The Lions proved it in Idaho a week ago.
The West Linn football team proved it again in Oregon on Friday, Sept. 13.
Here's what the Lions proved - right now, they deserve the No. 1 ranking in the state.
West Linn won convincingly for the second straight time in 2024, routing seventh-ranked Sherwood 35-0 at West Linn High School.
“We had a great week last week, a good week of practice this week and it led to a good result,” said West Linn senior quarterback Baird Gilroy, who completed 11 of 16 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, and ran twice for 18 yards and another score. “Sherwood is a great football team and that's a great team win for us.”
“What stood out to me was our ability to put points up because they were a tough team,” said West Linn senior wide receiver Wyatt Smiley, who made three catches for 40 yards and one score, as well as hitting five straight extra points in the win. “We worked hard this week because we knew that, after a win last week, we had to keep going and couldn't let down.”
“We've got a hell of a group,” said senior defensive lineman Brett Ronson, who helped the Lions shut out Sherwood and limit the Bowmen to 165 yards in total offense. “We come out and we battle every day. We knew what they were bringing and we just (won the battle) at the line of scrimmage.”
“It does feel good to win, and to win as a team, too,” added Lion junior running back Viggo Anderson, who rushed 18 times for a game-high 148 yards. “They've got a tricky offense - it's really hard to stop - but we fought through the adversity.”
With the win, the top-ranked Lions’ second straight, West Linn improved to 2-0 in non-league play. Next up, the Lions will host Sumner, Washington, at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.
No. 7 Sherwood, meanwhile, saw its one-game winning streak snapped and fell to 1-1 in non-league play. Next up, the Bowmen will host No. 2 Tualatin at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.
While Sherwood’s players were disappointed with their Friday result, they remained confident in their chances for success in the 2024 season.
“They're number one for a reason,” said Sherwood senior quarterback and team captain Jackson Bell, who went 3 for 6 passing for eight yards. “They're definitely the best team in the state, but I thought the whole first half, we competed and played with them.”
“It's just a learning experience,” added Bowmen senior running back Wilson Medina, who rushed 16 times for 50 yards on Friday. “We're kind of young and, obviously, West Linn is kind of a juggernaut, so I take it as a learning experience and I feel like we can develop from it.”
The Bowmen proved their ability to move the ball right from the night’s opening possession, driving 43 yards to the West Linn 33-yard line before things went sour. Medina carried six times on that possession for 17 yards, but Sherwood got short-circuited by a holding penalty, an incompletion, and a sack of Bell by Ronson and senior Radley Klein that forced a punt.
The Lions – who saw a 52-yard punt return by senior Danny Wideman erased by a penalty – responded with an 80-yard scoring drive that took nine plays, burned 3 minutes, 50 seconds off the clock and ended when senior Will Ingle bashed into the end zone from five yards out to score.
Gilroy hit three straight passes for 35 yards on that drive, while Anderson added five carries for 40 yards.
“My guys blocking for me up front got me all my yards,” Anderson said, calling out senior Jake Normoyle, junior Kalani Ioapo, senior Tristan Brester, senior Ryan Holmes and senior Connor Stuart. “I love running behind them. ... They got me all my yards. I have to thank them.”
Already up 7-0, the Lions’ “D” forced another Sherwood punt after just one first down, a series that saw junior Mason Perkins stuff Medina for a three-yard loss.
After taking over at their 44, the Lions needed just two plays to score, the second a Gilroy completion over the left side to Wideman, who broke free for a 46-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 10:26 remaining in the first half.
Sherwood challenged again on its next series, marching 72 yards to the West Linn 8-yard line in just eight plays - but the Lions defense stepped up again.
Facing a third-and-four, the Bowmen moved back 10 yards on a holding penalty, Ronson stopped Sherwood senior Layton Walter after four yards, and on fourth down, Lion senior Baron Naone dropped Sherwood senior Andrew Waletich for a six-yard loss.
Gilroy, Anderson and the Lions’ “O” line paved the way for the team’s next score, with Gilroy hitting two throws for 21 yards and running for 16 more, while Anderson carried six times for 47 yards and Ingle scored again, this time from two yards out for a 21-0 lead late in the half.
West Linn kicked off the third quarter with a 53-yard TD drive that boosted its lead to 28-0, with Anderson rushing four times for 41 yards and Gilroy hitting 2 of 3 throws, including a 10-yard strike to Smalley at the right post with 9:18 left in the third quarter.
After a three-and-out by the West Linn “D” – including a key stop by sophomore Josiah Molden – and a short Sherwood punt, the Lions needed just eight plays to score, with Anderson carrying four times for 20 yards, Gilroy hitting twice for 25 yards and then carrying two yards for the TD and a 35-0 lead.
Sherwood challenged again on its next series, getting 13 yards from Walter and 12 by Medina to reach the West Linn 28 before its fourth-down play fell short.
The Lions ran the clock out from there to win impressively.
“Coach (Jon Eagle) told us in the locker room, he said ‘Yards don't win games. Points do,’” Ronson said. “That 'Bend but don't break' tactic really helped us. Just hold it down.”
“We've still got some stuff to work on, but we’ll just come out harder next week,” Anderson said. “We've got to reduce the penalties, though.”
“(The key was) our ability to perform on offense,” Smiley added. “The whole team was able to click on everything, from the running game to the passing game.”
For their part, the Bowmen remained solid in their belief in their abilities.
“They're a really good football team, but we were driving the ball down the field,” Bell said. “We knew could stay right with these guys.”
“I don't think the score reflected how we played at all,” Medina said. “We definitely did some good things and we can build on this.”
Sherwood
Team Stats
First Downs – 9
Rushing – 33-157
Passing - 3-8-1, 8 yards
Total Yards - 165 yards
Fumbles/Lost – 1-0
Punts – 3-21.3
Penalties – 6-65
Individual Stats
Rushing – Layton Walter 7-62, Andrew Waletich 5-52, Wilson Medina 16-50, Mace Tingey 1-2, Ferguson 1-1, Jack Wilson 1-1, Jackson 2-(-11).
Passing – Bell 3-6-0, 8 yards; Ferguson 0-2-0, 0 yards.
Receiving – Ferguson 2-6, Waletich 1-2.
West Linn
Team Stats
First Downs – 15
Rushing – 26-185
Passing – 11-18-0, 167 yards
Total Yards - 352 yards
Fumbles/Lost – 1-0
Punts – 1-18.0
Penalties – 14-105
Individual Stats
Rushing – Viggo Anderson 18-148, Baird Gilroy 2-18, Will Ingle 2-7, Ryan Hemsley 2-6, Cal Royer 2-6.
Passing – Gilroy, 11-16-0, 167 yards; Hemsley, 0-2-0, 0 yards.
Receiving – Danny Wideman 5-82, Wyatt Smiley 3-40, Anderson 1-26, Drew Baltz 1-10, Kevin Benson 1-9.
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