The battle of the lake: Lakeridge and Lake Oswego's top prep sports moments of 2023-24

Another season of prep sports is in the books.

In other words, another year of fierce competition between Lake Oswego and Lakeridge is complete.

After contending for a number of state championships last season, the Pacers and Lakers did more of the same in 2023-24, continuing to separate themselves as two of the most consistent athletic programs across the state.

From each football team’s dramatic path toward the 6A championship bracket, to Chloe Huyler’s supernatural ability as a distance runner, it’s been a tremendous year to be a sports fan in the Lake Oswego area.

So tremendous, in fact, it’s worth taking a second look:

Lakeridge girls water polo brings home second straight state championship

Winning a state championship is one of the hardest accomplishments in high school athletics. Winning two in a row? That’s another beast altogether.

The top-ranked Lakeridge girls water polo team successfully defended their 6A state title on Nov. 11, 2023, defeating 3-seed South Eugene 11-7 at the Osborn Aquatics Center in Corvallis.

“It means everything,” Pacers senior Munroe Blem said following the victory. “We trained really hard, so it’s really exciting that we got to do it. We came here, we worked hard and we were able to pull it off.”

Buoyed by the team’s strong defensive front, Lakeridge completed a 25-2 season with its third win of the season over the Axe (23-4), adding a second championship trophy to the Pacers’ resume with a dominant run to the title game.

After giving up just 118 goals in the regular season, the Lakeridge girls held each of their opponents in the 6A tournament under seven points. The team beat Lincoln 17-7 in the quarterfinals before claiming an 18-7 win over Grant in the semifinals to set up the team’s title game victory.

“We were ranked No. 1 pretty much the whole season, and that’s a really strange position to be in, looking over your shoulder and kind of having a target on your back,” Lakeridge head coach Aukai Ferguson said. “The anticipation {span}—{/span} it seemed like the season was five seasons, because we were just waiting for this moment, and I think that showed in a little bit of shakiness in the final.”

After finding themselves down 2-1 heading into the second period, the Pacers knew they had plenty of time to take control of the game, but they needed to do so soon.

“We were just ready to go out there and play our game,” Blem said. “Sometimes you lose the first quarter and that’s how it goes. But we were prepared to work hard all four quarters, and we were training, we were ready and we did it.”

“We talked about it being a long game {span}—{/span} four quarters {span}—{/span} and that there would be more opportunities. More opportunities for them, more opportunities for us, and we just have to keep going,” Ferguson said. “So we were very confident that at some moment we could break away, and we did just kind of hang on in the end there.”

The Pacers tied the early in the second period when goalkeeper Ella Smith launched a pass to Ella Ferguson for the score with 4:28 left in the half. Teammate Sydney Brandvold took control from there, assisting on a goal by Adrienne Medak to give Lakeridge a 3-2 lead, then added a pair of scores in the sixth minute on a penalty shot and a breakaway score.

South Eugene responded with a score in the final minute to cut the deficit to 5-3, but the Lakeridge girls felt confident in their defense.

“They have really good shots, so it was a tough decision between storming out and blocking their outside shots and coming back in and blocking their set shots,” Blem said. “We worked a lot on conditioning this year so we were able to go back and forth and work really hard on defense.”

Blem added a goal in the opening minute of the third period, but the two teams held each other at bay until the final seven minutes, when the Axe scored back-to-back outside shots to pull within 6-5.

The Pacers fought back, scoring five goals in the final three minutes to secure the win. Ferguson found Blem for a goal, followed by an assist by Blem on a Medak goal in the next possession to give Lakeridge a three-goal lead.

“Everyone stepped up when they had to step up throughout the game,” Ferguson said. “They really contributed, and it was nice to see that. We have a lot of weapons and our defense is pretty tough. Having such young goalies {span}—{/span} a ninth grader and 10th grader splitting time {span}—{/span} it’s a nail-biter and they stepped up and did what they had to do.”

Lakeridge tops Lake Oswego in football thriller

Lakeridge football won its second straight “Battle of the Lake” on Oct. 27, 2023, trouncing Lake Oswego 27-7 in front of a packed house at Lakeridge High School.

With the win, the Pacers improved to 7-2 on the season and locked up a third-place finish in the Three Rivers League, while the Lakers dropped to 6-3 and finished fourth.

“It’s cool for me, selfishly, but for these kids, I’m so happy that they get to experience this,” Lakeridge head coach Spencer Phillips said. “This is my first class {span}—{/span} these seniors {span}—{/span} so for them to be able to go out like this is pretty cool.”

Senior quarterback Gabe Motschenbacher led the Pacers on a pivotal touchdown drive to close the first half, connecting with sophomore Jaden Tragesser for a 27-yard score that gave Lakeridge a 13-7 lead it would never relinquish.

