Central Catholic holds a special place in Anthony Newman's heart. He started his football coaching career at the southeast Portland school, assisting for 13 seasons, and his children played sports for the Rams.
But Friday night, in his first game as a head coach, the 60-year-old Newman would like nothing more than to lead No. 2 West Linn past No. 4 Central Catholic in the 6A nonleague opener for both teams.
“This is interesting,” said Newman, who not only worked with several members of Central Catholic's staff, but coached some of them on state title teams. “It's going to be emotional. It's personal. Now I'm running the show, and I'm going up against my old team that is very good. They win state championships, as well.”
If that's not enough motivation for Newman and the host Lions, they are intent on avenging last year's 21-14 semifinal loss to the Rams. West Linn had fourth-and-goal from the two-inch line in the final minute but was undone by an errant snap.
“We have it on the back of our t-shirts, 'UFB, unfinished business,'” said Newman, West Linn's defensive coordinator since 2020. “So they're thinking about it. It's a big game, but I told the kids, 'We'll see them again in the playoffs. That's going to be more important.'”
The Lions, the No. 1 seed in last year's playoffs, believe they let a third state title in four seasons slip through their fingers. The good news for them is that many of their key players are back for another crack at it.
It starts with senior quarterback Sloan Baker, who burst onto the scene last year by throwing for 2,803 yards and 37 touchdowns with two interceptions and running for 554 yards and seven scores. Newman said the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Baker “lit it up” in the team's jamboree against Sherwood and Sprague last week.
“And he was holding back a little bit,” Newman said. “He just has great touch on the ball. As a defensive coordinator, he's a nightmare because he can scramble, but he's looking to throw. He wants to scramble and throw the ball, but when he does run, he's another running back.
“Everybody's looking at him and saying, 'He's our guy. He's going to lead this ship to the promised land.' That's what the kids believe.”
The Lions also have the state's top-rated recruit in senior cornerback and receiver Josiah Molden, an Oregon commit. Molden suffered a torn ACL in that semifinal loss to Central Catholic -- a key factor in the outcome -- and he has recovered to full strength.
In that defeat, West Linn also was missing its standout safety, Shane Peters, whose season was cut short by a knee injury in mid-October. Peters, a senior, also has recovered and is ready for the opener.
“Trust me, they're really hungry,” Newman said of Molden and Peters. “They look faster than they did before they got hurt. They have improved tremendously.”
Newman believes the Lions have uncovered a new weapon in Carson Smiley. The 6-2 senior has been a quarterback in the program, but with Baker entrenched, he is contributing at multiple positions on offense and defense. In the jamboree, Smiley passed and ran for touchdowns and returned an interception for a score.
“He's a beast,” Newman said. “I told the coaches, 'This is a transfer. We got a kid from California we didn't even know we had.' And he's been in the program since the fifth grade.”
Central Catholic graduated a talented cast of skill players from last year's 6A runner-up, including quarterback Robbie Long. But the Rams have plenty of experience returning up front, led by junior PJ Tautu (6-4, 265), senior Nate Peau (6-2, 315) and sophomore Conor Schmitz (6-2, 245). They also have an Oregon commit at tight end in senior George VanSandt (6-5, 235).
“They always have dudes,” Newman said.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be a special night for Newman.
“Central Catholic means a lot to me, but I have a new home, and that's West Linn,” he said. “I love the community, the student body, the staff. This is a great place to be.”
Other top matchups in Week 1:
Friday
North Medford (1-0) at 5A No. 3 Mountain View (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Black Tornado matched their win total from last season by beating then-No. 9 Lakeridge 22-14 last week. They can make another statement against perennial 5A power Mountain View, which opened with a 13-10 win over West Albany in a defensive battle.
6A No. 3 Tualatin (1-0) at 6A No. 8 Sherwood (0-0), 7 p.m.: The Bowmen, who lost at Tualatin 43-0 last year, get a chance for some payback on their home field. The Timberwolves rolled over Mountainside 52-13 last week.
6A No. 9 Jesuit (0-0) at 6A No. 6 Nelson (0-1), 7 p.m.: It's a new era for Jesuit under coach Phil Rombach, who has replaced Ken Potter, the state's all-time wins leader (368-92 in 39 seasons). Nelson will try to bounce back from letting a 21-point, fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 49-48 overtime loss at No. 7 Grants Pass.
Casteel, Ariz. (0-1) at 6A No. 1 Lake Oswego (1-0), 7 p.m.: The reigning state champion Lakers get a big test against Casteel, the Arizona 6A champion last year. The Colts, ranked No. 7 in Arizona, lost their opener 35-34 to Red Mountain after missing the potential game-tying extra point in the fourth quarter.
5A No. 6 West Albany (0-1) at 5A No. 5 Thurston (1-0), 7 p.m.: Thurston used five turnovers to subdue Sheldon 20-17 last week. West Albany fell to No. 3 Mountain View 13-10 despite owning a 327-193 edge in total yards.
5A No. 7 Dallas (0-0) at 4A No. 7 Central (1-0), 7 p.m.: Central, which dropped from 5A to 4A this season, cruised to a 42-7 win in its opener at Tillamook, No. 8 in the 4A preseason coaches poll. Facing former Mid-Willamette Conference rival Dallas, which beat Central 49-13 last year, will gauge the Panthers' improvement.
4A No. 3 Scappoose (1-0) vs. 4A No. 2 Cascade Christian (0-0) at Crater HS, 7 p.m.: Cascade Christian, which cut a swath through 3A last year in winning the state title, jumps into 4A for the first time with a neutral-site game against powerhouse Scappoose. The Indians smacked Pendleton/Nixyaawii 41-6 last week.
3A No. 5 Santiam Christian (1-0) at 3A No. 3 Kennedy (0-0), 7 p.m.: Santiam Christian blanked Gervais 18-0 last week in its first game under former Oregon State and NFL tight end Tim Euhus. The Eagles and Kennedy have met in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons, with Santiam Christian winning 42-21 in 2024 and the Trojans prevailing 28-19 last year.
2A No. 3 St. Paul (1-0) at 2A No. 1 Heppner, 7 p.m.: In 2024, St. Paul dropped Heppner 18-12 in the semifinals on its way to the state title. Last year, Heppner won both meetings, 30-26 in Week 1 and 18-12 in the semifinals.
1A-6 No. 3 Elkton (0-0) at 1A-6 No. 7 Eddyville Charter (0-1), 4 p.m.: Eddyville handed Elkton its only regular-season defeat last year, blasting the Elks 45-6 in Week 2. Eddyville is looking to rebound from a 31-7 loss to No. 2 Powers last week.
Saturday
3A No. 2 Siuslaw/Mapleton (1-0) vs. 3A No. 1 Vale (1-0) at Caldera HS, 12 p.m.: The teams meet for the first time since Vale dispatched Siuslaw 48-0 in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Last week, Vale's Cal Johnson threw five touchdown passes to Kellen Hartley in a 32-28 win over 4A Estacada and Siuslaw battered Coquille 44-0.
DeSales, Wash. (0-0) at 1A-8 No. 2 Dufur (0-0), 7:30 p.m.: Dufur, a state semifinalist last year, opens against DeSales, which last year went 14-0 and won Washington's 1B title. Next week, the Rangers visit nemesis Crosspoint Christian, which beat them 44-8 in the playoffs last year.
jerryu@osaa.org
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