Five Week 9 Games That Will Shape the Oregon High School Football Playoff Picture

The regular season finale is here — and with postseason seeding on the line across multiple classifications, these five matchups will determine conference champions, playoff brackets, and bragging rights from Portland to Grants Pass.

Mountainside QB Cade Mitchell (15) hopes to lead his team back into the Class 6A state championship bracket. / Dan Brood

We’ve reached the final week of the high school football season in Oregon, and High School on SI Oregon has all the scores you need in one place as we shake out the postseason picture once the calendar turns to November.

As we head into Week 9, here are five games to watch around the state.

No. 3 Lake Oswego (7-1) at No. 10 Lakeridge (5-3), Friday

The annual Battle of the Lake rivalry doesn’t have quite the stakes as years past, as the Lakers would need No. 1 West Linn to lose the Battle for the Bridge with Oregon City to earn a share of the Three Rivers League title, and both teams will qualify for the Class 6A championship bracket. 

However, bragging rights are on the line in a game that features two of the state’s top senior running backs in University of Utah commit LaMarcus Bell for Lake Oswego and University of Washington-bound Ansu Sanoe for Lakeridge.

No. 18 Dallas (6-2) at No. 12 Lebanon (7-1), Friday

The Mid-Willamette Conference’s No. 1 seed to the 5A state playoffs is at stake, with the host Warriors already clinching a share of its first conference title in nine years but not wanting to share it with the Dragons and No. 13 Silverton. 

Meanwhile, Dallas is looking to end a two-game skid with the playoffs looming. To do so, it’ll need to find a way to slow Lebanon senior QB Brison Edwards, who has 1,718 total yards, completing 62.4% of his passes (73-of-117) and accounting for 25 touchdowns.

No. 11 Cascade (8-0) at Estacada (6-2), Friday

The Cougars are the last undefeated team left in Class 4A but must still win at Estacada to clinch the Tri-Valley Conference title and the No. 1 seed to the state playoffs. The defending TVC champion Rangers run the wing-T as well as anyone and are a tough out on their home field.

Beaverton (5-3) at No. 16 Mountainside (5-3), Friday

The Mavericks right now find themselves on the right side of the bubble to make the 6A championship bracket but can’t afford a loss to their crosstown rivals, who boast one of the state’s most dynamic passing combos in senior QB Spencer York and WR Oliver Luebkert, an Eastern Washington commit.

Grants Pass (5-3) at No. 17 West Salem (6-2), Friday

It’s yet another game between bubble teams for the 6A championship bracket, with the loser likely to drop into the second-tier Columbia Cup tournament. The Titans find themselves in this predicament after being upset by South Medford last week and now must find a way to slow Cavemen junior QB Jordan Rossetta, who’s thrown for 1,876 yards and 18 touchdowns.