What we learned in Week 8 of Oregon high school football

Here’s what stood out during the eighth weekend of action

By René Ferrán 

Photos by Dave Ball, Max Rhulen, Naji Saker and Fletcher Wold 

The Oregon high school football season continued last weekend with Week 8 action around the state. 

Complete Week 8 recap

Here's what stood out during the eighth weekend of action.

—

Roosevelt finds itself in similar position to snag another share of PIL championship

For the second year in a row, the math is simple for Roosevelt.

A win in the season finale gives the Roughriders a share of the PIL championship.

Only this time, they face their bête noire, Grant — a team they haven’t beaten since 2000, even in the two years (2018, 2021) that Roosevelt claimed a piece of the league title with the Generals.

“Our players are excited to play Grant,” Roughriders coach Ryan McCants said. “Not too much more motivation needed.”

That Roosevelt would find itself one win from sharing a league title would have seemed unlikely after three weeks, when the Roughriders were 0-3 and had scored only one touchdown.

Since then, they’ve run the table, averaging 30.4 points during their five-game win streak that secured a spot in the OSAA Class 6A playoffs with a week to go.

“We finally found our identity as an offense that complements our defense,” McCants said. “We accomplished this by finding ways to get our best 11 on the field and making conscious efforts to get our playmakers touches.”

Those playmakers include sophomore running back Dontrell Betts, who has eight touchdowns in the past five games — including the winning score in the third overtime against Lincoln — junior running back Robert Anthony (four touchdowns) and senior quarterback Ben Weiner, who has eight touchdown passes during that stretch.

“By simplifying what we do and getting back to the basics, it allowed us to execute at a higher level,” McCants said.

The only downer might be that even with a win, the Roughriders will get a share of the PIL title but probably not get a shot at a state title.

If Jefferson also wins its finale against winless McDaniel on Friday, it’ll be a three-way tie atop the league standings. In that case, the tiebreaker becomes the teams’ final OSAA rankings — while Grant sits No. 17 and Jefferson No. 18 entering Week 9, Roosevelt is at No. 27 and would need a lot of help to climb over its NoPo rivals to grab the automatic berth in the 16-team OSAA state championship bracket.

McCants and the Roughriders aren’t worried about what they can’t control. Their focus is on snapping a 13-game losing streak to the Generals, who would clinch a spot in the state championship field with a win.

“Grant is a great program, and coach (Alex) Melson has done a great job preparing them to play in Year 1,” McCants said. “We need to have our best week of practice and play our best game in all phases to have a chance at winning.”

‘A very exciting time for Kingsmen football.’ Putnam preps for NWOC title shot

As Putnam prepares for its most significant football game in nearly four decades, coach Tim Jacobs called it “a very exciting time for Kingsmen football.”

The Kingsmen clinched their first 5A state playoff berth since 2012 last week with a 34-19 victory over Canby that left them the last undefeated team in Class 5A and in position to win the program’s first league title since 1986.

They’ll play Wilsonville on Friday in the Northwest Oregon Conference championship game at Randall Stadium.

“The community, school, players and all involved are beyond excited about clinching a playoff spot,” Jacobs said. “The pride you can see from the team and at school is awesome. I’m very grateful to be part of it.”

Jacobs points out how the team laid the foundation for this year’s 8-0 start by going 3-2 to finish last season. Although the Kingsmen missed the playoffs, “we were able to finish on a high note, and this year’s senior class took hold of that and ran with it.”

The coaching staff then spent the offseason building on that success with a veteran group that lost only three starters. Many members of the staff have been with Jacobs since he started at Putnam nine years ago, and “the consistent message and teaching from the coaches has helped create a very positive atmosphere around the program,” he said.

Now, the Kingsmen have their sights set on their first league championship since they were members of the Three Rivers League 36 years ago. That team went undefeated until losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Glencoe — still the farthest Putnam has gone in the playoffs.

