After a bit of a rocky start, Jesuit's football team is starting to find its stride under first-year coach Phil Rombach.
The No. 9 Crusaders picked up their most important win of the season Friday, rolling past visiting Mountainside 31-12 in a 6A Metro League game. It is the third consecutive victory for Jesuit (4-2, 2-0), which is going for its 12th league title in 13 seasons.
“I feel like every week we have improved and gained confidence and awareness of who we are as a team,” said Rombach, who replaced longtime coach Ken Potter, the state's all-time wins leader. “Everybody is working really hard, and that hard work is paying off.”
The Crusaders' two losses were 38-0 to No. 2 Nelson and 54-31 to No. 6 Willamette in nonleague games.
“Obviously, we had a tough loss to Nelson the first week, but this team’s getting really dangerous every single week,” senior running back Luke Ortner told the Valley Times. “We’re learning the offense and the defense is better. I think we’re going to be a very dangerous team going forward.”
Ortner rushed for 158 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries against Mountainside (2-4, 0-2). Senior Jack Wilson completed 13 of 19 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown, a 17-yard strike to senior Kyle Goodwin.
Jesuit led 14-6 at half before pulling away. Sophomore Noah Lanphere kicked a 29-yard field goal, Ortner scored on a three-yard run and sophomore Alex Goeckner returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown as the lead grew to 31-6 in the fourth quarter.
“It was a great team win,” Rombach said. “We're trying to focus on ourselves and improve. It's a race to see how good we can get over the course of the season. We're learning a new offense and defense, and it just takes time to get really dialed in with assignments.”
Ortner rushed for 104 yards in the second half for his third consecutive 100-yard game. He has 642 rushing yards this season.
“Luke is a great back,” Rombach said. “He runs exceptionally hard and plays with great passion and intensity. Everyone who is blocking has really stepped up and found a way to create holes and be physical and tough.”
After years of a run-dominant offense under Potter, the Crusaders have spread things out under a new coordinator in former Linfield quarterback Dawson Lieurance. Through six games, they have passed for 1,025 yards and rushed for 823 yards.
“Our offensive staff has done a great job of adapting our offensive scheme to what our players are capable of doing well,” Rombach said. “It's a process of refining and getting good at what we're we're able to do well.”
'Humility' propels Foxes
Since opening the season with a humbling 37-7 loss to Coeur d'Alene (Idaho), Silverton is looking more like last year's 5A championship team every week.
The latest example came Friday night when the No. 1 Foxes throttled No. 3 West Albany 38-14 at home in a pivotal Mid-Willamette Conference game. Silverton (5-1, 3-0) now stands above West Albany (5-2, 3-1) in first place.
Foxes coach Dan Lever said much of his team's growth goes back to that home loss on Aug. 28.
“It gave us a great sense of humility,” Lever said. “I think it reminded everybody that nobody cares about last year anymore, especially Coeur d'Alene. It was a wake-up call for everybody in our program that everybody's going to give us their best game.
“I saw a change in some guys and their practice habits and their mentality that needed to change. Getting thumped by Coeur d'Alene was maybe one of the best things for us.”
It helps that Silverton is getting healthier as the season progresses. Senior free safety Lincoln Teeney, the reigning 5A defensive player of the year, returned from a broken foot to play Oct. 2 at Lebanon. Junior running back Keysean Davis (foot) and junior linebacker Ryder Vandeweghe (ankle) both came back Friday after missing multiple games.
“Having them back has been a huge boost to us all the way around,” Lever said.
Teeney's presence has been especially key.
“He just has a level of savvy,” Lever said. “He sees the play before it happens. He's great in the middle of the field.”
In Friday's win, the Foxes led West Albany 31-0 early in the fourth quarter. Davis rushed for 83 yards on 14 carries and senior Levi Schurter rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Junior Quenton Lake completed 9 of 16 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, 34 yards to Davis and 56 yards to senior Luke Horner.
Lever said his offensive and defensive lines are “playing at a very high level, and I think they can get better, too.” The Foxes also have room to grow in understanding situational football, he said.
