Oregon high school football state championship games — top stars, game by game recap of 2024 finals

The Oregon high school football season concluded this weekend with eight state championship games

Viggo Anderson rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns in West Linn's 44-30 win over Lake Oswego. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The Oregon high school football season concluded this weekend with eight state championship games.

Here’s a game-by-game look at some of the top stars and memorable performances.

Our predictions: How did we do?

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CLASS 6A OPEN | Bracket

No. 2 West Linn 44, No. 1 Lake Oswego 30 | Full story

For the second time in the past three years, the Lions (11-1) avenged a regular-season defeat in the state championship game at Hillsboro Stadium, this time beating the Lakers (11-1) six weeks after falling to Lake Oswego on their home field.

Viggo Anderson ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and Baird Gilroy connected with Danny Wideman three times for scores as West Linn built a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Lions, who had three turnovers in the teams’ first meeting to allow the Lakers to rally from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit, were turnover-free in the rematch and rolled up 438 yards.

“That first game, we made a lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties,” Anderson said. “We knew we had to be more disciplined, so every week, we just worked on that. And obviously, we got the result we wanted.”

The Lions cashed in interceptions by Cole Dickson and Xavier Harris for touchdowns, and they held Lakers star junior running back LaMarcus Bell to 87 yards and two short touchdown runs. He entered the final averaging 143 yards per game.

Bell caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hudson Kurland with 8:48 left to draw the Lakers within 44-30, and they then forced a quick three-and-out. But Lake Oswego managed one first down on the ensuing possession before punting, and the Lions ran out the final 5:55 to secure the program’s third state title.

CLASS 6A | Bracket

No. 14 North Medford 31, No. 13 South Medford 13

The Black Tornado (9-4) took a page from their Black and Blue rival’s playbook to avenge an earlier defeat in the Medford rivalry and win 6A’s second-tier bracket championship at Spiegelberg Stadium.

Senior Cameron Nix ran for 233 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and North Medford amassed 258 yards on the ground — more than twice their season average of 119.3.

The Black Tornado made it a clean sweep for the four teams that lost in a regular-season matchup, with all four winning in the final. 

“They all say it — that it’s hard to beat a team twice,” Black Tornado coach Nathan Chin said. “The kids came into this week with a great mindset about the week and the game. They were very determined.”

The Panthers (8-5) entered averaging almost 238 rushing yards per game but were held to 157 on the ground and 170 total. Teagan Neron led the Black Tornado with 12 tackles, and Landyn Meeker had eight (2.5 for loss).

“That’s huge to hold a team to under 200 yards,” Chin said. “Our defensive kids and  coaches do a great job of preparation this week, and I feel like we were a little better prepared this time for their fly motion stuff.”

South Medford lost to Sunset in the championship game of the Columbia Cup last year before reaching the final of this year’s renamed 6A state championship bracket for teams that finished Nos. 13-28 in the OSAA rankings.

North Medford scored on its first four second-half possessions. On the fifth one, the Black Tornado ran out the clock on the first postseason meeting between the crosstown foes. North Medford, which lost 33-30 in the Week 9 matchup, improved to 21-19 in the all-time series in winning its first OSAA trophy since 1993.

Kellen Lefebvre’s 16-yard touchdown run with 4:24 left in the third quarter brought the Panthers within 14-13. The Black Tornado answered as Traeger Healy (7 of 8, 83 yards) tossed a 21-yard touchdown to Easton Curtis.

On South Medford’s ensuing possession, Curtis intercepted a pass at midfield, and Nix scampered 50 yards on the next play to push the lead to 28-13 with 1:19 left in the third quarter.

“Some people at the beginning of the season asked, ‘What happened to Cameron?’” Chin said. “But we knew all along he’s a special player, and he had a great feel out there these last four games.”

Colton Miller’s 19-yard field goal with 5:49 left helped secure the victory.

CLASS 5A | Bracket

No. 5 Wilsonville 56, No. 2 Mountain View 35 | Full story

At Hillsboro Stadium, Wildcats senior quarterback Mark Wiepert amassed 440 yards of total offense and had a hand in all eight touchdowns, breaking the all-classifications 11-man record for touchdowns in a state final, to lead Wilsonville (11-2) past the Cougars (12-1) for the second consecutive season in the title game.

Last year, Mountain View led for much of the game until a late rally lifted the Wildcats to a 29-23 victory.

This year, there would be no such comeback despite the Cougars erasing an early 28-7 deficit to get within 35-21 at halftime.

Wiepert ran for a season-high 169 yards and five touchdowns, threw for 271 yards  and three scores, and returned a punt 37 yards to set up a third-quarter touchdown that was part of a three-score barrage over a three-minute stretch that gave the Wildcats a 56-21 lead, triggering a running clock.

