Fab Five: Oregon High School Football Week 5 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, including the matchups involving teams ranked in this week’s Oregon High School Football Top 25 Rankings.

As we reach the midway point of the Oregon high school football season, everyone enters league play, which means some heavyweight matchups on tap that mean more than just bragging rights are on the line.

We have a couple of Three Rivers League openers that will set the tone right away in the state’s most rugged 6A league, plus showdowns in the Intermountain and Mid-Willamette conferences that will have implications in their title races.

Without further ado, here are five matchups we’re keeping our eye on during Week 5 of the Oregon high school football season.

No. 4 West Linn (3-1) at No. 2 Tualatin (4-0)

The defending Three Rivers champion Lions have won their past four meetings against the Timberwolves, and you know they want nothing more than to wash the taste of last week’s last-second loss to Nelson out of their mouths by opening league play with another win over one of the top challengers to their crown.

However, the Wolves had the week off to polish their game and have one of the more balanced offenses in 6A, directed by junior QB Lincoln Keeney, the younger brother of Nolan Keeney (who will play at BYU when he completes his two-year mission), and flanked by junior RB Iden Rule and WR Brock Estes among a deep pack of skill players.

Our pick: Tualatin

No. 22 Oregon City (3-1) at No. 1 Lake Oswego (4-0)

The Pioneers struggled in their first test this season, losing 49-7 to No. 3 Nelson in Week 2. They had a bye week to prepare for their TRL opener against the Lakers, who also had an extra week to rest and heal up. The hosts should have senior RB Cole Callahan back from a bone bruise after he sat out their Week 3 win at Sherwood that marked coach Steve Coury’s 300th career win.

Our pick: Lake Oswego

No. 8 Dallas (4-0) at No. 23 West Albany (4-1)

The Dragons boast 5A’s stingiest scoring defense, allowing just 7.8 points per game, led by defensive player of the year candidate Aidan Galusha, a senior edge rusher who has a team-high 41 tackles (eight for loss) and four sacks.

However, the Bulldogs historically have been a thorn in Dallas’ side — last year’s 25-14 win broke a three-game losing streak in the series, and West Albany has won 16 of the last 18 meetings.

Our pick: Dallas

No. 18 Ridgeview (4-0) at No. 9 Summit (2-2)

The Storm have rebounded nicely from losing their first two games at Bishop Kelly — the defending Idaho 5A champion that’s ranked No. 2 in the High School On SI Mountain West Top 25 rankings — and No. 20 Sheldon, winning their first two IMC games.

If they can defeat the Ravens for a ninth consecutive time, they will be well-positioned to capture a second straight conference title, but they’ll need to dent a defense that’s posted shutouts in two of its last three games.

Our pick: Summit

No. 20 Sheldon (3-1) at No. 13 Grants Pass (4-1)

The Irish are one of the turnaround stories of the season, rebounding from a 2-7 campaign a year ago — their fewest wins in a non-COVID season since 1992 — that included their first loss to the Cavemen since 2014. They’ll need to find a way to slow Grants Pass senior QB Jordan Rossetta, who threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns (including three to senior WR Brevik Hill) in last year’s 34-10 victory.

Our pick: Grants Pass

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