Oregon High School Football Week 2: 3 Up, 3 Down

Week 2 of the Oregon high school football season is in the books, bringing the end of a 29-game losing streak and the extension of a 45-game regular-season winning streak.

Who saw their fortunes rise, and who will be looking to rebound as some teams reach the one-third mark of their seasons?

Three Up

Tigard

A year ago, Tigard finished 1-8, its fewest wins in a season since 2008. The Tigers promoted wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator Will Whitley, their fourth head coach in five seasons.

So far, so good. Tigard is 2-0 after a 42-0 victory over Sunset in which senior quarterback Aris Dimick threw three touchdown passes and Jaxon Lee returned a punt for a score.

“We are very excited to begin the season 2-0,” Whitley said. “Our offense and defense are playing great. Special teams are doing well. It’s very important to continue working hard and improving week by week.”

Putnam

Under first-year coach Michael Snyder, Putnam snapped a 29-game losing streak that dated to Week 9 of the 2022 season with a 42-14 home victory over Centennial. Putnam started that year 8-0 before losing in the NWOC title game to Wilsonville, then falling in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.

Banks

The Braves, ranked No. 20 in last week's High School On Oregon Top 25, held on for a 17-13 victory over Central in Independence, extending their regular-season winning streak to 45 games.

Banks built a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter after Conor Bergin's 55-yard interception return for a touchdown. Tyler Olafson's second touchdown pulled Central within 17-13, but Banks forced two turnovers on downs inside its 30-yard line in the final six minutes.

Three Down

Central Catholic

The schedule makers did the Rams no favors pitting them against No. 2 West Linn and No. 1 Lake Oswego back-to-back to open the season.

They had their moments in an opening 45-20 loss to the Lions, but Lake Oswego controlled Friday's 42-6 loss almost from the start. Now, they get Graham-Kapowsin, No. 14 in last week’s High School On SI Washington Top 25 and coming off a 48-11 rout of No. 23 Richland, in their home opener next week.

“I know it doesn’t feel that way, but I think there were improvements from Week 1 to Week 2 in some areas,” Rams coach Charlie Landgraf said. “The season’s a marathon and a sprint at the same time. It’s a long season, and I don’t think these two losses are going to define us, but in that same breath, we gotta have a lot of urgency to attack the areas where we’ve got to get better.”

Summit

I don’t expect the Storm to stay down all season, but they’ve taken a couple of body blows on the road to start the year.

First came last week at Bishop Kelly, when they got stopped millimeters short of the goal line on a tying two-point conversion try. This week, they were 32 seconds away from going to overtime at Sheldon before giving up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ryker Rohaley to Barry Myles to fall 21-14. Next up is their Intermountain Conference opener at Mountain View, which has been the title decider the past three seasons. No biggie.

South Medford

South Medford coach Bill Singler knew this season could bring growing pains after heavy graduation losses from last year's Columbia Cup championship team. The Panthers won the 6A second-tier tournament in their third consecutive appearance in the final, defeating Sandy 14-7.

Heavy graduation losses took their toll following that 14-7 win over Sandy last November, and South Medford fell to 0-3 this season with a 35-7 home loss to Mountain View. Those graduation losses have shown early. South Medford fell to 0-3 with a 35-7 home loss to Mountain View and has been outscored 122-34 this season.

Who rises and falls next? High School On SI will return each week with Three Up, Three Down from around the Oregon high school football scene.

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