By Mark Gilman
MaxPreps.com
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Gauging the relative strength of Oregon's high school football teams remains a conundrum for coaches and media members. And it doesn't help that the expansion from four to six levels of competition has created a glut of non-league games involving teams from different classifications.
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While the favorites from the start of the season (6A Jesuit, 5A West Albany) continue to win and hold on to the top spots, other schools have been jumping in and out of the polls at a rapid pace.ÿ
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No less than 20 teams in each classification have received votes from pollsters in the Associated Press balloting, and many have moved up and down the rankings even when they haven't played a game.
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6A Game of the Week
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Despite all the confusion in the polls, there have been some games worth watching. At the 6A level, second-ranked Lincoln of Portland crushed number three Southridge of Beaverton, 24-14, behind the heroics of ailing All-State quarterback Connor Kavanaugh.
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Kavanaugh suffered a broken jaw in last week's win over Tigard, and was questionable for the Southridge contest. But the 6-0, 180-pound senior got the doctor's "ok" to play, and chalked up 334 yards passing and two touchdowns to push the 2-0 Cardinals to a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.
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"I mean, come on, the guy's playing with a broken jaw," Lincoln head coach Chad Carlson told The Oregonian. "This was as special a high school performance as you'll see."
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Kavanaugh will have to gut it out again this week, as Lincoln travels to fourth-ranked Tualatin.
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5A Game of the Week
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On paper, it might have appeared that this would be a mismatch. Last season, top-ranked West Albany was at the 4A level, while No. 3 Sherwood was a powerhouse, but a notch down at 3A. Both teams were placed in the new 5A classification this year, and it appeared to be the right move as the teams battled to the final gun Friday.
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Before a capacity crowd at Albany's Memorial Stadium, the host Bulldogs bolted out to a 21-7 halftime lead, thanks to the two touchdown passes from quarterback Jake Haberly to 6-6 wide receiver Colby Prince.
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Sherwood dodged a bullet to start the third quarter when West Albany recovered an onside kick attempt by the Bowmen. But West fumbled the ball away inside the Sherwood 10-yard line. The Bowman then mounted a quick, four-play, 89-yard drive to cut the lead to 21-14.
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The score remained unchanged until just over four minutes was left in the game.ÿ Sherwood tied it up when Derek Kotowski rumbled into the end zone from five yards out.
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But West Albany had the final say. Haberly fought off a blitz on third down and found receiver Mikhail Edwards for a 34-yard reception deep into Sherwood territory. Two plays later, Bulldog running back Wayne Stearns scored from 10 yards out to put West Albany on top to stay with 1:17 left in the game.
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Haberly ran for 55 yards and threw for 183 for West Albany.
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West begins Mid-Willamette Conference play this coming Friday against Silverton.ÿ Sherwood begins Northwest Oregon Conference play against Liberty of Hillsboro.
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This Week's Games to Watch
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6A:ÿ The no-brainer game is No. 2 Lincoln (2-0) playing at No. 4 Tualatin (3-0).ÿÿ Lincoln reached the 4A championship game last year, while Tualatin was a 4A semifinalist. Lincoln quarterback Conner Kavanaugh will see if he can pass his team to victory again, broken jaw and all. Tualatin's Kyle Johnson continues to tear through defenses in the Timberwolves' wing-T offense as he did during the 2005 campaign.
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5A: ÿNo. 7 Hillsboro travels to No. 2 Wilsonville in a matchup of ranked teams from the Northwest Oregon Conference. The host Wildcats (3-0) have shutout two of their opponents, and outscored them by an overall margin of 103-18. The Spartans (3-0) were a doormat at the 4A level last year, but have won comfortably in all three of their non-league match ups so far.
