As No. 6 Wells was overcoming a stiff challenge from No. 11 Grants Pass for its first football playoff victory since 2003 on Friday night, the Guardians were more than a little invested in what was happening four miles away up Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.
That's where their Portland Interscholastic League brethren – the No. 10 Lincoln Cardinals – also were fighting for the league's honor in a first-round game at Metro League champion Jesuit, the No. 7 seed.
“We were Lincoln's biggest fans,” Wells coach Robby Scharf said.
Heading into Friday, no PIL team had won a playoff game in the top 6A bracket since 2017. But after Wells and Lincoln won 46-35 and 30-24, respectively, the league was able to stick out its chest and defy the skeptics.
Scharf and Lincoln coach Cody Schnaufer let off some steam in a postgame phone call.
“We basically shouted into the phone together,” Scharf said. “Trust me, it was cathartic, for sure. I've been coaching in this league for seven years, and the marked improvement, you can't miss it. It showed.”
Wells junior Lucius Coon had three of his four touchdown runs in the first quarter as the Guardians (10-0) jumped to a 22-0 lead. But Grants Pass answered to lead 29-28 at half, forcing Wells into a gut-check.
Junior defensive lineman Ivan Kos challenged his teammates in the locker room at halftime.
“He took control. I couldn't get a word in edgewise,” Scharf said. “It was all about energy. When we came out with energy in the first quarter, we dominated, but as soon as they punched us in the mouth, we started to shrink.
“What choice were we going to make? Were we going to be OK with just being PIL champs, or do you want to win? We made the choice that we wanted to win. The energy in the third quarter showed up.”
The Guardians took a 30-29 lead early in the third quarter on a safety by senior linebacker Ronan Eikanas, and Coon followed with a two-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 38-29.
Grants Pass drew within 38-35 on a 60-yard touchdown pass from senior Jordan Rossetta to senior Brevik Hill on the last play of the third quarter, but Wells senior quarterback Jude Nolan ran for a 30-yard score and two-point conversion to make it 46-35 with 7:58 remaining.
The Guardians held on despite massive games from Rossetta and Hill. Rossetta went 26 of 36 for 497 yards and five touchdowns, four to Hill, who had 12 catches for 364 yards.
“We definitely had our moments of self-doubt,” Scharf said. “They have unreal athletes all over the field. It's insane. Rossetta is probably the best high school quarterback I've coached against. And (Hill) was real. We did not have somebody that could stop him.”
Guthrie-less Summit advances
Intermountain Conference champion Summit (6-3), No. 2 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches and seeded No. 6 in the playoffs, is making do without its starting quarterback in Northern Arizona-bound Andrew Guthrie.
Guthrie suffered a torn meniscus in practice leading up to an Oct. 24 game against Willamette. He underwent surgery and is hopeful to recover in time for baseball season.
In Friday's 26-20 first-round win over No. 11 Canby (6-4), junior Curren Stilson made his third start at quarterback. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 90 yards as the Storm relied on their running game, which accounted for 229 yards and four touchdowns.
“We're going to lean on our run game. Everybody knows that,” Summit coach Corben Hyatt said. “We've got four running backs that we feel super confident about and a great, big offensive line. We've got some kids that can come in at H-back and tight end and pound guys. That's what we did against Canby.”
Stilson, a 5-9, 205-pound left-hander who played middle linebacker, gives Summit's offense a much different look than Guthrie, a 6-4, 215-pound right-hander. Guthrie has been attending practices on crutches to help smooth the transition to Stilson.
“Curren is completely opposite,” Hyatt said. “He's a little bit different dynamic in that he can run the ball, and wants to run the ball. We've got to get creative a little bit just because we have such tall, big offensive linemen, and we have a 5-9 quarterback. It's been more of a challenge for us coaches to get the right packages for him because their skill sets are completely different.”
The Storm also was missing its leading rusher Friday in junior Clay Johnson, who suffered a concussion Oct. 30 against Caldera and is expected back for the team's quarterfinal against No. 3 West Albany. Without Johnson, senior Casey Westerhoff carried a heavier load against Canby, rushing for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Pioneer trail
The last two seasons, Sandy had plenty of success in the Columbia Cup – the 6A secondary bracket – by making the quarterfinals in 2024 and the final in 2025.
But the Pioneers are in rare territory after moving to 5A this year. Not only did they win their third league title in school history by finishing atop Special District 1, but Friday's 20-17 first-round win over Ridgeview represented their second playoff win in school history, outside of the Columbia Cup.
Sandy's other playoff win came in 1998, when it defeated Bend 24-6. The Pioneers have advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in school history, the other coming in 1959, when the quarterfinals were opening-round games.
