South Salem High School’s student section cheers in the rain for their varsity football team. Photo taken by Zoey Keele
OSAA’s Football Final Arrives
As November passes, so does the end of the OSAA 6A Football State Championships. These championships, which started on November 3, are set to end on November 24. After three separate rounds of the competition, the remaining teams are Tualatin High School and Central Catholic, respectively, the Timberwolves and the Rams. Both teams will fight for the championship title at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon. Set for 12:30 p.m., The Timberwolves possess the title of host team due to their higher Adjusted Playoff Ranking. Regarding rankings, the Timberwolves have an APR of two, while the Rams are ranked two spots below them at four.
Central Catholic High School
Fresh off of defeating first-seeded West Linn High School, the Rams come into the game with all eyes on them. Throughout the postseason, only one team has come within 10 points of defeating the Timberwolves, that being West Linn. Regardless, the Rams came out with a winning margin of five points, statistically and considerably lower than their 56-0 over Oregon City High School. Moreover, the Rams have a season record of 12-0: nine wins from the preseason and three from the postseason.
Tualatin High School
Seeded second in the postseason bracket, it was natural for the Timberwolves to face less challenging competition. However, this did not stop them from winning all three postseason games. During the postseason, they defeated Roosevelt, Nelson and Sherwood High School, all with a 19-point victory margin at minimum. Although they have a higher APR than the Rams, they have one regular season loss, which came at the hands of West Linn. Additionally, it was the only game where they did not score a point. Their season record has eight regular season wins, three postseason wins and one loss. For the championship game, they head into it off their 42-23 against Sherwood. Besides the fact that the game started 0-3 for the Timberwolves, they ended up victorious. These first points occurred in the third quarter when Sherwood’s Nathan Domingo scored a 22-yard field goal.
This is an updating story and the Clypian will provide additional details regarding the OSAA 6A Football State Championships.
Update: November 24, 6:38 p.m.
Central Catholic Reigns Supreme: 6A State Champions
After seven touchdowns, five of them rushing and two of them via passing, the Rams of Central Catholic have triumphed over the Tualatin Timberwolves 49-21. Due to this win, Central Catholic won the 6A title and achieved an undefeated record of 13-0. In addition to the state title, this statistic placed them on a singular pedestal as they are the only team to stay undefeated.
Although Central Catholic left with the title, they started the game at a lesser position. Due to Nolan Keeney’s 13-yard pass to Jayden Fortier, which resulted in a passing touchdown, Tualatin was up 7-0 against the Rams. However, seconds later, Killian Sombe of Central Catholic had a 76-yard run, which tied the game at 7-7.
Following in pattern, the Rams matched every move from the Timberwolves, tying the score every chance they got. During this back-and-forth period, four touchdowns commenced, two from each team. Central Catholic scored by rushing touchdowns, while Tualatin scored via throwing touchdowns, one being a one-yard throw.
Central Catholic Switches Narrative Mid-Game
Similar to what happens with most patterns, this back-and-forth soon broke. Taking charge, it was Central Catholic who made the change, earning their first in-game lead in the process. This vital play came at the hands of Cru Newman, who threw a 50-yard pass to Landon Kelsey, which resulted in the Rams leading 28-21. After Kelsey’s touchdown, Central Catholic never relinquished the lead, which signaled a turning of the tide.
Throughout the remainder of the game, Central Catholic scored three more touchdowns, two of which were rushing touchdowns. These rushing touchdowns resulted from the work of Tyson Davis and Cru Newman, who rushed five yards and 18 yards, respectively. Signing off from these championships, Dexter Foster scored the final touchdown via a two-yard pass from Tyson Davis. Defensively, Central Catholic prevented Tualatin from scoring for the last 11 minutes of the fourth quarter, leaving them with a 49-21 win.