Lake Oswego would attempt a quick response, driving inside the Pacers’ 20 with less than a minute left until the break, but two jump-balls thrown toward the Lakers’ Carson Schwindt were ultimately broken up in the back of the end zone, and Lakeridge took a six-point lead into halftime.

“That was key,” Phillips said. “Our defense stopped them when they needed to. You have critical plays, you have critical moments, you have critical drives {span}— {/span}and we came out on top on those.”

In the second half, it was all Pacers, as Noah Tishendorf powered through multiple Lake Oswego defenders on his way to a 22-yard touchdown run that gave Lakeridge a 20-7 lead with 1:59 left in the third quarter.

Alongside junior Shanko Kornachuk, Tishendorf was tasked with replacing injured starting running back Ansu Sanoe on Friday. The senior finished with 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Kornachuk tallied 15 carries for 65 yards.

“(Lake Oswego) came out and tried to play two-man because they knew we’re down to a couple of running backs,” Phillips said. “The guys we asked to do it really stepped up.”

In response to Tishendorf’s barreling touchdown run, the Lakers drove 63 yards before junior quarterback Liam Davis was stonewalled by the Pacer defense on fourth-and-goal from the Pacers’ four.

The Lakeridge victory was capped off by a pair of interceptions, the first of which was returned 20 yards for a touchdown by senior Charlie McPhee to bring the score to 27-7 with just 2:30 left to play.

Moments later, as chants of “our lake” rained down, Tashi Crofut picked off Lake Oswego second-stringer Max Brauner to add an exclamation point to what was already a productive night for Lakeridge.

“When we beat LO, it’s always the best win of the year,” Lakeridge senior wide receiver Joey Olsen said. “No matter what.”

Lakeridge boys soccer brings home first state title since 2016

Lakeridge bested Jesuit 3-2 in a dramatic overtime thriller on Saturday evening, earning its first 6A boys soccer state title since 2016 in rainy conditions at Sherwood High School.

The top-seeded Pacers trailed 2-1 late in the second half, but senior Karson Kosik’s 72nd-minute goal knotted the game at two before fellow senior Rafa Loyo provided a crowd-erupting match-winner just a minute into the first overtime period.

“All those hours, all that work that we put in, to finally see it paid off, it was amazing,” Loyo said. “It was an amazing feeling.”

With the win, Lakeridge stamped a 17-1 season with the ultimate prize, besting a Crusader squad that had gone unbeaten over its last 10 matches entering Saturday.

“It took a whole group of brothers to get this done, and I’m extremely proud of my team,” Loyo said. “We got the job done, now it’s time to celebrate.”

The first half was a tightly-contested defensive battle on Saturday, as both teams struggled to find quality chances in the early going, but Pacers senior Rafa Loyo was fouled making a run inside the penalty box just before halftime, setting up his own go-ahead penalty kick in the 40th minute.

Despite leading the shot count 3-2, Jesuit trailed the championship match 1-0 at the break.

But when they needed a response, the Crusaders got one early in the second half, scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes to storm out to a 2-1 lead.

“I’ve never been more proud of a group,” Jesuit head coach Geoff Skipper said. “They’re as resilient as they get. It goes without saying, they know how much I believe in them and how proud of them I am, and that’s just the way they are.”

First, senior Jack Reding found the back of the net with a rebound header off a corner kick in the 49th minute, then sophomore Eyad Salhi got behind the Lakeridge defense and slotted a shot into the bottom right corner just a minute later, giving Jesuit its first lead of the night at 2-1.

The final 30 minutes were controlled by a Pacers group in desperation mode, as Lakeridge, trailing just the second time all season, recorded six of the final seven shots of the match.

Kosik’s equalizer came directly off a corner kick by senior Jacob Real with just under nine minutes left to play, as the senior made a sliding finish from the left side of the penalty box to knot the game at two.

While the final eight minutes of regulation went scoreless, Loyo hammered a half-volley into the back of the net off a free-kick delivery by Owen Frazier in the second minute of overtime, sending the Pacers crowd into a frenzy as they pulled ahead 3-2.

“It was a great game,” Lakeridge head coach Alan Cox said. “Both teams battled and played really well, scored a couple of decent goals, and it was a battle of wills toward the end. We dug deep, which we’ve done all season long, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Lake Oswego boys soccer upsets Willamette en route to 6A semis

The Lakeridge boys soccer team advanced to the 6A championship game on Nov. 7, besting crosstown rival Lake Oswego 3-0 in overtime in front of a packed house at Lakeridge High School.

