By René Ferrán | For The Oregonian/OregonLive
Photos by Chase Allgood, Taylor Balkom, Amanda Loman, Serena Morones, Leon Neuschwander, Rockne Roll and Ken Waz
A No. 22 seed knocks out a league co-champion. A somehow-still-underrated squad notches its third consecutive shutout. A program earns a playoff victory 79 years in the making.
Here are 15 things that stood out in Round 1 of the Oregon high school football playoffs ...
‘We are a top-8 team.’ Lakeridge makes its case with first-round win at Beaverton
If you go by the OSAA rankings, the biggest surprise in Round 1 of the Class 6A state playoffs took place at Beaverton, where No. 22 seed Lakeridge defeated the Metro co-champion Beavers 48-27.
The Pacers have as much individual talent as any team in the state, but they were rocked just before the season by the sudden resignation of coach Elvis Akpla to join his fiancée in Missouri. They then went through a roller coaster of a season, highlighted by a Week 2 win over Clackamas but ending with a three-game losing streak and a 3-6 record.
But coach Forrest Sherman knew his team had one of the toughest schedules in the state, with eight opponents who made the playoffs and a Canby team that showed great improvement throughout the season. As the Pacers’ regular-season finale against Lake Oswego approached and they studied possible first-round opponents, they liked what they saw.
“Our core belief is we are a top-eight team in this state, regardless of wins and losses,” Sherman said. “Our league being so tough did nothing but prepare us to go into the playoffs with confidence that we could beat a higher-ranked team from another conference.”
That ended up being Beaverton, and Sherman felt the matchup couldn’t have worked out better.
“We feel we’ve played our best games against passing teams,” Sherman said, and the Beavers, led by senior quarterback Carson Budke and two all-state caliber receivers in Trent Walker and Cody Davidson, fit that bill.
The Pacers built a 28-13 halftime lead, then blew the game open in the third quarter with touchdown runs by Caiden Biege-Wetherbee and Jalen John, followed by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Justice to Matt Petersen.
“The downs from our season can beat you or make you,” Sherman said. “We used the losses as motivation and developed the mindset that whatever happened during the regular season was already in the past. The playoffs were a new season to start over with a clean slate.”
Next for the Pacers is a road game against another Metro co-champion in Aloha, the No. 6 seed that has scored a Class 6A-leading 464 points with a high-powered aerial attack fueled by senior quarterback Tim Dennis Jr. and all-state caliber receivers Regan Wilson and Tanner Volk.
Sound familiar?
“We like their team. They have a lot of good athletes and talent, so we are excited for the opportunity to go against them,” Sherman said.
“We feel like we do a good job defending the pass, so we’re looking for some fun competition. We just need to play sound, disciplined football in the secondary and challenge our front guys to get pressure on the quarterback.”
Mistakes prove costly as Beaverton’s season comes to an end
In the other locker room, Beavers coach Bob Boyer still was a bit stunned after watching his team, which won its first Metro title in the past 16 years, flame out in the first round.
The Beavers fumbled away the opening kickoff, and after Davidson intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback, the Pacers answered with an interception by Matt Petersen to set up a 4-yard touchdown run by John.
Later in the first quarter, Ty Glumbik returned an interception for a score to put the Pacers up 21-7. The Beavers turned the ball over six times.
“We had a great week of practice. We just didn’t have it that night, and I’m not sure why,” Boyer said a day later. “We made too many mistakes early and couldn’t get it back.”
Still, Boyer couldn’t have been prouder of what his team accomplished this season.
“These kids have played great all year,” he said. “We exceeded what we thought we could do, and this final game won’t define them as a team or players.
“The seniors really set great examples for the younger guys in terms of leadership and effort, and I’m really going to miss this group.”
Newberg defense posts third consecutive shutout
Without much fanfare, the Newberg defense has transformed into the stingiest unit in Class 6A. The Tigers have allowed 11.5 points per game and posted five shutouts, extending their shutout streak to 153 minutes in a 28-0 victory over South Medford in their first home playoff game in the past 19 years.
