Tualatin senior Malik Ross has rushed for 1,534 yards and 23 touchdowns. (Photo by Jon Olson)

For all of the skills Tualatin's Malik Ross has flashed in his senior football season, perhaps his most valuable trait is his impeccable timing.

It seems that whenever a big play is needed, No. 8 finds a way to make it happen for the Timberwolves, who will go for their first state championship Saturday when they meet Central Catholic in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A final at Hillsboro Stadium.

The 6-foot, 190-pound running back and safety takes pride in rising to the occasion.

“A lot of people kind of shy away from those moments,” Ross said. “I'm one of those people that has to come through. Being clutch is one of the best feelings in the world. At the end of the game, that's when the pressure is really on. Pressure doesn't get to me. I don't shy away from that.”

Ross, a fourth-year varsity player, is having a huge season for third-seeded Tualatin (12-1). He has rushed for 1,534 yards and 23 touchdowns, caught 30 passes for 540 yards and four scores and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. On defense, he has 7.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

"He can do everything. He's an amazing player," Tualatin junior defensive back Jack Wagner said. "His toughness is amazing."

More than anything, though, it's his competitive drive that makes the Timberwolves go.

“He's a competitor, man. He's the ultimate warrior,” Tualatin coach Dan Lever said. “You don't see him losing focus. He doesn't joke around in practice. He's there to win and he's there to play ball.

“It doesn't matter how big the moment is. He's got ice in his veins. It does not faze him. He's comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Ross said he has achieved many of his personal goals this season. But the team goals are what push him.

“Years past, I think I've been underrated, and I still think I am a little bit,” Ross said. “But I just took that as motivation and used it to work to get better. Just the next step is, 'How can you get your team wins?' That's the most important part.

“You see guys, they do their part, but sometimes their team doesn't have the record. I've gotten quicker and faster, and my vision has gotten a lot better, too, but winning is the most important thing.”

Ross' fingerprints are all over Tualatin's success this season.

He was the catalyst for a 35-28 win over 5A champion Silverton, not only running 63 yards for what turned out to be the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, but making a diving interception at the one-yard line with 30 seconds left after the Foxes had reached the Tualatin 9.

When the Timberwolves were tied with Lakeridge 21-21 with four minutes left, they handed it six consecutive times to Ross, who carried them down to the one-yard line to set up the game-winning field goal.

Ross has been sensational in the playoffs, too. In the second round, he scored six touchdowns in the first half of a 58-25 win over Westview. In the semifinals, he ran for two touchdowns and threw a jump-pass for a 33-yard score to help beat West Linn 35-13.

It's probably no coincidence that in Tualatin's only loss – 35-26 to Lake Oswego – Ross had to exit in the fourth quarter with a head injury. Down by one point with five minutes left, the Timberwolves were unable to mount a drive with Ross on the sidelines.

“It was tough, just because of the competitive spirit that I have,” Ross said. “I understood why I couldn't go back in, but I wanted to go in so bad and help my team get the win. Sometimes you've got to just take the safe route.”

Ross grew up playing in the Tualatin youth program, catching the eye of coaches since the third grade. He was an eighth-grader when Lever took over as Tualatin's coach.

“We knew he was going to be a dude,” Lever said of Ross, who also stands out in basketball, averaging a team-high 15.5 points last season as a first-team, all-league shooting guard for the Timberwolves.

Ross got called up to varsity as a freshman and showed his ability by running for a 45-yard touchdown in his first game, although the score was nullified by a penalty.

“My first two carries, I got blown up behind the line of scrimmage,” Ross said. “I was like, 'All right, I can't do this, take me out.' Coach Lever, being the great guy he is, he was like, 'Keep going.' He put me back in and then I broke loose. I couldn't believe it. That was just the beginning.”

Ross showed his versatility as a sophomore by playing at slot because the Timberwolves had a standout senior running back in Kainoa Sayre. As a junior, Ross was a Three Rivers League first-team pick, rushing for 406 yards on 27 carries in six-game spring season. This season, he was selected as Three Rivers co-offensive player of the year with Lake Oswego quarterback Jack Layne.

Ross has evolved into a team leader as a senior.

“He's a lead-by-example type of guy,” Lever said. “He doesn't say a lot, but when he says something, everybody listens. He's a very even-keeled kid.”

Ross will be a marked man Saturday against Central Catholic. The Rams know they can't afford to lose track of Ross without paying a hefty price.

“He's got good shakes and pretty good speed,” Central Catholic coach Steve Pyne said. “He seems to be a pretty patient runner. He'll get five or two or three yards, and then all of the sudden, he's getting 40 or 50. He's OK getting his two or three knowing he's probably going to get a big play at some point.”

Ross is rated as the state's No. 20 senior prospect by 247sports. He said he has received an offer from NCAA Division II Western Oregon and has talked with Portland State, Air Force and Southern Oregon.

“I'm still just waiting like a lot of 2022s are,” Ross said. “Just waiting for that one offer that I like, or where I can see myself.

“I kind of see myself as a D'Anthony Thomas-type, real versatile. I've never really looked at myself as just one particular position, just running back or just slot. I'd be surprised if I wasn't playing both slot and running back at a college.”

Lever said that Ross is receiving a “ton of interest” from FCS programs.

“Whoever goes on him is going to get a hell of a player,” Lever said. “He can play slot. He's a phenomenal nickel safety for us. He's a returner, special teams guy. And of course, running back. He can do a lot of things. He's a blast to coach, man.”