“One of our biggest keys to success this season has been the players’ ability to not look too far ahead,” Jacobs said. “They have done a tremendous job focusing on the job at hand. It’s a group of young men who are fun to be around and work with.”

‘Devon has played at an MVP level.’ Anderson has North Eugene poised for playoffs

Any coach will tell you that football is a team sport, and that one individual can’t carry a team to success.

If any player has come close to putting the lie to that mantra, it’s North Eugene senior Devon Anderson, who has been a one-man dynamo that has the Highlanders on the cusp of reaching the playoffs for a second consecutive year. 

Last season, it was in Class 4A, when Anderson accounted for more than 70% of the team’s total offense and played lights-out defense to help end one of the state’s longest playoff droughts.

This fall, he’s raised his game to another level, and his two-way mastery in last week’s 22-13 victory over Springfield has North Eugene one win from making the 5A state playoffs for the first time since 1993.

He ran for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns, threw for another score and locked down the Midwestern League’s leading receiver (Dwayne Fotta), holding him to two catches for 20 yards.

Anderson has more than doubled his rushing yardage this season, posting seven 100-yard games and nearing a 1,000-1,000 campaign — he’s thrown for 951 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 944 yards and 15 scores entering a Week 9 matchup with Willamette.

“Devon has played at an MVP level this season,” Highlanders coach Rick Raish said. “He has put the team on his back and is leading us to a possible playoff berth.”

Anderson has spread the ball to his three top receivers — junior Kelin Knutson averages more than 22 yards per catch (16 for 353 yards and a team-high five touchdowns), and senior Cooper Olney and junior Demetrius Cartwright have caught 21 passes apiece.

Meanwhile, senior linebacker Tyree Osirus “has become a dominant force on our defense,” Raish said, as he leads the team with 72 tackles — nearly double Anderson’s 37 in second.

A North Eugene win Friday over the Wolverines would secure one of the MWL’s four playoff spots. A loss would not kill the team’s chances — assuming Churchill does not beat league champion Thurston, the Highlanders own the tiebreaker by virtue of being the only one of the three (Churchill and Willamette being the other two) to post a win over Springfield.

Caldera on upward track after notching third win in inaugural season

We’re getting used to seeing new schools enjoy success early in their history.

Mountainside reached the playoffs in Year 2 in 2019, knocked out top-seeded Tigard in the second round and advanced to the quarterfinals.

This fall, Nelson will finish second in the Mt. Hood Conference in its second season and likely will qualify for the OSAA 6A state championship bracket. 

Now, it’s Caldera, the newest high school in Bend, that’s tasting success in its first season. While the Wolfpack aren’t likely to best Mountainside and Nelson by making the playoffs in Year 1, they matched the Mavericks’ three-win total in their first varsity season with a 20-19 victory over Redmond. (Nelson had two wins last fall in its first year.)

“After camp at Southern Oregon, I felt we would win a few games in this first year,” said coach Mike Mitchell, who took over the program in the summer. “This year, when we started, we found ways to take ourselves out early. In the last few weeks, we’ve hung in there and been around at the end.”

While the core group from SOU camp has remained, Mitchell pointed out a couple of surprises. Junior Harry Jennrich started the season at receiver but moved to the backfield a couple of weeks ago, and the Wolfpack have used him as a change-of-pace back and difference-maker.

“He is 6-3 and 213 pounds and uses it all when he runs downhill,” Mitchell said. “We try to move him around so it is hard to know where he is on every snap for a defense.”

Still, the Wolfpack have struggled offensively this season — they’ve been shut out three times and been held to one touchdown twice. Their 20 points against the Panthers were a season high.

Instead, they’ve relied upon a solid defense led by coordinator Kevin Feist and an extensive list of contributors — including juniors Trace Benner and Darik Taroli in the secondary. They’ve held three opponents to 14 or fewer points and blocked a potential game-tying PAT kick in the final minute against Redmond.

“If you look closely, we have even played against some of the outstanding teams for periods in games,” Mitchell said. “They are young and have to learn to finish. They will in time.”

