MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Tigard football

After giving up 83 points in a state semifinal football game last season, then losing 18 of 22 starters to graduation, Tigard coach Craig Ruecker might have been advised to start rebuilding.

Ruecker, who has been coaching varsity football for 44 seasons, sees every season as a new restructuring. But rebuilding gives one the impression of starting over.

These Tigers just continue to reload.

Despite entering a new tougher league — "We're blessed to play in what a lot of people think is the toughest league in the state," Ruecker said. — Tigard is back near the top of the heap with an 8-0 record and No. 3 state ranking by MaxPreps.

Led by a tough quarterback, stout offensive line and balanced running game, the Tigers have pulled out close games the last three weeks, over Lake Oswego (41-36), West Linn (45-35) and Lakeridge (45-35).

For its perseverance and 8-0 start, Tigard is the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

"Playing in this league has been a wonderful experience," Ruecker said. "Game after game we've had to play all four quarters and display all our ability."

In the win over Lakeridge, quarterback J.T. Greenough passed for 252 yards and four touchdowns while Landon Floyd rushed for 103 yards and another score.

Greenough was coming off a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand that kept him out of the Lake Oswego win. No matter, Chase Crawford came to the rescue and threw for 163 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. Brady McGetrick has seven catches for 105 yards and Floyd ran for 188 yards and two scores.

Ruecker said the team's camaraderie is what has keyed its undefeated record and ability to win close games.

"We continue to pull out close games," he said. "There's a lot of give and take and ebbs and flows in games. You face a lot of adversity. Great and bad things can happen. The ability to hang together in those situations are signs that we're getting stronger and growing."

Ruecker said Greenough is having a superb year but he's proud of how Crawford reacted in his absence. Floyd is one of the top running backs in the state, with more than 1,000 yards, but Samuel Inos has rushed for more than 800 yards and Tyler Walker has contributed more than 400. All are seniors.

That trio has been set loose by perhaps the team's biggest strength, the offensive line that includes one of the top junior tackles on the West Coast in Conner Crist (6-foot-4, 305 pound). Left guard Kevin Henderson (6-1, 330) and right guard Garett Huebner (6-1, 260) are also standouts.

McGetrick is one of the state's top receivers. He has more than 800 yards worth of receptions and nine touchdowns.

"He's a first-team All-State kid," Ruecker said.

Tight ends/defensive ends Ryan Bay (6-4, 210) and Nikko Thomas (6-5, 210) are two other standouts in a cast of many.

Since Ruecker took over the program in 2010, the Tigers have gone 7-4, 11-1, 11-2, 12-1 and now 8-0. That's a record of 49-8. Tigard is after its third state title and first since 2003. The other was 1990.

Ruecker said last season's wild 83-49 semifinal loss to eventual 6A champion Central Catholic (Portland) was just that. Wild. Strange, actually.

"Neither team could stop each other," he said. "We rushed for 324 yards and passed for 348 and lost by 34 points. How does that happen?"

Ruecker said the score could have just as easily been 83-82. "We lost two fumbles in the end zone," he said. "We had five turnovers overall and they didn't turn it over. That was obviously the difference. … But we don't look back. It was an amazing game and amazing season and now we're in the middle of a new one."

Central Catholic, with four returners along the offensive front, is the favorite to repeat, but Ruecker isn't ruling out his team by any stretch.

The Tigers host Tualatin on Friday night.

"We just want to continue our outstanding season," Ruecker said. "It's a week-by-week proposition."