Wiepert is an all-state catcher who has committed to Oregon State for baseball, although his performances the past two weeks — capping a season in which he threw for 51 touchdowns, moving him to No. 5 on the all-time state list — might make him reconsider his future plans.

“But I found a sport that he’s not good at,” Wildcats coach Adam Guenther joked. “We had a team event at Topgolf, so now, if I want to feel good about myself, I guess we’re going to talk about going to play 18 holes at Topgolf. Because otherwise, he’s gonna own me.”

CLASS 4A | Bracket

No. 1 Marist Catholic 30, No. 3 Henley 6

At Medford’s Spiegelberg Stadium, senior quarterback Nick Hudson threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, Conner Harvey ran for 177 yards and a score, and the Spartans (12-1) recorded a state championship game record-tying eight sacks of Hornets quarterback Joe Janney as they avenged a loss to Henley (11-2) in last year’s championship game.

“All the kids really wanted another shot at Henley,” said first-year coach Zach Loboy, whose team also lost to the Hornets in Week 2. “We knew how much we’d improved since then, and we had a lot of confidence that we could come in here and win this.”

Junior linebacker Jackson Skinner was a menace all afternoon in the Henley backfield, with his four sacks breaking the championship game record to go with four hurries, and senior Ryan Lemley had three tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior linebacker Brody Buzzard had a game-high 14 tackles (1.5 for loss).

“Jackson, he’s a baller, and he came to play,” Loboy said. “Our defense has been dynamite the last seven weeks, and we were just expecting that they’d do something similar today. And they did.”

Janney, who missed last week’s overtime semifinal win over Cascade because of a nagging knee injury, returned for the title game but was harassed throughout. He finished 17 of 29 for 185 yards and a touchdown and shared team-high honors with nine tackles at safety.

The Spartans led 16-0 late in the first half when Hudson connected with Christian Guerrero on a 43-yard touchdown pass, but a 51-yard scoring strike from Janney to Mark Carpenter 16.7 seconds before halftime gave the Hornets hope.

A quick three-and-out by Henley opened the second half, and Hudson found Aaron Bidwell wide open for a 59-yard score to push the lead to 23-6 with 9:57 left in the third quarter.

The Spartans put the game away with a nine-minute drive in the fourth quarter that took 16 plays to cover 67 yards, with Hudson connecting with CJ Giustina from 5 yards on fourth down with 2:51 remaining to clinch the program’s first title since 2009.

“It was a point of emphasis for us to get our offensive line and running backs to work together to dominate the clock,” Loboy said. “That was the difference between losing a state championship and winning one this year.”

CLASS 3A | Bracket

No. 11 Burns 42, No. 4 Vale 16

At Summit High School in Bend, Hilanders junior quarterback Jack Wright had a hand in all six touchdowns, and Burns (11-2) became the lowest seed to win an OSAA state title since it started seeding the entire bracket in 2013.

Two 10-seeds won championships — Kennedy (2A in 2018) and Echo (1A 6-man last year).

Burns knocked off four league champions during its title run, beating the Nos. 6, 3, 2 and 4 seeds, including two road wins after long bus rides to the mid-Willamette Valley.

“It was about being comfortable going on the road, figuring out how to play on the road and take care of business,” coach Matt Bruck said. “As a staff, we had faith in them all year. We had a couple of rough games, but we never lost faith. 

“We just told the kids the sky was the limit for them. They just had to believe in themselves, and they’ve done that. They played lights-out tonight and throughout the playoffs. I couldn’t be more proud of them”

Wright finished 11 of 21 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he scored on four short runs to help the Hilanders avenge an overtime loss to the Vikings (12-1) and end a four-game losing streak to their Southeast Oregon rivals to clinch their first state title since 2014.

It culminated a four-game playoff stretch for the junior signal-caller in which he threw for 939 yards and 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

“It just reflects what’s happened for us as a team,” Bruck said. “Jack played incredibly well today. He was able to command what’s being asked of him, and he had people step up around him and make plays.”

Vale senior Kase Schaffeld tied the state championship game record with 43 rushing attempts. They went for 206 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which drew the Vikings within 28-16 with 31 seconds left in the first half.

The Hilanders took advantage of second-half interceptions by Wright and Canon Winn and held Vale to 55 yards in the final two quarters. Junior defensive lineman Joe Weil led the defensive effort with 13 tackles, and Jayce Wright had 10 tackles (3.5 for loss) and a sack. 

CLASS 2A | Bracket

No. 5 St. Paul 28, No. 2 Oakland 20

At Cottage Grove High School, Clay Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run with 6:07 remaining broke a 20-20 tie, and the Buckaroos (13-0) stopped the Oakers (12-1) on downs with 3:26 left and ran out the clock for their first state championship since 2010.

