PORTLAND, Ore. — We're on to Round 2 of the high school football playoffs in Oregon and Washington. The tournaments in Oregon are down to the quarterfinals while the state playoffs are officially underway up in Washington after last week's "Week 10" district games.
Here's a look at the matchups this weekend:
Oregon 6A State Championship Tournament
These are all quarterfinal matchups. All games kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 unless otherwise noted.
(8) Jesuit at (1) West Linn
The West Linn Lions are the defending state champions and look primed for a repeat performance. They finished 9-0 against one of the state's toughest schedules, which includes going unbeaten in the gauntlet that is the Three Rivers League. They then took care of West Salem, who had been one of the state's hottest teams, 42-7, in the first round. Quarterback Baird Gilroy won the starting job in fall camp and had a monster season, finishing third in the state in passing yards for 6A. He also threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns against West Salem last week. There's an all-star cast around him on both sides of the ball. Gus Donnerberg and Danny Wideman finished among the state's leaders in receiving yards, while Hunter Haines was among the state's best on defense and contributed on offense. Whomever beats this team will do so by making no mistakes, keeping their emotions in check and having more than a few bounces go their way.
Is that team the Jesuit Crusaders? They weren't able to do it during the regular season, falling 43-14 at West Linn, part of an 0-4 start to the season for Jesuit. But that was all the way back in Week 3 and that 0-4 start was against some heavy hitters, all of whom are still alive in the playoffs. The Crusaders have since rattled off six straight wins, again claiming dominance over the Metro League and then picking up a 34-28 win over Lake Oswego in the first round. Senior running back Lonnie Burt ran for 164 yards on 32 carries in the victory. He credited the offensive line, a unit that improved dramatically over the season after getting dominated by Skyview in Week 1. They'll have to play well if they want to get to the semifinals.
The winner of this game advances to meet the winner of the Lakeridge-Central Catholic game.
(5) Lakeridge at (4) Central Catholic, at Hillsboro Stadium
It wasn't easy, but the Lakeridge Pacers got it done in the first round over Sheldon. Running back Noah Tishendorf's fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Pacers their first lead en route to a 13-10 win. Tishendorf filled in for Ansu Sanoe, who's missed the past few weeks with an injury (he'll be out again this week). Both backs are part of a loaded sophomore class as the program works to claim a spot among the state's best. The Pacers finished the regular season 7-2, getting a strong season from senior QB Gabriel Motschenbacher, who finished fourth in the state in passing. It doesn't hurt that he has USC commit Joey Olsen and a talented group of receivers to throw to.
The Central Catholic Rams are the No. 4 seed in these playoffs, even though many analysts believe it's a neck-and-neck battle between them and West Linn to be the state's best team. So why are they only the 4 seed? The OSAA's formula used for seeding rewards strength of schedule. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Mount Hood Conference does not provide them with a strong schedule. They mowed through league competition, scoring an average of 57 points a game. They continued that streak in the first round of the playoffs, beating North Medford 56-0 (Lakeridge may be the best team the Rams have faced all season). Like West Linn, Central Catholic has a list of all-stars on its roster, including senior quarterback Cru Newman, who finished ninth in the state in passing (he took a lot of second halves off) and sophomore running back Tyson Davis, who ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns on only THREE carries in the win over North Medford. The Rams' defense also forced five turnovers, including Cade Gehlen's interception return for a score.
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(11) Tigard at (3) Sherwood
The Tigard Tigers went 4-5 in the regular season, going winless in the insanely tough Three Rivers League after starting the season 4-0. But they bounced back in a big way to open the playoffs with a 17-0 win on the road over South Salem. The Tigers' defense shut out a South Salem team that had averaged 50 points a game. Tigard forced three turnovers in the red zone and blocked a field goal to earn the shutout. On offense, quarterback Gavyn Simmons threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yard strike to Roman Martin to get the win.
Speaking of shutouts, the Sherwood Bowmen had SEVEN of them this season. After giving up 21 points to West Salem in Week 1, the Bowmen defense didn't allow another point until the second half of their 41-8 win over Oregon City in the first round (Liberty scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in Week 9 to end the shutout streak). Sherwood allowed just 135 yards of total offense by Oregon City. Combined with a solid offense led by senior quarterback Kasen Covert, that's a recipe for a lot of success. The winner of this game meets the winner of Nelson-Tualatin.
(10) Nelson at (2) Tualatin
No matter what happens going forward, the 2023 Nelson Hawks can say they made history. Their 48-8 win over Wells in the first round was the school's first playoff win ever. In just its third year as a program, Nelson has established itself in the upper tiers of 6A football. Their only losses this year came to West Linn and Central Catholic. Junior quarterback Avirey Durdahl finished fifth in the state in passing yards, while senior RB Eddy Keomany finished ninth in rushing yards. But this is a really balanced offense. Seven different players scored in their first-round win over Wells. Their defense isn't bad, either. Junior Noah Boria finished the regular season with four interceptions, while junior Dominic Macon forced three fumbles for a team that forced a lot of turnovers.
