new experience for all the kids. We really felt good about this team’s potential and had goals for a deep playoff run. As we know, potential only gets you so far. We are happy to be in the playoffs, but not satisfied.”
One player starting to fulfill his potential is junior quarterback JoJo Harrower, who threw for 1,813 yards and 20 touchdowns before sitting out last week’s game at Klamath Union.
“JoJo has got a lot of great weapons on the team, so we have been stressing making the easy play and let the playmakers make something happen,” Lehnerz said. “He has done a good job with that, while also making some throws that make you say, ‘Wow!’”
The Grizzlies’ reward for making the postseason is a lengthy bus ride up I-5 to take on Cowapa tri-champion Scappoose in Round 1. Scappoose was ranked No. 1 in the SBLive Oregon 4A media poll for much of the season and is the No. 4 seed in the 4A bracket.
“We have our work cut out for us,” Lehnerz said. “I think there are some similarities between the teams in regards to schemes and players. We are looking forward to heading up north and giving it our best.”
Eastern Oregon 3A champion Vale gets No. 7 seed, first-round rematch
The OSAA rankings haven’t given Vale much credit for its dominance over its Eastern Oregon competition the past three years.
The Vikings won their third consecutive Eastern Oregon League title this season, going undefeated — including wins over Greater Oregon League champion Baker and Melba, Idaho, which went 7-2 and qualified for the IDHSAA 2A playoffs.
Vale, however, received the No. 7 seed in the 3A playoffs — slightly better than the No. 8 it got last year and matching its seventh seed in 2021.
It comes as no surprise to Vikings coach Jeff Aldred. What did surprise him was to learn his team’s first-round opponent would be Santiam Christian, which Vale defeated 46-6 in both teams’ season opener Sept. 2.
“Matching up with SC again will be interesting,” he said. “I am glad that we are playing the game in Vale.”
The Vikings battled some injuries during the middle of the season but appear to be close to 100% heading to the playoffs.
Their defense is surely in peak form. They posted three consecutive shutouts to close the regular season, including a 59-0 victory over Nyssa in the annual Black and Blue Bowl — the sixth consecutive year they claimed the wagon wheel trophy — in which they held the Bulldogs to minus-38 yards and one first down.
“Definitely a highlight for our defense,” Aldred said.
The Vikings returned nine defensive starters, and players such as senior defensive back Brooks Haueter and senior linebacker Colten Stepleton (both all-state selections as juniors) were joined by junior lineman Jake DeVos, junior linebacker Damick Eddy and senior defensive back Leland Tamez to form a unit that allowed 43 points all season and held Santiam Christian, Baker and Burns to their season-low point total.
“Our defense has been lights-out all season,” Aldred said. “We have a great mix of size, speed and athleticism, and we are also very versatile.”
Stepleton doubles as the team’s starting quarterback and has completed 63.3% of his passes (69 of 109) for 1,239 yards and 20 touchdowns, with Haueter (25 catches, 401 yards, four touchdowns) his top target. Junior Kase Schaffeld has a team-high 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Regis ready to show it deserved better than No. 4 seed
After Regis won the Class 2A state championship in 2016, the Rams went through some lean times. They won only one game the following season and didn’t return to the playoffs until 2021.
Another coaching change — their fourth in a five-year span — brought Joe Manibusan to the helm last season alongside Alex King, and in his first season, Manibusan helped lead the Rams to a share of the Tri-River Conference title and a state quarterfinal appearance.
This year, Manibusan took the reins alone, and with senior quarterback Kollin Schumacher leading the show, the Rams ran the table for their first TRC outright crown since 2016 and the No. 4 seed in the state playoffs.
“The biggest thing for us is consistency,” Manibusan said. “Getting kids to buy into our program was the biggest hurdle, and a group of now-seniors that have put in the work on and off the field really showing their dedication to the sport and team. They really are showing the younger generation how to be a Regis Ram. Family is everything.”
The Rams, like another Catholic school up north, feel a bit snubbed by their No. 4 seed in the final bracket. Manibusan told his players to channel their frustration into their play.
“We did everything possible to put us where we need to be, but we can’t control the computer rankings,” he said. “So, that’s the hand we are dealt. It just feels like we have a chip on our shoulders that just got bigger.”
Schumacher (2,050 passing yards, 35 touchdowns) and classmate Noah Koenig (35 catches, 758 yards, 15 touchdowns) have developed a special connection this year, but five Rams have double-digit catches in their spread passing attack.
Defensively, Regis has allowed the third-fewest points in 2A, with Koenig (11 tackles for loss, 10 sacks) and fellow seniors Charlie Miller (five interceptions) and Thomas Bischoff (eight tackles for loss) the big names.
They’ll be tested in Friday’s first round by Stanfield, which defeated Irrigon last week to secure its first playoff berth since 2016 and runs an offense predicated on plenty of misdirection plays.
“The biggest thing we have to do is limit our mistakes and put together four full quarters,” Manibusan said.
Adrian enjoying life as a hunter after graduation of Martin brothers
When Adrian won back-to-back OSAA 1A eight-man state championships in 2019 and 2021, the Antelopes became used to having a target on their back, winning 26 consecutive games over those two seasons.
Last year, they were caught by eventual champion Lost River in the quarterfinals, and this season, they enter the postseason 6-3 and as the No. 6 seed, which suits longtime coach Billy Wortman just fine.
He gets one more home game against Camas Valley on Saturday afternoon, with a potential rematch with Myrtle Point in the quarterfinals — the third-seeded Bobcats beat Adrian 54-46 at the season-opening Dufur 8-Man Classic.
“Wherever you sit in a 12-team bracket, you are inevitably going to face the best of the best in the quarterfinals if you win,” Wortman said. “We’ve had plenty of rumbles with Camas Valley over the years. It’s going to take an all-out effort to match their physicality and deceptive pass game.”
This season is the first for Adrian not to have one of the Martin brothers — Conley and Jace, who combined for eight all-state selections — since 2017, and Wortman acknowledged it’s been a transition for the Antelopes.
He likened it to 2016, when the team had to adapt after a two-year group that brought home a state title in 2014 and reached the semifinals as the No. 1 seed in 2015.
He looks at players such as senior quarterback/linebacker Jace Bateman, a three-year starter who played on the 2021 champion, and Danny Skerjanec, another senior who has anchored the line at center and nose guard.
To replace Jace Martin’s production in the backfield, he’s turned to four backs — senior Edgar Amaral, juniors Colten Bayes and Rance Jordan, and sophomore Silvestre Rico.
“We suffered a few losses, but we feel like we learned more from those than we did our wins,” Wortman said. “Conley and Jace had special careers, and we expect others to follow suit.”
—