“At times this is a coach-led team. If they can become a player-led team, the sky's the limit,” Lever said.
Impact receiver
Another week, another 100-yard game for Sherwood senior receiver Michael Brandt.
The 6-1, 170-pound Brandt caught six passes for 127 yards as the Bowmen (3-3, 1-0) rolled past Newberg 46-0 in a 6A Pacific Conference game Thursday, their third consecutive win.
Brandt has surpassed 100 yards in every game, racking up 46 catches for 929 yards and eight touchdowns. He is on pace to break Sherwood's single-season record for receiving yards of 1,333, set by Cody Hall in 2021.
“He's having a phenomenal season,” coach Mark Gribble said. “Some of the catches he's made are highlight reels. I've had coaches reach out and say, 'Hey, you need to send that one to ESPN for the top 10.'”
Sherwood, long known for its prolific wing-T rushing attack, began planting the seeds for its passing game in the middle of last season. That's when Kai Boatsman took over at quarterback and Brandt returned from an injury.
“We knew we had an explosive receiver as things started to develop late last year,” Gribble said. “Mikey went to work this offseason and said, 'I'm going to put it all into my senior year,' and it's showing. He's an impact player.”
Boatsman, a junior, was highly efficient against Newberg, completing 14 of 17 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown. For the season he is 79 of 128 for 1,349 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Boatsman has developed chemistry with Brandt, who doesn't have blinding speed but is deceptive and crafty.
“He's a possession-type receiver,” Gribble said. “He puts his body in great position. He may not be a 4.3 guy, but he's going to put a move on you that's going to get your hips turned, and he's going to end up five yards behind you. He just gives defenses fits.”
Brandt also is excelling at safety. In Thursday's game, he had a 95-yard pick-six nullified by offsetting penalties on the return.
Gribble said that Portland State and Western Oregon are among colleges that have shown interest in Brandt, but he has yet to receive an offer.
“I think everybody is trying to see if this is a fluke or if it's something that can be sustainable,” he said. “I think he definitely has the capability on both sides of the ball.”
Glos, Wilsonville 'clicking'
The state's two leading 5A passers went head-to-head Friday when No. 9 Wilsonville visited Forest Grove for a Special District 3 game.
The Wildcats (4-2, 2-0), behind senior quarterback Trevor Glos, opened a 41-0 lead in the second quarter and cruised to a 48-27 victory over the Vikings (3-3, 0-2), who feature senior quarterback Adler Case.
Glos completed 19 of 29 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns and ran for one score before exiting early in the second half. His scoring passes were 14 yards to senior Luke Brainard, seven yards to senior Ben Wiepert and 18 yards to junior Luke Cutting.
“We were clicking. It was awesome to see,” Wilsonville coach Adam Guenther said. “We're starting to put together some stuff. Some people thought it was going to be a shootout. They've just been rolling points. Our defense took it as a challenge.”
Case, who entered the game ranked second to Glos in passing yards and touchdown passes, was held in check until Wilsonville was firmly in control. He completed 8 of 22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and ran for two scores.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Glos increased his season totals to 1,536 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. The 5-11, 165-pound Case stands at 1,498 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Glos is building on a junior season in which he passed for 2,750 yards and 40 touchdowns.
“His arm strength has gotten better. His vision of the field has gotten better,” Guenther said. “Beginning of the year, I think he tried to push some things. It was like he wanted to show people he could do it. We sat down a couple times, and ever since then he's been on top of it. We're starting to see the same stuff. He's made leaps-and-bounds gains.”
The Wildcats have won three in a row since back-to-back losses to 6A teams North Medford and West Linn.
“I think we're living up to what we can do,” Guenther said. “We have a good group, they just need experience. They just keep getting it. We knew that once we got back into the 5A realm, we'd be fine. And I think we're there. I think we're building momentum.”
In Friday's game, Wiepert staked Wilsonville to a 13-0 lead with a punt-return touchdown and a 95-yard pick-six. Junior running back Masen Putnam rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown on five carries.
No. 1 Cascade up to challenge
Junior Madden Hughes completed 7 of 13 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns as No. 1 Cascade turned back No. 4 Estacada 34-20 in a key 4A Special District 2 game Friday.
