Sure, No. 1 Lake Oswego will be plenty fired up to play host to No. 2 West Linn on Friday in the most anticipated game of the 2025 high school football season.
But the Lakers – who last year won at West Linn 21-17 in a Three Rivers League game, only to lose to the Lions 44-30 for the 6A Open championship – are keeping the game in perspective.
“The lesson our kids learned last year is this is just another game in the regular season,” Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury said. “These guys are the champs, and you're going to have to beat them in November to really make it purposeful.”
Last year marked the second time in three seasons that West Linn avenged a regular-season defeat in the state final. The Lions did the same to Sheldon in 2022.
“That's something I talked about with our players,” West Linn coach Jon Eagle said. “I said, 'Look at last year, did it matter that you won or lost?' It really didn't matter. I told them, 'We'll play these guys again.'”
Still, Friday's winner will have the inside track to the title in the Three Rivers, the state's toughest league. The Lakers (6-0, 2-0) and Lions (6-0, 2-0) have swapped the top two spots in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll all season, so Friday's game could provide some clarity.
“It'll give us a big indication of where we are,” Coury said. “Both teams will learn something from it.”
In last year's state final, West Linn bolted to a 24-0 lead and held off Lake Oswego. But the Lakers believe they are a better team than last year's runner-up.
“We're more athletic and we've definitely got more depth,” Coury said. “I think we're a bit more physical than we were last year. We're athletic and fast on defense.”
Both teams have outstanding senior running backs. Lake Oswego's LaMarcus Bell, a Utah commit, has rushed for 629 yards and 11 touchdowns on 61 carries. West Linn's Viggo Anderson, who ran for 204 yards in last year's state final, missed four games with a foot injury before returning for last week's 30-20 win over No. 7 Lakeridge.
The coaches, though, are just as wary of the opposing quarterbacks. Lake Oswego senior Hudson Kurland, committed to Washington State, has passed for 719 yards and eight touchdowns. West Linn junior Sloan Baker, a first-year starter, has thrown for 1,503 yards and 18 scores.
“The guy that stirs everything for them is their quarterback,” Coury said of Baker. “He's really good. He reminds me of Johnny Manziel. He runs around, he gets out of jams, he throws the ball.”
Eagle said of Kurland: “He's a very good runner. He's very hard to get on the ground. He throws a long ball that's very high, which makes it very hard to defend. And he's got really good touch on that. His presence in the pocket is very good.”
Bell suffered an ankle injury in a 49-24 win at No. 6 Tualatin on Oct. 3 and missed last week's 45-21 home victory over Tigard. Coury said the Lakers are being cautious with Bell, but they are hopeful he will play Friday.
West Linn absorbed a blow against Lakeridge when junior safety and running back Shane Peters was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Peters did a little bit of everything for the Lions, including returning two punts for touchdowns this season.
Depth and attrition could play a factor in the outcome. The teams have won most of their games handily, allowing the starters to check out early. Last week, though, West Linn was pushed by Lakeridge, taking 78 snaps on defense.
“We were not ready for that long of a game,” Eagle said. “A lot of this game is both teams having to play players both ways, and how you manage that.”
The teams also must manage their emotions under the bright spotlight. MaxPreps has selected the game as its national game of the week.
“Because it's a rematch of the championship game, that adds a little bit to it,” Eagle said. “And it's your neighbor. The kids know each other. I think it's great for Oregon high school football. It creates a lot of excitement.”
Other top match-ups in Week 7:
Friday
6A No. 8 Jesuit (4-2, 2-0 Metro League) at Mountainside (4-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Mountainside won its first Metro title last season, posting its first win over Jesuit, which had won 10 consecutive league championships. The Crusaders, who lost to the Mavericks 58-35 last year, can take a big step toward regaining Metro supremacy.
6A No. 3 Willamette (6-0) at 5A No. 3 Dallas (6-0), 7 p.m.: An intriguing nonleague game between unbeaten teams from different classifications. Dallas can go to 7-0 for the second year in a row.
5A No. 7 Lebanon (5-1, 3-0 Mid-Willamette) at 5A No. 2 Silverton (6-0, 3-0), 7 p.m.: The winner between the Foxes and Warriors will be tied with Dallas for first place in the conference. Dallas plays host to Silverton next week and goes to Lebanon in the regular-season finale.
5A No. 6 Thurston (7-1, 5-0 Midwestern) at 5A No. 10 Churchill (4-2, 3-1), 7 p.m.: Last week, Thurston rolled to a 44-7 win over Crater, which is tied with Churchill for second place. With a win at Churchill, the Colts – who had their streak of five consecutive league titles snapped last year – will be in a commanding position.
4A No. 3 Tillamook (5-1, 2-0 Cowapa) at 4A No. 4 Scappoose (5-1, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Sole possession of first place in the Cowapa is on the line for the Cheesemakers and Indians, teams that have lost only to No. 1 Cascade. Scappoose beat Tillamook twice last year, 46-27 on the road in the regular season and 41-0 at home in the state quarterfinals.
3A No. 4 Dayton (6-0, 4-0 SD2) at 3A No. 8 Santiam Christian (5-1, 4-0), 7 p.m.: The teams meet in a first-place showdown. Dayton has four shutouts and has allowed a 3A-low 20 points. Last year, Santiam Christian won 35-12 on the Pirates' field on its way to the district title.
3A No. 9 Sisters (5-1, 2-0 SD3) at Pleasant Hill (5-1, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Pleasant Hill, which went 3-6 last season, can stand alone in first place with a home win over the Outlaws. Sisters dominated the Billies 58-20 a year ago.
2A No. 5 Myrtle Point (5-1, 2-0 SD4) at 2A No. 4 Bandon (5-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: Bandon has made giant strides since going 0-5 in district play last season. A win over Myrtle Point, which thumped the Tigers 53-0 last year, would be another big step.
1A-6 No. 1 Harper Charter (6-0, 6-0 SD1) at 1A-6 No. 6 Sherman (6-1, 6-1), 7 p.m.: Harper Charter, last year's state runner-up, gave up its first points of the season last week in a 62-7 rout of No. 4 Joseph. Sherman has won six in a row since opening with a 46-13 loss to Joseph.
1A-6 No. 9 Elkton (4-1, 3-0 SD3) at 1A-6 No. 8 Powers (4-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Elkton has done an about-face after going 2-7 last year, when it lost to state champion Powers 55-12. The Elks can take over first place in the district with a victory.
jerryu@osaa.org
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