“Our success has come by great team defense,” Newberg coach Kevin Hastin said. “All 11 are flying to the ball and being physical.”
Two players, though, stand out as first among equals. Senior defensive end Harrison Hess was named Pacific Conference co-defensive lineman of the year after recording 10 tackles for loss, including a team-high seven sacks, and junior linebacker Connor Croskrey leads the Tigers with 88 tackles, including 13 for loss and five sacks, as well as three interceptions.
The defense will face an extreme test this week against No. 4 Central Catholic, which routed Southridge 63-21 in its first-round matchup and ranks behind only Aloha in Class 6A scoring at 46 points per game. Stanford commit Silas Starr averages 24.1 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns, leading a balanced receiving corps with six players with double-digit receptions.
“Central Catholic is a very talented team that’s playing good ball, and we’re excited for the challenge,” Hastin said. “They have great speed on the perimeter, which means we must have great discipline on defense. Our team speed is definitely going to be tested this week.”
North Medford escapes in overtime and gets shot at Tualatin with star running back returning
The game of the night in Class 6A took place in Medford, where No. 10 North Medford hoped to avoid the fate its crosstown rival suffered a year ago, when Reynolds traveled south and stunned South Medford in the first round.
The Raiders again made the long trek down Interstate 5 as the No. 23 seeds and nearly pulled another shocker, but the Black Tornado escaped with a 55-49 overtime victory to advance in the playoffs for the first time in the past five years.
It was a back-and-forth contest that saw North Medford take a 28-13 lead, then trail 41-28 entering the fourth quarter and 49-42 after Reynolds senior Reggie Akles scored on a 55-yard run with 4 minutes remaining.
The Black Tornado promptly marched down the field, with Brennan Stults hitting Jett Carpenter for a 9-yard touchdown with 1:16 left. In overtime, after stopping Reynolds on a fourth-and-3 play, Stults quickly put an end to the festivities, hitting sophomore JV callup Bryce Dyer on the ensuing play for his seventh touchdown pass of the night.
North Medford won with Southwest Conference rushing champion Devin Bradd serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from a Week 9 victory over South Medford. Bradd and his 1,513 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns will be back for this week’s game at No. 7 Tualatin, which shrugged off a slow start to defeat Westview 69-27.
“The matchup this week will be interesting for us,” Black Tornado coach Steve Turner said. “They have balance, which makes things difficult. They have a power running game that goes well with a really good passing game. We will have to match their physical play on both sides of the ball.”
Liberty fights for its life and comes through with big rally at Grant
Three hundred miles north of Spiegelberg Stadium at Franklin High School, another Class 6A first-round cliffhanger unfolded, as No. 18 Liberty rallied from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat PIL champion Grant 52-49.
The Falcons tied the score 49-49 on an 85-yard pass from Hiro Diamond to Cole Smith with 51 seconds remaining. The Generals tried to get into field goal range, but Jaxson Lake intercepted a pass and returned it to the Grant 21. Kane McNabb then made a 27-yard field goal with 1.9 seconds left.
It was just the latest thriller for the Falcons, who have more than 36 points in each of their seven victories, including wild contests against South Medford (53-41), Oregon City (42-33) and Lincoln (37-34).
“We’ll take wins any way they come,” Liberty coach Eric Mahlum said. “What’s in our DNA is that our kids understand that you have to earn everything you get, never quit, and fight for each other until the end.
“It absolutely helps to have played in a number of close games. Some we’ve won and some we’ve lost, but our kids have a belief that if it’s close, we’re going to win. Even down by 21 points (Friday), the energy on the sideline remained positive throughout.”
The reward for the Falcons is a matchup with No. 2 seed Jesuit, which received three rushing touchdowns from Ted Atkinson and two by Kade Wisher in a 56-9 first-round victory over Oregon City. The Crusaders have reached the quarterfinals every year since 2008.