The Wolfpack finish the season this week against crosstown rival and Intermountain Conference champion Summit, and even a win wouldn’t be enough to get them in the playoffs. Still, win or lose, they’ve built a solid foundation, with 32 lettermen set to return who could lead them on a similar trajectory to Mountainside and Nelson.

“I think our kids have learned a lot in this first season as a varsity program,” Mitchell said. “We have had a lot of injuries playing against more physically mature teams, and our kids learned that we need to get into the weight room during the offseason and get stronger. They have also learned there is a fine line between teams and elite teams. That is crucial.

“But our team has never lacked in effort nor stopped playing hard when they were down. That is a good sign for the future. We have some great kids, and there is going to be a bright future.”

La Grande flies under the radar to secure Greater Oregon League title

La Grande won the renewal of an old Intermountain Conference rivalry to clinch the Greater Oregon League title Friday, beating Pendleton 33-20 at the Round-Up grounds. 

The Tigers, who received a Week 9 forfeit when The Dalles canceled the rest of its season last week, wrapped up the outright title with the victory.

Coach Rich McIlmoil contemplated trying to find another opponent so that his team wouldn’t develop rust during an unexpected week off before the playoffs. He put it to a vote of his players, and they were nearly unanimous.

“They wanted to take the week off, relax, and see if we can get healthy and ready for the playoffs,” he said. “So, I think it’ll be a positive for our team.”

It’s a senior-dominated team (20 in all) that hasn’t relied on one player for its success. The Tigers have had 14 players score at least one touchdown, with senior quarterback Logan Williams and receiver Jace Schow leading the way.

After their week off, they’ll likely be a top-four seed in the Class 4A playoffs, meaning they’d get at least two games in Eastern Oregon. The last time that happened was in 2019, when a similarly senior-heavy team ended the program’s 45-year state championship drought.

“We’ve got some really good athletes and a lot of guys who just fly under the radar,” McIlmoil said. “This has been a group effort. These guys have really bonded together. We’re banged up, but we’re still battling.”

Mazama wins Southside Series rivalry game in clash of titans with Henley

The game of the week was the latest edition of the Southside Series between Henley and Mazama, and the clash of 4A unbeatens lived up to the billing.

The Vikings broke a 36-36 tie by capping a 12-play, 63-yard drive in a steady downpour on Tyson Van Gastel’s 1-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left. Brendon Monteith’s interception sealed a 44-36 victory over their Klamath Falls rival that locked up at least a share of their ninth consecutive conference title. 

“As you know, anything can happen in a rivalry game,” Mazama coach Vic Lease said. “Henley is a good football team, and their coaches put together a very good game plan.”

The Vikings won despite committing 12 penalties for 115 yards and losing three fumbles, including a critical turnover on the opening drive of the second half deep in Henley territory. The Hornets took advantage by driving the length of the field to tie the score at 22-22.

“What impressed me was that our boys handled the adversity the right way,” Lease said. “They didn’t hang their heads or go palms up. They continued to play and refused to lose. They handled the adversity like men and not boys.”

While the Vikings, the only undefeated team in Class 4A, secured a playoff spot and at least a share of the Big Sky title in the conference’s first year of existence, they still haven’t secured the league’s No. 1 playoff seed.

To do that, they’ll need to overcome defending state champion Marshfield, which rolls into Klamath Falls with an eye on claiming a share of the conference title and extending its recent success against Mazama that includes a semifinal win over the Vikings last fall. 

“We are always excited to play the best teams and programs in the state,” Lease said. “They are one of the best programs, and I have a great deal of respect for Coach (John) Lemmons. We know they are going to give us a tough game, and we look forward to hosting them for Senior Night.”

​​—

Our complete high school football preview:

Breaking down every 6A, 5A, 4A team in the state

Complete Week 8 recap:

Top stars, best games, biggest wins

Our Week 8 predictions:

How did we do?