In the immediate aftermath of its 39-28 loss at Scappoose on Oct. 17, Tillamook's football team lamented its missed opportunity to take control of the 4A Cowapa League.,
'When we left Scappoose that night, our guys came away feeling like, 'We're going to play those guys again at some point,'” Tillamook coach Kye Johnson said. “We've been ready to play the 'Poose again.”
The fifth-seeded Cheesemakers (8-2) get that chance Friday, with even higher stakes, when they visit No. 4 Scappoose (9-1) for a 4A quarterfinal. They can redeem themselves not only for that hard-fought defeat in October, but for two losses last year, including 41-0 in the quarterfinals.
“I don't know if we'd want it any other way than to line up with Scappoose for a final-four appearance,” Johnson said.
The Cheesemakers have been dissecting what went wrong in that league game four weeks ago. They invited Scappoose to run the ball, and the Indians obliged as junior Elijah Greenan-Biggs rushed for a season-high 252 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries.
Still, despite falling behind 14-0 and 28-14, Tillamook steadied itself and rallied to tie 28-28 in the third quarter on two touchdown catches by standout senior receiver Griffyn Boomer.
The Cheesemakers even had the ball with a chance to take the lead. But the physical nature of the game had taken a toll on Tillamook, which played much of the fourth quarter without seven starters, including Boomer, who suffered a hip injury.
“We had this stretch of plays late in the third quarter, early fourth, where a bunch of our starters just got dinged up,” Johnson said. “It was play after play. We weren't at our best. We didn't have our top-tier guys in there, and Scappoose kind of ran away from us in the last 10 minutes.”
Fortunately for the Cheesemakers, none of the injuries were serious and they have pushed forward with three consecutive wins. Last week, Boomer led the way in a 48-12 first-round win over North Bend, catching six passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 87 yards and two scores on four carries.
For the season, Boomer has 55 catches for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading 4A in each category. Tillamook is using him more in the running game recently, handing to him on fly sweeps and reverses.
“He'll probably play some quarterback for us this week, too,” Johnson said of Boomer, who also has four interceptions on defense. “We're going to put Griffyn in a bunch of different positions to make sure their defensive game plan is not too comfortable. If we're going to beat them, Griffyn getting some touches is going to be a bit part of that.”'
Tillamook junior quarterback Kevin Hurliman is coming off one of his more efficient games, completing 19 of 22 passes for 33 yards and four touchdowns with one interception against North Bend. For the season, he has passed for 1,900 yards and 21 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Scappoose has outstanding balance on offense, averaging 203.3 rushing yards and 209.3 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Will Kessi has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 2,077 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions, throwing scoring passes to 12 different receivers.
The 6-0, 201-pound Greenan-Biggs is Scappoose's top rusher, running for 916 yards and 17 touchdowns on 139 carries. Sophomore Colton Smith has five touchdown runs.
The Indians dominated Baker 49-0 in the first round, leading 43-0 at half. Kessi went 14 for 16 for 167 yards and two touchdowns and Greenan-Biggs and Smith each ran for two scores.
Johnson is wary of the schemes drawn up by Scappoose co-coach Sean McNabb, who is 224-78 in 27 seasons at the school.
“I think Sean McNabb is the best offensive coach in the state of Oregon,” Johnson said. “I don't know if anybody could debate that. It doesn't seem to matter which kids he has on his roster.”
Other intriguing match-ups in the second week of the state playoffs:
Friday
6A Championship
No. 10 Lakeridge (6-4) at No. 2 Nelson (9-1), 7 p.m.: Nelson announced its arrival as a serious 6A player in the season opener with a 26-21 home win over Lakeridge. The Pacers, who won at No. 7 Glencoe in the first round, will be eager to settle the score.
No. 5 Central Catholic (8-2) at No. 4 Willamette (10-0), 7 p.m.: Willamette, which moved up to 6A after going 8-2 in 5A last season, has won all of its games by at least two scores. But Central Catholic will be the first team the Wolverines have faced that is currently ranked in the top 10 of the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll.
6A Columbia Cup
No. 21 Beaverton (6-4) at No. 17 Sandy (6-4), 7 p.m.: Last week, Beaverton senior Oliver Luebkert tied the state record for career touchdown catches (51). With another big game this week, he can break the career record for receiving yards and single-season marks for receptions and touchdown catches.
5A
No. 13 Churchill (7-3) at No. 5 Thurston (10-1), 7 p.m.: Churchill posted one of the biggest upsets of the first round by knocking off No. 4 seed Lebanon 21-8. The Lancers will try to keep that momentum going against the Colts, who won at Churchill 27-16 in a Midwestern League game Oct. 17.
4A
No. 6 Estacada (7-3) vs. No. 3 Henley (7-2) at Mazama HS, 6 p.m.: The last time Estacada was in the quarterfinals, in 2022, the Rangers beat Henley 17-16 at Mazama High School on their way to a state title. Henley, the 2023 champion, is making its fifth consecutive quarterfinal appearance.
Saturday
3A
No. 6 Vale (9-1) at No. 3 Burns (9-1), 1 p.m.: A rematch of last year's state final, won by Burns 42-16. Vale won at Burns 21-18 on Oct. 24 in a game that ultimately decided the Special District 6 title. Despite that win, the Vikings have to play at Burns again, this time with a semifinal berth on the line.
2A
No. 11 Culver (9-1) at No. 3 Bandon, 2 p.m.: Culver, a quarterfinalist last year, is bidding for its first semifinal berth since 2008, when it was runner-up. Bandon, which finished 3-6 a year ago, hasn't been to the semifinals since 2004.
1A-8
No. 6 Imbler (7-3) at No. 3 Union (7-2), 1 p.m.: Imbler has made a dramatic turnaround since going 1-7 last year, moving one step away from its first semifinal appearance in 12 years. Union, coming off a 38-0 loss to Adrian, hasn't been to the final four since 1986. Union won at Imbler 36-20 in the season opener.
1A-6
No. 5 Joseph (8-2) at No. 4 Elkton (7-1), 1 p.m.: Elkton, which hasn't allowed more than seven points in a game during a six-game streak, collides with a Joseph team that is averaging 44.5 points, second in six-man behind Harper Charter. The Elks went 2-7 last season after making the 2023 semifinals.
jerryu@osaa.org
Subscribe