Jesuit and Liberty were Metro League rivals in 2004-05 and again in 2016-17, with the Crusaders winning all four previous meetings.
“There is a reason they are always at or near the top of the state standings every year,” Mahlum said. “They are always a well-coached, hard-nosed football team. I’m not sure there is a clear answer on how to get a handle on their running attack. I know for us, we’ll just get back to work and put in a great week’s work to prepare for Jesuit and give them everything we can.”
Quarterback change paying dividends for Mountainside
Three weeks ago, Mountainside coach John Mannion faced a dilemma.
His quarterback, junior Justin Hughes, was playing well, but coming off a second consecutive loss and with injuries costing the Mavericks running back EJ Broussard and wide receiver Yule Schrock, Mannion made the decision to install his son, Brian, as the starting signal-caller and shift the versatile Hughes to receiver.
“It was a matter of how to fit the team together at that time,” Coach Mannion said. “Justin is as good a football player as there is in the state, but in terms of the evolving needs that were there for our team, we could utilize Justin better at some other spots offensively.”
Even with Broussard (shoulder) and Schrock back, Brian Mannion stayed under center Friday night, when the fruits of that change were on display as the Mavericks won the program's first playoff game, defeating 2017 champion Clackamas 17-7 in the No. 16-17 matchup.
Brian still is a work in progress but showed nice touch on several throws, finishing 10 of 18 for 196 yards and two touchdowns, while Hughes did a little of everything – catching a pass, running the ball twice and making a team-high eight tackles in the secondary.
“My first start (against Westview), that first quarter was rough,” said Brian, the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sean Mannion. “You could see it. I missed some throws in that game, tried to rush things sometimes, but I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I’m making reads, making the right decisions. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better.”
The learning curve becomes even steeper this week as the Mavericks (7-3) take on top seed and undefeated Tigard, which led 56-0 at halftime en route to a 56-20 first-round win over Century. The game figures to be a defensive struggle, matching Mountainside’s No. 2 scoring defense (12.4 points per game) against Tigard’s No. 3 (14.8).
“Our defense all season has played fantastic football, but each week is its own challenge,” Coach Mannion said. “As we move up a round, the challenge will be even tougher. Obviously, we have a huge task ahead of us with Tigard, but our kids should be awfully proud of what they’ve done.
“We know it’ll be super challenging, but we’ll take it one minute at a time. Hopefully, we can keep moving ahead.”
Second round of 6A playoffs features two rematches
Two regular-season rematches and an intriguing 8-9 matchup round out this week’s second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
No. 12 Sherwood rolled to a 49-7 victory over Mountain Valley champion McNary to earn another shot at No. 5 West Linn, which put up 70 points on Roosevelt. The Lions won their Week 5 matchup 52-27, with the Bowmen winning five in a row since.
A few miles away, defending champion and No. 3 Lake Oswego – a 55-33 winner over Grants Pass – will welcome No. 19 West Salem, which knocked off No. 14 Sunset 28-14. The two opened the season two months ago in Salem, with the Lakers pulling away for a 42-21 victory.
The final second-round matchup features 2018 finalist Sheldon, the No. 8 seed that has won six of its past seven – including a 35-0 first-round win over Jefferson – after an 0-3 start, playing host to Barlow, which escaped Round 1 with a 19-14 win over Glencoe.
In a switch, it’s a young Wilsonville team that faces veteran Thurston squad in 5A quarterfinals
Speaking of rematches, a doozy of one takes place this week in Springfield, where top seed and unbeaten Thurston will play host to No. 8 Wilsonville nearly a year after the Colts beat the Wildcats 30-27 in the Class 5A state final.
The Colts have been nearly invincible this season, outscoring opponents 505-118 en route to a 10-0 record and romping to a 61-21 first-round win over Corvallis.