The host Cougars (6-0, 4-0), who won their first five games by an average margin of 50.4 points, were tested in the trenches and had to play a full 48 minutes to put away the Rangers (4-2, 2-1).
“We couldn’t get a push up front in the run game, but in the pass game, we had great pass protection throughout the night,” Hughes said. “Wide receivers caught balls and made plays. It was good playing four quarters instead of two.”
Cascade senior Jay Erickson caught two touchdown passes and had a clinching interception in the fourth quarter.
“Defense is key to our team,” Erickson said. “We work hard, and it’s nice to see it pay off in the second half.”
Down 27-14 at half, Estacada threatened to cut into the lead with a drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock in the third quarter. But the Cougars stopped the Rangers on downs at the 2-yard line, turning the momentum.
Estacada left encouraged by its performance. The Rangers' only other loss is against 3A No. 1 Vale.
“Sky’s the limit, man,” Estacada junior quarterback Dane Carpenter said. “Once we clean those little things up, just play a few more times, and we’re going to be great.”
-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
Elks settle score
Elkton players have had almost a year to think about how Crow – a team they defeated 34-0 in a 1A-6 Special District 3 game last season – knocked them out of the state semifinals in a 45-39 upset.
The No. 2 Elks (6-0, 3-0) got a measure of payback Friday with a 19-7 win at No. 8 Crow (3-2, 1-2), strengthening their hold on first place.
“Both teams were definitely fired up for it,” Elkton coach Jeremy Lockhart said. “It was a hard-hitting, physical game, that's for sure. It was definitely the most physical game we've had this season.”
The Elks got a touchdown run by sophomore Talon Harvey and a long touchdown pass from junior Carson Peters to senior Wyatt Rollefson to lead 12-7 at half. They extended the lead to 19-7 on the first play of the third quarter when junior linebacker Brennan Buss forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
Lockhart didn't want his players to obsess over last year's semifinal loss.
“I tried to tell the kids, 'That was last year, so we need to let it go,'” he said. “We just need to focus on what our team is this year. It was heartbreaking, for sure, but it's a new season.”
Elkton is having another strong season despite graduating three two-way starters from last year's team. Many of the players gained experience from playing on a team that finished 2-7 in 2024.
“They were getting their butts kicked,” Lockhart said. “I think that has made us a lot better because we've been through some low times and some high times.”
The coach said the Elks have young players that are “really special.” Harvey has scored 13 touchdowns and Peters has passed for 12 scores.
“We're way more athletic this year,” he said. “Athleticism has been bailing us out. We were pretty fast last year, but we're faster this year.”
Sweet Home remembers Flores
It was a bittersweet homecoming night Friday for 4A No. 7 Sweet Home, which defeated Marshfield 30-15 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2003.
The Huskies are mourning the loss of JV football player Mason Flores, who died Monday after suffering a brain injury in a game the previous week. At Friday's game, the school had a memorial to Flores at the stadium entrance with photos, flowers and signs.
In accordance with the wishes of Flores' mother – Sweet Home graduate Jenna Anderson -- the school moved forward with homecoming festivities for the week.
The Huskies wore a No. 8 sticker on their helmets to recognize Flores. The sophomore saw limited varsity action as a reserve running back this season, even returning a kickoff late in regulation in an overtime win over Marist Catholic.
A motorcycle parade before Friday's game honored both Flores and Marshfield's Riley Davis, a junior lineman who died in August. After the game, the teams met in the middle of the field for a moment of reflection and a pastor-led prayer.
The Huskies and Pirates remained on the field well after the game for a pizza feed. Marshfield coach John Lemmons brought $300 worth of cupcakes in Sweet Home colors.
The Huskies have been buoyed by an outpouring of support from throughout the state. That included a visit from Oregon State football coach JaMarcus Shephard, who stopped by the high school to speak with the team for about 15 minutes prior to Thursday's practice.
The high school donated Friday's gate receipts to Flores' family. Several other schools have pledged donations ranging from gate receipts to 50/50 pots.
jerryu@osaa.org
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