The big news for the Tualatin Timberwolves is that quarterback Nolan Keeney is back. After suffering a broken collarbone in Week 4, he missed the second half of the regular season. But in the first round last week, he looked like he hadn't missed any time, throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the T-Wolves' 49-3 win over Roosevelt, with 185 of those yards going to wide receiver AJ Noland, who was back to catching passes instead of throwing them. He filled in at quarterback while Keeney recovered. With their star quarterback back, the Timberwolves believe they can beat anyone
Oregon 6A Columbia Cup
For a second straight year, the OSAA broke its 32-team playoff field in half. Seeds 17-32 are playing for the Columbia Cup. Here are the second-round matchups.
(24) Barlow at (17) Liberty, 7 p.m.
(21) Sunset at (20) Mountainside, 7 p.m.
(22) Clackamas at (19) Newberg, 7 p.m.
(26) North Salem at (18) South Medford, 6 p.m.
- Note: after an ugly situation ended last week's Jefferson/South Medford game early, the OSAA awarded the win to South Medford, which was up 34-0 when the fight broke out.
Oregon 5A State Championship Tournament
These are all quarterfinal matchups. All games kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 unless otherwise noted.
(8) Thurston at (1) Wilsonville
The Wilsonville Wildcats are the No. 1 seed, and have dominated their competition for most of the season. They had few problems with Crater in the first round, a 42-7 win for the Wildcats. Quarterback Kallen Gutridge threw for 353 and six touchdowns in the win. This matchup has a chance to be a high-octane game. Thurston quarterback Noah Blair threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns as the Colts beat Dallas in the first round. Blair and Gutridge finished first and second in the state in passing yards and touchdowns; Blair won the yardage race, but Gutridge threw for more scores. These teams met back in Week 1, a 44-15 win for Wilsonville, but Thurston has picked up the pace offensively. Thurston has won the past three playoff meetings between the two schools, including the 2018 championship game and the 2021 semifinals. The winner of this game advances to meet the winner of the Lebanon-Summit game.
(13) Lebanon at (4) Summit
The Lebanon Warriors pulled off the upset in the first round, beating Springfield 14-13. After starting 0-3, they've won six of their past seven games. Brison Edwards threw touchdown passes to Hayden George and Owen Cline on offense, and the Warriors defense came through with four stops in the red zone to earn the win. They'll take on the defending state champs in Bend. The Summit Storm escaped their first-round matchup with Canby, getting a stop on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minutes to hold off The Cougars. The Storm rebounded after a 1-3 start to the season to finish 5-4 (they lost a lot of contributors off their championship team to graduation). Quarterback Jimmy Hughes finished sixth in the state in passing yards to lead the Summit, which won five of its past six games.
(6) Hillsboro at (3) Mountain View
The Hillsboro Spartans won their first playoff game since 2010 with a 28-8 win over McKay in the first round. Touchdown runs from Skyler Salzman, who had 109 yards rushing, and Preston Echeverria fueled the win. The Spartans now have to travel to Bend to face off with an undefeated Mountain View team. The Cougars gave up 46 points throughout the regular season. On offense, quarterback Connor Crum finished sixth in the state with 19 touchdown passes. The winner of this game advances to meet the winner of the West Albany-Silverton game.
(7) West Albany at (2) Silverton
These Mid-Willamette Conference rivals actually met back in Week 8, a 49-28 win for Silverton. The Foxes finished the season undefeated in the crowded Mid-Willamette. Quarterback Sawyer Teeney finished seventh in the state in passing yards, fueling an offense that averaged 45 points a game. They took care of Hood River Valley 44-7 in the first round. West Albany finished the season 7-2, then beat Caldera 25-2 in the first round. Quarterback Lukas Hews was also among the state's top passers in 5A, finishing fourth in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes.
Washington 4A State Playoffs
(14) Mount Si at (3) Camas | Saturday, Nov. 11, 5 p.m.
After a one-point loss to Yelm in Week 1 (an 8-7 final score), the Camas Papermakers have rattled off nine straight wins, claiming the 4A Greater St. Helens League. They had no trouble in the Week 10 District playoffs, getting a 56-7 over Federal Way. Quarterback Jake Davidson threw to five different receivers for 254 yards and the Camas defense clamped down on the Federal Way offense early. Camas jumped out to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter. The Papermakers will host a Mount Si team that went 6-3 in the regular season, good for third place in the Kingco League. The Wildcats got a 39-14 win over Glacier Peak in the Week 10 playoffs to earn a spot at state.
(12) Skyline at (5) Skyview | Saturday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.
Good luck to the poor announcers who have to call this game (fearless prediction: a "Sky" team will win this one). The Skyview Storm finished the regular season 8-1, led by a stellar defense that gave up an average of just under five points a game. That defense has been paired with an offense that's gotten better all year long. They took care of Bethel 49-21 in the Week 10 playoffs. Wide receiver Gavin Packer scored four touchdowns in the win, including a 98-yard kickoff return to open the second half. Quarterback Jake Kennedy threw six touchdown passes in the win. They face a Skyline Spartans team that finished 6-3 in the regular season, second place in the Kingco League. They got past Puyallup 25-22 in the Week 10 playoffs.
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