Lions dominate second half in battle of Oregon's top two teams and rematch of last year's state championship game.
The top two teams in the state of Oregon just happen to reside in the same league.
West Linn or
Lake Oswego have won the Three Rivers League for seven of the past nine seasons. And with just two games remaining in the regular season, West Linn is in the driver’s seat for the league title after a 38-16 win in the MaxPreps Game of the Week.
Quarterback
Sloan Baker completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for
217
yards and four touchdowns while running 13
times for 50 yards and a score, helping West Linn improve to 7-0.
Sloan Baker helped West Linn improve to 7-0 on the season with a win over league rival Lake Oswego in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Troy Tsuma)
In his second game back from a broken foot suffered in the season opener, senior running back
Viggo Anderson ran 26 times for 127 yards to lead the West Linn ground game. Anderson ran for 204 yards in last year's Class 6A state championship game, also a win for the Lions over Lake Oswego.
Hudson Gasperson opened the scoring Friday at the 3:16 mark of the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal after a long Lake Oswego drive that began at its own 6-yard line. But West Linn ended the first quarter with a 7-3 lead as Baker connected with
Ashden Marquis for a 7-yard score at the 1:33 mark.
West Linn then held the Lakers on a fourth-and-goal try from the 3-yard line for a turnover on downs. After trading punts on the ensuing drives, the Lions struck again. Baker hit Marquis for a 32-yard completion that appeared to have Marquis reach the end zone but was called down at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Baker punched it in for a 14-3 West Linn lead before the half.
While Lakers quarterback
Hudson Kurland went just 2 of 9 for 23 yards in the first half, he connected on his first two passes in the second half, including a 27-yard touchdown strike to
Jasiah Agnimel to narrow the deficit to 14-10 at the 10:36 mark of the third.
Regarded as one of the top junior defensive back prospects in the country, Josiah Molden also made his presence felt on offense with a touchdown reception Friday night. (PHOTO: Troy Tsuma)
But the Lions capitalized on a Lake Oswego fumble midway through the third. Kennybrew pounced on the loose ball near midfield and set up a 34-yard touchdown pass from Baker to four-star junior
Josiah Molden to extend the West Linn lead to 21-10 at the 6:41 mark.
After Lake Oswego punted, West Linn scored again on the first play of its following drive on a 49-yard strike from Baker to Marquis to make it 28-10. Baker then hit Molden in the end zone for the second time at the 10:21 mark of the fourth to extend the lead to 35-10.
Molden finished with six catches for 97 yards and two scores while Marquis had 103 yards on four grabs for two scores.
Kurland finished 10 of 26 for 142 yards and two touchdowns along with 10 carries for 59 yards rushing. Three-star Utah commit
LaMarcus Bell had 75 yards on 14 carries for the Lakers.
Last year, West Linn avenged a 21-17 regular-season loss to Lake Oswego
with a win in the title game.
The Lions (7-0, 3-0 Three Rivers) have two weeks left in the regular season, wrapping up the schedule with home games vs.
Tualatin and
Oregon City. The Lakers (6-1, 2-1 Three Rivers) finish the regular season slate with two straight road games at Oregon City and
Lakeridge (Lake Oswego).