But this fall has been Revenge Tour 2019, with three teams (Summit and La Salle Prep in boys soccer and Ridgeview in volleyball) having avenged losses from last year’s state finals.
“That sounds good to me,” Wildcats coach Adam Guenther said, laughing. “We just hope we can keep it going, but we’ve got a big game ahead.”
Guenther sees a number of parallels between last year’s final and this year’s quarterfinal matchup.
“Last year, they were young, mostly juniors, and we were senior-loaded,” Guenther said. “The roles are now reversed. We’re where they were last year, and they’re where we are. Thurston has got things rolling pretty well, but hopefully we can be a road bump.”
The Wildcats, who lost a week earlier to Parkrose in the Northwest Oregon Conference championship game, overcame some first-half hiccups to get past North Bend 34-14 in their playoff opener. Wilsonville failed to score on four first-half trips to the red zone, having one field goal blocked and another fall short.
Three big plays in the second half got the Wildcats going – a 65-yard interception return for a score by Mason Dean (one of his four interceptions on the night) and touchdown passes of 66 and 45 yards by Jayce Knapp.
“We found some matchups that worked in our favor and played into that,” Guenther said. “And our defense kept us in the game.”
Third time proves the charm for Scappoose in first-round win over Pendleton
One could have excused Scappoose for cursing the bracket gods when it learned it would be playing Pendleton in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Friday’s game marked the fifth time in the past two years the teams met. It was Scappoose’s third trip to Northeast Oregon this season and the second week in a row Scappoose had to make the long bus ride on Interstate 84.
Even worse for Scappoose, the Buckaroos won the previous four matchups, including a 21-14 victory in last year’s quarterfinals.
Scappoose, though, saw it as an opportunity for vindication.
“Pendleton has great tradition and creates matchup problems for us,” Scappoose coach Sean McNabb said. “But we walked away twice feeling we could win, so to have another shot was perfect.”
The game started ominously for Scappoose, as Walker Camp intercepted a pass 30 seconds into the contest. But Scappoose soon turned the momentum in its favor, taking the lead on quarterback Jakobi Kessi’s 10-yard run midway through the first quarter and never letting up in a 23-14 victory.
“Fixing our mistakes was key,” McNabb said. “Our senior captains addressed the team on Monday. They were not ready for the season to end, and they had a chance to convey that to the rest of the group.”
Having finally vanquished the Buckaroos, Scappoose now gets a matchup with No. 4 Silverton, which rolled to a 55-7 first-round win over La Salle Prep. Scappoose last reached the semifinals in 2015, when it was a Class 4A school; the Foxes haven’t been since 2014.
“This is a great challenge for us,” McNabb said. “We are excited about the opportunity.”
Parkrose-Crater, Ashland-West Albany make up bottom half of 5A bracket
Parkrose's first state playoff victory was 79 years in the making (the first OSAA playoffs were in 1940), but after allowing themselves a moment to celebrate a 59-20 win over Lebanon, it was back to business for the Broncos.
“We’re not satisfied,” senior quarterback Tre Singleton said. “We’re working; we’re hungry. We want that ring.”
Next for Parkrose is a road trip to Central Point to face No. 2 seed Crater, which romped to a 49-0 victory over Hillsboro.
The other quarterfinal in the lower half of the bracket matches No. 6 Ashland’s high-powered offense, averaging 45.9 points per game after a 50-19 victory over Dallas, against No. 3 West Albany’s stingy defense, giving up a Class 5A-low seven points per game following its 56-13 win over Redmond.
Victory makes the long bus ride home sail by for Tillamook
Considering how long of a bus ride Tillamook faced after its first-round Class 4A matchup at Mazama of Klamath Falls, fans had to appreciate how quickly the game was paced.
“That third quarter, there were only two drives,” Cheesemakers coach Kye Johnson said. “The clock just flew by.”
And for Cheesemakers fans, that long drive home just flew by as they celebrated their team’s 19-14 victory over the Vikings – Tillamook’s first playoff win since 1999 in the program’s first playoff appearance in the past 11 years.
