Fab Five: Oregon High School Football Playoff Week 1 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 first week of postseason games 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 in the first round.

No. 20 Ridgeview (6-2) at No. 24 Sandy (6-3)

Two teams with similar styles meet in the 7-10 matchup of the Class 5A playoffs. Both have senior quarterbacks who can beat you in the passing game, but they would much rather wear you down with their run game.

Defensively, the Ravens are No. 1 in 5A in scoring average, allowing 10.6 points per game, while the Pioneers have been much improved as they’ve started getting their walking wounded back from the injury list as they won the first outright conference title in program history this season.

Our pick: Sandy

Lincoln (7-2) at No. 6 Jesuit (7-2)

The Cardinals were disappointed not to win the PIL championship last week and will need to address ball security issues that plagued them against Ida B. Wells, when three fumbles cost them dearly.

The Crusaders won their 12th Metro League championship in 13 seasons and enter the game on a six-game win streak as they adjust to life under first-year coach Phil Rombach, who has taken the restrictor plates off the passing game as senior QB Jack Wilson has thrown for a career-best 1,592 yards and 22 touchdowns with just one interception.

Our pick: Jesuit

Lakeridge (5-4) at No. 14 Sheldon (7-2)

The Pacers struggled through Three Rivers League play, finishing fourth with a 2-3 record, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a dangerous 12-seed in the 6A bracket as they head south on I-5 to face the Southwest Conference co-champion Irish, who have three last-minute wins on their resumé as they rebounded from a 2-7 campaign.

Our pick: Sheldon

Grants Pass (5-4) at No. 16 Ida B. Wells (9-0)

The Cavemen are another team that started the year strong, handing No. 2 Nelson its only loss of the season in Week 0, but limp into the postseason having lost three of their last four. Grants Pass has the weapons to pull the upset, but how will the visitors handle the Wells Experience — facing the Guardians’ power-T that averages over 300 rushing yards per game, with their assorted fakes dealt out in their dimly lit field, black armbands adding to the confusion, and loud music and boisterous fans drowning out instructions barked from the sidelines?

Our pick: Wells

Tillamook (5-4) at Estacada (7-2)

Neither team makes a secret of what they want to do — pound the rock. The Cheesemakers have leaned on senior Aden Camacho Garcia, who has run for over 100 yards in four of five games since returning from an injury, including a career-high 291 yards and five touchdowns in their regular-season finale against Astoria. The Rangers average 352.1 rushing yards in their wing-T and gave unbeaten Vale and Cascade their stiffest regular-season tests for their only two defeats.

Our pick: Estacada

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