“It's pretty cool,” coach Josh Dill said. “It's been a fun ride. We're hoping to keep the ride going.”
Dill said the Columbia Cup experience has paid dividends.
“They've been in big games, and have won big games,” he said. “They're a pretty special group.
“It's been an historic few years. I know they were Columbia Cup victories, but we're a 5A school and we were playing 6A forever, so they felt like championship-bracket playoff victories.”
After spotting No. 10 Ridgeview (6-3) a first-quarter safety, No. 7 Sandy (7-3) took control. Senior Micaiah Turin threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Hudson Pearson and senior Gracyn Fitch ran for a two-yard score to put the Pioneers up 13-2 at half. Fitch added a 67-yard scoring run in the third quarter to make it 20-2.
Ridgeview got within 20-17 in the fourth quarter and was driving for more, but junior linebacker Frankie Reyes forced a fumble and the Pioneers recovered at their 25-yard line with 4:15 left. They ran out the clock.
With a quarterfinal win at No. 2 Thurston (8-1), Sandy can make the championship semifinals for the first time.
Glencoe's Castro explodes
At 5-7, 175 pounds, Glencoe junior Abraham Castro doesn't fit the profile of a workhorse running back.
But he put the Crimson Tide on his back Friday, carrying 56 times for 433 yards and six touchdowns in a 54-41 win at South Salem in a 6A Columbia Cup game.
The 433 yards ranks No. 12 in state history. The 56 carries fell just short of the state record of 60, set by Crater's Valentin Rodriguez in 2024.
“He easily probably could have carried it 15 more times,” Glencoe coach Ian Reynoso said of Castro, who entered the game leading 6A in rushing with 1,520 yards. “At the end of the game, he wasn't exhausted. He was taking some pops. Abe just takes it. He runs at people. He runs through people.”
Glencoe's offensive line – senior tackles Brock Sahlfeld and Landon Duyck, sophomore guard James Curbow, junior guard Sean Barry and junior center McKinley Duyck – blew the Saxons off the ball. Sophomore fullback Ian Glaze also paved the way.
Castro was contacted behind the line of scrimmage twice and had only one negative rush, on a bobbled pitch.
“Pretty much every play he was untouched for at least two yards,” Reynoso said. “Our front was locked in. They were just firing off the ball, getting into bodies and driving.”
Glencoe rushed for 491 yards. Senior Titus Duhon threw two passes, both going for touchdowns to junior Berry Fonua.
The No. 21-seeded Crimson Tide (5-5), co-champion in the Pacific Conference, needed to keep scoring to fend off No. 20 South Salem (7-3). Saxons senior Kellen Bowman completed 25 of 35 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior Landon Sewell (six catches, 122 yards). Senior Ben Greer had 11 catches for 134 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
Bowman leads 6A in passing yards (4,023) and touchdown passes (44). Greer leads 6A in receiving yards (1,523) and touchdown catches (16).
Luck of the Irish?
No. 5 Sheldon capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to hold off No. 12 Lakeridge 35-34 in the closest game of the 6A first round.
The Irish led 28-26 early in the fourth quarter when senior Barry Myles caught a pass up the seam near the end zone, but Lakeridge senior Seba Molyneux jarred the ball loose.
The ball popped up off the turf and back into the hands of Myles, who nonchalantly collected it in the end zone, expecting the pass to be ruled incomplete. Officials ruled it a complete pass and fumble, however, thus resulting in a 39-yard touchdown for Sheldon.
"I was a little panicked. I didn't really know what the refs were gonna think about it," the Nevada-bound Myles told the Register-Guard. "I don't know if it was a touchdown or not. I was a little surprised when I saw it was a touchdown — I thought it was going to be a fumble, or an incompletion, or something like that."
As a result, Sheldon pushed its lead to 35-26, and was able to withstand Lakeridge's ensuing touchdown and two-point conversion, which cut the gap to 35-34 with 6:39 left. The Irish ran out the clock for the win, getting a key conversion pass from junior Ryker Rohaley to sophomore Jett Wong.
Rohaley completed 17 of 23 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns – two to Myles and one to senior Cam Thomas. Junior Cody Hall had 21 carries for 125 yards and junior Keaton Welch ran for two touchdowns from the wildcat formation.
The Irish (8-2) were eager for the test against the Pacers (5-5), the No. 4 team from the rugged Three Rivers League. The top three teams from the Three Rivers advanced to the quarterfinals.
"They're super physical. They did a really good job," Rohaley told the Register-Guard. "But, I mean, we're really good. Our offense is probably the best in the state."
Lakeridge got three touchdown runs from senior Colby Owen and a scoring catch from sophomore Mason Girt.
jerryu@osaa.org
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