The No. 15 Cheesemakers took advantage of four Mazama turnovers, three coming inside their 20-yard line, and stopped the Vikings on fourth-and-1 deep in Tillamook territory to keep the score at 14-13 entering halftime. The Cheesemakers opened the second half with a 14-play scoring drive and relied on their defense the rest of the way.
“We probably knew that it would be on the lower end scoring-wise,” Johnson said. “Both teams had the ability to sustain drives with the run game and chew a bunch of clock up. We played another really good defensive second half and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
Tillamook next will travel along the Columbia River for a quarterfinal matchup with No. 10 The Dalles, which also had to drive to Klamath Falls for its playoff opener, where the Riverhawks routed Henley 49-18.
Banks survives scare to continue 4A title defense against Baker
While chaos reigned in the bottom of the bracket, the rest of the first round went almost entirely to form. The only other “upset” was Baker, a No. 9 seed in name only for procedural reasons, beating No. 8 Cascade 38-21.
Top seed and defending champion Banks held off Marshfield 28-22, erasing an early 9-0 deficit to lead 28-9 after Jarred Evans’ 23-yard touchdown catch with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
The Pirates scored on two long drives to draw close, but one last possession in the final minute ended with four consecutive incompletions.
Baker and Banks will meet in one quarterfinal, while the final two will match No. 5 Marist Catholic at No. 4 North Marion and No. 6 Gladstone at No. 3 La Grande.
Three unbeatens remain in 3A after Yamhill-Carlton sees dream season end
Yamhill-Carlton’s best season since it reached the 1971 Class AA championship game ended with a thud as the Tigers fell 27-23 to Vale in the first round.
Yamhill-Carlton, which went undefeated in the regular season for the first time and earned the No. 7 seed, became a sentimental favorite after last year, when the Tigers missed the playoffs because of a clerical error.
The Vikings advanced to face No. 2 Santiam Christian, one of three undefeated teams in the bracket. No. 1 Hidden Valley defeated Siuslaw 40-12, and No. 3 Burns beat Scio 35-8.
Defending champion Rainier, the No. 5 seed, routed Madras 40-7 to earn a rematch with league rival Amity, a 44-18 winner over Brookings-Harbor.
Top three seeds in 2A post lopsided first-round victories
Kennedy continued its defense of the Class 2A state title with a 35-6 victory over Grant Union. The top-seeded Trojans will take on Oakland on Saturday afternoon.
No. 2 seed Coquille, playing without two-time Sunset Conference offensive and defensive player of the year Caiden Yates because of a knee injury, eliminated 2018 runner-up Santiam 44-6, and No. 3 Heppner romped to a 49-0 win over Bandon. The Mustangs will face No. 11 Warrenton, the lowest seed remaining after its 35-20 victory at Sheridan.
One road win down, three to go as Dufur goes for fifth consecutive 1A title
Four-time defending champion Dufur passed its first road playoff test. The Rangers, the No. 11 seeds who are without 2018 Class 1A player of the year Asa Farrell because of injury, topped Perrydale 22-14 to earn a quarterfinal trip to Crane.
Dufur, which has advanced to the quarterfinals every year since 2011, wasn’t the lowest seed to win in Round 1. No. 12 Powder Valley made the 410-mile bus ride to Lowell and defeated the Devils 68-62. This week, the Badgers get to travel an additional 75 miles to meet No. 4 Camas Valley, which put up 86 points in its first-round win over Mapleton.
Top seed St. Paul, which lost to Dufur in last year’s final, breezed to a 58-6 victory over Elgin.
More links:
Round 1 winners, highlights, stars
Round 2 matchups, facts, figures
Our predictions: How are we doing?
‘The eliminator’ says the 6A champion will be ...
Playoff brackets for every classification
A 53-man 'NFL roster' of Oregon high school players
Meet the new stars of Oregon high school football
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