Nelson's football team has been seeking a signature win over an elite program since the school opened in 2021.
The No. 8 Hawks might have got that breakthrough Friday night with a 26-21 home win over No. 4 Lakeridge, a heavy hitter from the 6A Three Rivers League, widely regarded as the state's best league.
“We don't want to make too much of it, because it's one game, but it's also that game that maybe puts our kids mentally over the hump, like we can compete with anybody,” Nelson coach Aaron Hazel said.
“We've had some big games, but I wonder if sometimes in the past mentally if we really believed that we could compete. I think this game helps our kids do that.”
Senior quarterback Danny Leary, making his first varsity start, completed 14 of 23 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Malachi Garlington, a 6-foot-2 junior receiver, caught four passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder that opened a 26-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Leary's other scoring pass was a 65-yard strike to senior tight end Ian Nix.
“They got pressure on him early, and he stayed composed,” Hazel said of Leary.
Hazel said that Garlington “showed flashes” as a third option in the passing game last season and has a bigger role this year. With a long wingspan and good speed, he is primed to break out.
“He's unbelievably athletic,” Hazel said. “He has that second gear that a lot of kids don't have. But he was young last year. This year, he played in the Oregon Bowl and got on the field with some guys that were competitive, and I think he learned how to practice and compete. We challenged him to take the lead role and make his presence felt. He showed that.”
Early in the game, Nelson's defense gave up some big yards to Lakeridge senior running back Ansu Sanoe, a Washington commit. But as the game wore on, the Hawks better contained Sanoe, led by senior inside linebacker Tanner Brand.
“He did a great job against one of the top offensive lines we're going to see, and definitely a big-time running back,” Hazel said of Brand. “He stepped up and plugged some gaps, showed no fear.”
Senior outside linebacker Tui Katoanga made some big plays, Nix applied pressure up front and senior Nico Brugato was outstanding at cornerback, not allowing a catch and recording an interception.
The Hawks' other touchdown was a 38-yard run by senior Corbin Crosslin, who rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries.
Nelson returned seven starters on defense and five on offense from last season, when the Hawks lost to Sherwood 42-21 in the first round of the 6A Open playoffs and finished 7-3.
They graduated high-profile players such as quarterback Avirey Durdahl, a four-year starter, and lineman Dominic Macon, now on the team at Washington. A deep senior class has helped make up for the losses.
“This senior class, we've known that it's a talented group,” Hazel said. “The classes behind them have filled in the spots.”
'Crazy ending' lifts North Bend
Visiting North Bend appeared destined for a gut-wrenching defeat when Astoria scored a touchdown with 45 seconds left to take a three-point lead in a 4A nonleague game Friday night.
But the Bulldogs refused to concede and pulled out a 20-17 win when they scored on a 55-yard hook-and-lateral play with two seconds remaining.
Junior quarterback Conner Johnson passed over the middle to junior Hunter Christensen, who lateraled to senior Jackson Swanson while being wrapped up by two Astoria defenders. Swanson went untouched up the sideline for the final 31 yards.
“Pretty crazy ending, but we'll take it,” North Bend coach Gary Prince said. “It was definitely quiet on the Astoria side. I only remember a couple things similar to that in the years I've been coaching. For the kids, it was a huge sense of satisfaction, because they didn't quit.”
Astoria took a 17-14 lead with 45 seconds on the clock when junior Sam Schacher scored on a seven-yard run. North Bend, out of timeouts, moved to its own 45-yard line on three plays to set up the go-ahead score.
The clock was running before the winning play, and the Bulldogs snapped the ball with nine seconds left. Coaches suggested the hook-and-lateral to the players before the series, but it was mostly improvised by the players.
“We talked with the kids, if they saw an opportunity to pitch the ball, go ahead and do that,” Prince said. “We've never practiced it. That was just a heads-up play by Hunter Christensen. Jackson Swanson got into position to take the lateral. That was just a lot of creativity and football IQ on their part. It was beautiful.”
The road trip won't soon be forgotten by the Bulldogs, who stayed overnight at nearby Camp Rilea on Thursday and returned home around 5 a.m. Saturday.
“It was worth all the effort to go up there and bring home the W,” Prince said. “Hopefully we made some good memories.”
Churchill pays back Marist
After losing season openers to Marist Catholic in dramatic fashion the last two years, Churchill didn't leave anything to chance against the reigning 4A champion Spartans on Friday night.
The Lancers, ranked No. 9 in the OSAAtoday 5A preseason coaches poll, pulled away in the second half for a 34-7 home win over Marist Catholic.
“Obviously, they're a very good football team, and it was a great test for us early,” Churchill coach Layne Coffin said. “I was really happy with the way our kids competed. There are some things we need to clean up, but I'm really happy for the kids.
“We've just got to keep in the process. We have to keep wanting to get better.”
Senior Lukas Babbitt, assuming the role of primary ball carrier for the graduated Ceville Pasi, battered the Spartans for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. The 6-0, 226-pound Babbitt was a 5A first-team linebacker in 2024.
"It's smashmouth football. We want to take their souls," Babbitt told the Register-Guard. "As soon as we got our legs, we just took off. . ... Our (offensive line) was just crazy getting off the ball. It was so good."
Senior receiver Trayshawn Wright, who caught three passes for 89 yards and rushed for 130 yards on seven carries, told the Register-Guard that Babbitt “loves the contact.”
