Oregon High School Football Week 6: Who's Up, Who's Down

Week 6 of the Oregon high school football season is in the books. Workhorse running backs are in vogue this week. Sadly, so are football teams that can’t finish the year because of a lack of healthy bodies.

So, who saw their fortunes rise as we approach the final third of the regular season? And who needs to rebound with only three weeks left to turn things around?

Three Up

Cole Callahan

The Lake Oswego senior hardly left the field during the Lakers’ 21-7 victory over West Linn. He carried the ball 32 times for 139 yards and made a team-high seven tackles at safety for High School On SI Oregon’s No. 1 team as they held the Lions to 219 total yards.

The final 7½ minutes epitomized the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder’s impact on the game. He scooped up a fumble near midfield to get the ball back for the Lakers, then carried the ball eight times during a 12-play drive that ran out the clock.

Callahan is listed as a wide receiver on the Lake Oswego roster but was tapped by coaches to take over for Gatorade player of the year LaMarcus Bell when he left for the University of Utah.

“Coming into the year, we didn’t really have another running back, so coaches were kind of like, ‘You’re a running back now,’” he recalled. “I’m liking it, yeah. This is a game we wanted. I wanted it all year, and we got it.”

Jaic Lamb

Speaking of workhorse two-way players, the Banks senior also put in yeoman work on both sides of the ball to help the Braves win their 48th consecutive regular-season game with a 28-0 victory over Tillamook. The 6-1, 180-pounder ran for a career-high 212 yards on 24 carries and made five tackles (three for loss) as the Braves improved to 6-0 ahead of a showdown with rival Scappoose that should decide the Cowapa League title.

“I love running the rock,” Lamb said. “I love it. I get beat up sometimes, but that’s just how it goes when you’re a running back.”

Sweet Home

After a week spent mourning the loss of their beloved teammate Mason Flores, the Huskies took to the field and spent a couple of hours doing what they love in his memory — playing a football game. In front of family and friends who’d gathered for Homecoming, Sweet Home won 30-15 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2003.

“Our team handled it like pros,” Sweet Home coach Ryan Adams said. “They understood they couldn’t control how other people would handle it, but they could control what they could do. So, they continued to buy into everything we’ve been preaching all year — focus on us, one play at a time.”

Three Down

Clackamas

Five years ago, the Cavaliers were a 10-game winner. Then, Nelson opened a few miles down the road, and nothing has been the same since. Clackamas made the postseason the past four years but only in the 6A championship bracket once, and the Cavs are in danger of missing out altogether this year after their 40-0 loss at Sheldon dropped them to 1-5 and No. 38 in the OSAA rankings.

Only the top two teams in the Mt. Hood Conference are guaranteed playoff spots, and with a loss to Central Catholic in their MHC opener a week ago, that means the Cavaliers will need to run the table — including Week 9 against No. 2 Nelson — to have a chance to extend a streak of postseason appearances that began in 2011.

Centennial

Eagles coach Tim Price had high hopes that his team could experience a breakthrough this season with junior quarterback Justin Shellito and Oregon City transfer Alarion Scott. Alas, it has not worked out that way. Their 49-6 loss to David Douglas dropped them to 0-6, leaving them as one of only two winless teams in 5A, and only one team is averaging fewer than their 8.3 points per game.

Reedsport

Last year, the Braves went 5-2 playing as a 2A independent program. This season, they dropped to the 1A eight-person division and attempted to play a full season in Special District 2, but after starting the year 0-5, they pulled the plug on the campaign after forfeiting their Homecoming game against Camas Valley, posting on their Facebook page that it was due to “the limited number of healthy players available.” Their OSAA page lists the rest of the games on their schedule against Perrydale, North Douglas and Mohawk as forfeits as well.

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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