After the 80 minutes of regulation were evenly contested, the first-seeded Pacers got three goals from senior Mauricio Loyo in overtime, bringing an end to the 12th-seeded Lakers’ season while improving to 17-1 on the year.

“It looked like they were gonna batter us based on the last game — it was 5-1 — so we had something to prove here,” Lake Oswego senior Luca Ridgewell said. “And I think until the 80th minute, we proved that we can go toe-to-toe with these big dogs that are number one.”

In the first matchup between the two teams, Lakeridge won 5-1 in dominant fashion on Oct. 24, and while the Pacers still emerged victorious on Tuesday, it was a different story.

“I think everyone wanted it a little bit more,” Ridgewell said. “Coming over to their place, we wanted the tackles, we wanted the first and second balls, we were going for it. We wanted to fight for it. We wanted to fight for the players that come over, our parents, our coaches {span}—{/span} Fraser (Morrison). Realistically, it was just a family team, and we wanted to win this game as much as they wanted it.”

Lake Oswego controlled possession throughout regulation, outpacing Lakeridge 13-10 on the shot count heading into overtime.

From there, the Pacers stepped on the gas in front of their home crowd, scoring three goals in a 20-minute span to win the more important rematch between two Lake Oswego schools.

The loss marked the conclusion of a historic season for the Lakers, who reached the semifinal round for the first time since 2011. According to Ridgewell, Tuesday marked a good way to go out, especially as a senior.

“I think this has got to be my favorite memory (as a Laker). Playing number one. We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Ridgewell said. “We didn’t want them in the final, we wanted them here, we wanted to play them at their ground, we wanted to try and beat them and win this game, so for me, this is all about passion. Sometimes you lose these games and sometimes you win them. That’s what I think I live for as a footballer.”

Lake Oswego’s semifinal loss came after it picked up an impressive upset win over fifth-seeded Willamette on Nov. 1, advancing to the 6A quarterfinals for the first time since 2017.

Senior team captain Max Reckerman scored the winning penalty kick for the Lakers, who outlasted Willamette in a penalty shootout to cap off a tight contest that went a full 100 minutes without a goal.

With the win, Lake Oswego improved to 11-3-2 on the season, while Willamette, the Southwest Conference Champion, dropped to 11-2-3 and saw its season come to a premature close.

Lake Oswego girls earn track team title, Lakeridge’s Huyler takes 3000 crown

Lake Oswego senior Josie Donelson dominated the 6A girls track and field championships yet again on May 18, breaking her own state record in the 400 meters while also taking first in the 300-meter hurdles on Saturday at Hayward Field.

Donelson ran a blistering 52.83 seconds to one-up herself in the 400, setting a new all-time state-best mark while earning her third-straight 6A title in the event.

Then, later the same day, Donelson ran 43.51 in the 300 hurdles to bring home her second individual championship of the day, while her teammate and fellow senior Cenaiya Billups took second with a personal-best of 44.38 seconds.

It was Donelson’s second-straight 6A 300 hurdle title.

“With this being my last state meet, it is definitely just such a special meet,” Donelson said after her win in the 400. “Going in, I just really wanted to make every second count, and a part of that for me definitely meant defending my title, so I’m really happy to say that I did.”

Donelson also contributed pivotal legs in the Lakers’ two victories in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, as the foursome of Billups, Donelson, Riley Ha and Marina Turpen ran 47.92 seconds to take first in the 4x100 and 3:54.80 to take first in the 4x400.

Saturday marked the end of a three-year reign of dominance for Donelson, who likely left more than a few spectators at Hayward Field with a lasting memory of her record-breaking performance.

The senior was pushed by McDaniel’s Aayden Gallagher, conjuring a late burst to pull away and electrify the crowd in Tracktown, U.S.A.

“Hearing the scream of the crowd really helped me propel myself, and it helped to have them egging me on even further,” Donelson said.

Behind the performance of Donelson and the dominant relay teams, the Lakers took first place in the team competition, finishing with 61 total points to top Lincoln for the crown.

Alongside the standout performances of Donelson, Billups, Ha and Turpen, senior Ana Peters finished eighth and seventh in the 800 and 1500 meters, respectively.

Meanwhile, Lakeridge junior Chloe Huyler took home the title in the 3000 meters on Friday morning, running 9:33.15 to best the field by more than five seconds.

“I knew I wasn’t happy with my last three races, and I’ve been sick, too,” Huyler said. “So it’s just been kind of a rough season, but it definitely feels amazing.”

Huyler had hit a bit of a lull in the weeks leading up to the state meet, but she ran her second fastest time of the season to take the crown on Friday, topping West Salem’s Avery Meier, who ran 9:38.33 to take second.

With the victory, the junior contributed 10 points in the team competition, where the Pacers finished 11th.