Fab Five: Oregon High School Football Quarterfinal Games With Predictions

High School On SI Oregon will have all the scores you need to keep you up-to-date on the action going on under the Friday night lights, with the quarterfinals of the championship brackets kicking off.

We’re highlighting five of the best games involving teams in this week’s Oregon High School Football Top 25 Rankings to watch as teams vie to reach the final four statewide.

No. 15 Willamette (7-3) at No. 1 Lake Oswego (10-0)

These teams met in Week 0, with the Lakers cruising to a 34-7 victory in Eugene. The rematch will be at Cobb Field, where the defending champions have not lost a playoff game since 2021, but they’ll see a revamped Wolverines team this time around.

Willamette still revolves around junior QB Zeke Thomas, a Boise State recruit, but instead of relying primarily on his right arm, the Wolverines have turned to him in the run game — he’s gone over 200 yards in the past two games, including career-highs of 237 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 42-29 first-round win over Sprague.

Our pick: Lake Oswego

No. 14 Ida B. Wells (10-0) at No. 2 Nelson (9-1)

Talk about a contrast in styles — you have that in spades in this matchup of conference champions. The Guardians pride themselves in playing smashmouth football, running a power-T that spreads the wealth among a bevy of running backs led by junior Lucius Coon (944 yards, 9 TDs), while the Hawks boast a more balanced attack led by senior QB Braylon Gaines (2,272 yards, 31 TDs) and University of Oregon commit WR Malachi Garlington (29 catches for 613 yards and 10 TDs).

Our pick: Nelson

No. 13 Sheldon (8-2) at No. 4 Tualatin (8-2)

The Irish want to prove they are fully back to their old status as one of 6A’s premier programs after a one-year hiccup that saw them go 2-7 last fall — their worst finish since 1992 that ended a streak of 27 consecutive playoff appearances. To do so, they’ll need to win on the road against the Timberwolves, who didn’t get out of third gear in their 40-7 win over Grant but will need to find another gear this week.

Our pick: Tualatin

No. 8 Dallas (9-1) at No. 9 Silverton (8-2)

The defending 5A champions’ only loss to an in-state rival was in Week 7 to Dallas when Dragons senior Aidan Galusha blocked a potential game-tying field goal in the dying seconds. Galusha has been a beast all season for Dallas — he rushed for 317 yards and five touchdowns in its first-round win over Milwaukie — and will need another big game if the Dragons hope to end Silverton’s reign atop 5A.

Our pick: Silverton

No. 18 Wilsonville (8-2) at No. 6 Mountain View (8-1)

It’s a rematch of the 2023 and 2024 5A championship games, which the Wildcats won both times. This game is in Central Oregon, and two key members of the Cougars — seniors RB Ryder Carpenter (845 yards, 19 TDs) and LB Carson Bottemiller (66 tackles) — played in the 2024 final and will have long memories of that 56-35 defeat.

Our pick: Mountain View

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