"Seeing him just be able to enjoy that, getting that spotlight, it's great,” Wright said of Babbitt, who has committed to Eastern Oregon. “Last year, he took a back seat to Ceville and was out there more defensively. This year, he's taking charge on offense, and we have other dudes taking care of business on defense. I just think it makes us more well-rounded."
Coffin said that Babbitt is the hardest worker he's ever had in the weight room.
“When your best players are your hardest workers, that sets the tone for everybody,” Coffin said. “That's what he does.”
The Lancers improved from 3-6 in Coffin's first season in 2023 to 9-2 last year, making the state quarterfinals. They are hopeful of taking another step this season.
“I really like them,” Coffin said. “They work hard and they're really together. The third year in the program, I feel like they kind of get what we want, so it's not as demanding on them.”
Heppner wins Wilson's coaching debut
Heppner, which won 29 conference titles in the last 35 seasons under coach Greg Grant, took a positive step into a new era Friday night.
Playing under first-year coach Rob Wilson, promoted from assistant after Grant retired, the 2A No. 3 Mustangs went on the road to rout 1A-8 No. 4 Crane 43-6.
“It's always good to get the first one in the books,” Wilson said.
Heppner led 43-0 at half and handed Crane its most decisive defeat since a 44-6 loss to St. Paul in the 2021 state championship game. Crane made the state semifinals last year.
Heppner rushed for 302 of its 353 yards, led by junior Alakae Rodriguez (eight carries, 74 yards). Senior Caleb George (five carries, 40 yards) ran for three touchdowns.
Ten different players carried the ball for Heppner – including a first-year starter at quarterback in junior Caylan Proudfoot -- behind an offensive line that returned intact from last season.
“We have a really seasoned line,” Wilson said. “We've got a lot of skill guys who can do a lot of good things. They can be in a lot of different positions. We should be pretty good at spreading the rock around.”
Wilson, the school's girls basketball coach, has assisted in Heppner's high school and junior high school football programs for the past 11 seasons. He has made a point of keeping the winning system in place.
“I didn't change a lot,” he said. “I know what Heppner football is about. Following in Greg's footsteps is one of the things I considered when taking it over, but I felt that I was willing to do it, and not change stuff.”
Heppner gets a big test Friday when it meets No. 1 and reigning 2A champion St. Paul for a neutral-site nonleague game at Dufur. The Buckaroos beat Heppner 18-12 in the state semifinals last year.
2A final redux
No. 1 St. Paul, the reigning 2A champion, built a 22-point lead in the third quarter before leaning on its defense in the final minutes for a 28-22 win over No. 2 Oakland in a rematch of last year's state final on Saturday afternoon.
In the neutral-site game at Harrisburg High School, the Buckaroos led 28-6 in the third quarter when junior Noah Hockett threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to junior Bricen Britten.
Oakland senior Andrew McCurdy caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from junior Ryan Fullerton and scored on a 23-yard fly sweep to draw his team within 28-20 with 10:12 left in the game.
The Oakers got the ball back and drove to St. Paul's one-yard line, but the Buckaroos turned them away with a goal-line stand. Oakland scored on a safety to make it 28-22 with 2:12 left, and drove into the red zone on its final possession, but St. Paul forced an incomplete pass on fourth-and-six from the 16-yard line to seal the win.
Britten, who had one sack, said the defensive stands were “huge.”
“We definitely would like to thank our lineman,” Britten said. “They definitely held the line and stopped them from running. Pretty much our whole defense came together to make plays. It’s special.”
Hockett completed 13 of 16 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns, the other scores covering 16 yards to senior Hudson Wyss and 15 yards to senior Sullivan Grott. Britten rushed for 142 yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for 85 yards for St. Paul, which outgained Oakland 431-359.
Fullerton was 20 of 34 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Shepard Brooksby rushed for 102 yards on 16 carries. McCurdy had nine catches for 126 yards and rushed for 45 yards on six carries.
Oakland was bidding to avenge last year's state final defeat but lost by a nearly identical score. The Oakers fell 28-20 in that game.
“It’s going to be a huge turning point,” McCurdy said. “And it’s going to show us that we believe that there isn’t a team that went can’t beat in the state, and I think it’s a show of heart really. This will motivate us to push harder this next week.”
-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
Cascade Christian responds
One year after Cascade Christian had its 26-game winning streak snapped by Vale in the season opener, the Challengers made amends with a 29-13 win over the Vikings on Saturday in a 3A nonleague game at Summit High School.
“It didn't sit well with them last year, at all,” Cascade Christian coach Jon Gettman said of the 29-6 loss. “So certainly we wanted to get off on the right footing. I thought our leaders – our four seniors – they did a great job of leading the guys in preparation for the game.”
Junior Bryson Walker rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries to lead the Challengers. Senior receiver Caleb Scaglione ran for a five-yard touchdown and caught a 20-yard scoring pass from senior Deryk Farmer.
No. 2 Cascade Christian rushed for 191 of its 270 yards, a break from its usual air attack.
“We feel really good about the group of guys we have running the ball,” Gettman said. “We're breaking in a whole new offensive line, but they did a great job.”
No. 4 Vale finished with 202 total yards. Vikings sophomore quarterback Cal Johnson completed 15 of 26 passes for 127 yards, including two scoring strikes to senior Troy Dayton.
Dayton's first touchdown catch cut Vale's lead to 15-7 at half. Walker ran for a 49-yard score to make it 22-7 in the third quarter.
“Bryson Walker made the play of the day,” Gettman said. “That long run kind of got the momentum back with us.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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