Since that title, St. Paul had lost in the 1A eight-man final in 2012, 2018, 2019 and 2022, but in its first year in the 2A nine-man ranks, it ended its 14-year drought to earn the program’s seventh championship.

“They’re all equally amazing,” said coach Tony Smith, who led the Buckaroos to titles in 2009 and 2010. “But this one, doing it at the 2A level after a stretch of losing four in a row, it’s a big deal.”

The Oakers tied the score at 20-20 with 1:32 left in the third quarter on a 67-yard pass from Ryan Fullerton to Andrew McCurdy. They got the ball back on a punt at their 13-yard line, but three plays later, Wyatt Smith jarred the ball loose, and Sullivan Grott recovered for the Buckaroos at the Oakland 23, setting up the go-ahead score.

Senior quarterback Grady Wolf was 6 of 8 for 65 yards and a touchdown for St. Paul, and he rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown. Diego Medina ran for 67 yards and the Buckaroos’ first score.

Oakland senior running back Gabe Williamson ran for a game-high 128 yards and two touchdowns, but his longest gain was 11 yards as the Buckaroos focused on limiting his big-play capability.

“All of our defensive planning was on stopping him,” Smith said, praising the game plan created by defensive coordinator Cam Tharp. “We were not going to let him beat us. If they wanted to throw the ball, they could do that. If someone else ran the ball, that’s fine. We just didn’t want him to get loose.”

CLASS 1A 8-MAN | Bracket

No. 1 Adrian 66, No. 3 North Douglas 12

At Bend’s Summit High School, the Antelopes (12-0) trampled to their first state championship since 2021 and fourth overall (they won their first in 2014), with senior cousins Colten Bayes and Rance Jordan outshining standout Warriors junior Hunter Vaughn in a game that was running clock after halftime.

Bayes finished with 211 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries, and Jordan ran for 209 yards and three scores on nine carries.

“That’s a great duo,” said Adrian coach Bill Wortman, who has won titles in three of the past five postseasons. “A lot of pieces came together for us this year, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. We picked up a couple of good freshmen, and guys like Zeke (Bayes) and Brayden (Jordan) got a year older.”

Vaughn, who entered the game with an eight-man record 3,893 all-purpose yards and 60 overall touchdowns, was held in check for the most part. He finished with 19 yards on 16 carries but did find the end zone twice on a 68-yard pass from Jayden Montgomery and an 88-yard kickoff return that was the longest in 8-man championship game history (since 1960).

He finished with 269 all-purpose yards, giving him 4,162 for the season.

Wortman credited the work by defensive ends Chase Franklin, a junior, and sophomore Kash Morford. 

“They did a good job of setting the edge early,” he said. “That was our game plan against him — just setting the edge and making him run in the middle of the field.”

Jordan ran for touchdowns of 70, 24 and 50 yards in the first quarter as the Antelopes built a 28-6 lead. Bayes added a 24-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and Trey Bayes connected with Brooks Martin for a 1-yard touchdown that pushed their advantage to 42-6 by halftime.

Mannie Mulrony led the Adrian defensive effort with 11 tackles (3.5 for loss), and Zeke Bayes had nine tackles (four for loss) and a sack.

North Douglas (11-1) was in its first state championship game since 1952.

CLASS 1A 6-MAN | Bracket

No. 1 Powers 32, No. 2 Harper Charter 13

At Caldera High School in Bend, senior Rene Sears ran 16 yards for a tiebreaking score early in the second half, and Jayce Shorb added fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 4 and 10 yards to lift the Cruisers (12-0) to their first state championship since 1998.

Powers trailed 13-0 early before rallying to tie the score at 13-13 just before halftime, and Cruisers coach Ricky Ostle said the fact his team had been in similar situations in each of its first two playoff games helped.

“We’ve not started great in any of our playoff games,” he said. “We’ve had to deal with a lot of adversity every game.”

The Hornets (10-1) had allowed 46 rushing yards per game en route to their first title game appearance, but Ostle resolved at halftime to “run it down their throats until the clock ran out,” and behind Sears and Shorb, the Cruisers were able to do just that.

Powers outgained Harper Charter 205-44 in the second half, taking advantage of fumble and onside kick recoveries to control the ball for 16 of the 20 minutes. Sears had 15 carries for 91 yards in the second half, and Shorb ran 17 times for 115 yards as the Cruisers did not attempt a pass after halftime. 

“Harper is a great team and probably the team to beat next year,” Ostle said. “But the fact is that we were able to daze them with an uppercut and were able to keep it going. It was nothing fancy — just good, old-fashioned power football — and the players played their hearts out. No one cared who had the ball. Everyone just wanted to win.”

Shorb finished with 178 yards on 22 carries, and Sears had 146 on 23 carries.

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