PORTLAND – The relentless running of junior Luke Ortner and a timely blocked extra-point attempt was just enough to keep Jesuit's football season alive Friday night.
Ortner continued his breakout season by rushing for 229 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries as the No. 8-seeded Crusaders overcame a fourth-quarter rally by No. 9 Tualatin to win 34-33 in overtime in a 6A first-round game.
Host Jesuit (8-2) got payback for losing to the Timberwolves (6-4) in the last three regular seasons, including 13-7 in its opener this year.
“First game, we obviously know we didn't show out,” Ortner said. “We had a little grudge from last season – they beat us pretty badly – and then the first week we lost to them. This week, we knew we had to come with it.”
Ortner's seven-yard scoring run on the second series of overtime, and the ensuing extra point by senior Luca Bolouri, gave Jesuit the win and secured a quarterfinal date at No. 1 West Linn next week. It was all set up when senior Roman Mallard broke through to block the Timberwolves' extra-point attempt on the first series of overtime.
“I had to find a way to go change the game,” Mallard said. “I just went and made a play. I came from the second guy inside. I found a crease, laid out for it, got a hand on it.”
With another big game, the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Ortner raised his season totals to 1,888 yards and 23 touchdowns. He pounds defenses, averaging 28.4 carries per game behind an all-senior line of center Cooper Wright, guards Flynn Collins and Lucas Cushman and tackles John Ching and Quinn Wicklow.
“I always have the heat,” Ortner said. “I'm always trying to push as hard as I can, no matter what. If the team wants me to run 100 times, I'll run 100 times.”
On an 80-yard touchdown drive in the first half, Ortner had eight carries for 61 yards.
“His durability is crazy, taking all those hits, and continuing to make plays,” Jesuit senior receiver Joe Stimpson said.
Jesuit's win spoiled a stirring rally by Tualatin. The Timberwolves trailed 27-16 in the fourth quarter but rebounded behind sophomore quarterback Lincoln Keeney, who came off the bench midway through the fourth quarter when starter Owen Hagerman suffered a leg injury.
Keeney -- the brother of former Tualatin all-state quarterback Nolan Keeney -- threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior Calen Simonelic and a two-point conversion pass to senior tight end Cole Newton to draw Tualatin within 27-24 with 5:27 left.
The Timberwolves got the ball back with 2:18 remaining and Keeney completed three passes for 29 yards, leading to a 38-yard field goal by senior Trent Dearborn to tie 27-27 with 53 seconds to go.
With five seconds left in regulation, Jesuit junior quarterback Jack Wilson took a deep shot and it nearly backfired as time expired. Dearborn intercepted at the 19-yard line, returned to the 46 and lateraled to junior Carter Lemon, who made it all the way to the Crusaders' 8-yard line before being dragged down from behind.
The Timberwolves struck in the first series of overtime on a 1-yard run by sophomore Iden Rule to lead 33-27. That's when Mallard blocked Dearborn's extra-point try.
“Our wing on the left side was just a little too far off, and that's where No. 1 got through,” Tualatin coach Dom Ferraro said. “It's just a game of inches sometimes.”
Tualatin led 9-0 in the first quarter as junior Cole Hachmeister scored on a nine-yard run and Rule sacked Wilson in the end zone for a safety. The Timberwolves still led 16-7 when Rule ran for a 16-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but Jesuit ran off the next 20 points – getting scoring runs of 12, four and three yards by Ortner – to lead 27-16 in the third quarter.
“Second quarter, we started to turn up the heat,” Ortner said.
Stimpson, who caught touchdown passes in each of the last five regular-season games after returning from offseason knee surgery, had another strong performance. He had eight catches for 102 yards, setting up touchdowns with grabs of 41 and 34 yards.
Stimpson was motivated after watching the season-opening loss to Tualatin from the sidelines.
“That game wasn't easy to watch,” Stimpson said. “I'm glad we got a second chance.”
Stimpson's emergence gives Jesuit a downfield threat to balance the running of Ortner.
“He's a baller of a player. We love him so much,” Ortner said of Stimpson, adding, 'We can switch it up, let other teams know we're a double-threat, and they should know that we're coming for them.”
Wilson completed 12 of 20 passes for 146 yards and ran for a touchdown for Jesuit, which outgained Tualatin 394-302. For the Timberwolves, Hagerman went 10 of 17 for 110 yards and Keeney was 5 of 8 for 59 yards and one touchdown. Hachmeister rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries and Newton had five catches for 67 yards.
jerryu@osaa.org
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