Eagle football took on Oregon’s top-ranked team. The Mustangs received an eye-opener
Oregon’s West Linn High quickly turned a tight game before halftime into a blowout Saturday, pouncing on several miscues to crush Eagle 51-14 in the first Northwest Showdown at Rocky Mountain.
The preseason No. 1-ranked team in Oregon’s top classification finished the game with 31 unanswered points and pitched a second-half shutout to hand No. 3 Eagle (1-1) its worst loss since 2006.
“We’re definitely playing a good team. That’s what we wanted,” Eagle coach James Cluphf said. “We wanted to be challenged. But we made some mistakes that were not indicative of how that game should have gone. That’s for sure.
“They’re a heck of a team. But mistakes put us in a position that showed that final score.”
Eagle cut West Linn’s lead to 20-14 with Landon Bult’s leaping, 9-yard touchdown catch with 1:19 left in the second quarter. The Mustangs then called a defensive timeout on the next possession looking to force a quick three-and-out to get the ball back.
But West Linn (1-0) punished Eagle for the gamble, quickly driving down the field, where tight end Baron Naone, the state’s top recruit and a Washington commit, caught a 24-yard touchdown pass just before halftime.
West Linn added a field goal to start the second half, then capitalized on two Eagle fumbles with touchdowns to turn a six-point lead into a 30-point rout.
“I definitely believe in my guys,” Cluphf said. “I thought they’d be able to get one cheap there at the end (of the first half). They started to let the clock bleed, so we thought their game plan was to get into the half.”
Eagle lost its returning first-team all-state running back, Noah Burnham, to a knee injury early in the second quarter. A West Linn defender dove into his kicking leg as he delivered a punt deep in Eagle territory. Burnham drew a roughing penalty and a first down, but trainers had to help him off the field and he spent the rest of the afternoon on crutches.
He briefly popped off the trainer’s table before halftime and jogged down the sideline. But Eagle shut him down for the rest of the afternoon.
Burnham opened the scoring with a 72-yard touchdown run on the game’s third play and finished the game with 103 yards on eight carries. But the Mustangs mounted just one scoring drive without him.
“I don’t know the full prognosis, but he should be good,” Cluphf said. “… It’s just a little tight. There are no tears in there.”
Even with Burnham, Eagle had no answer for West Linn’s offense. The Lions racked 521 yards and scored on eight of 11 drives, including the game’s final possession.
Quarterback Baird Gilroy went 21-for-30 for 322 yards and two TDs. Running back Viggo Anderson ran for 151 yards and three TDs while adding a 27-yard touchdown catch. And Danny Widerman hauled in eight catches for 117 yards.
The 51 points marked the most against Eagle’s stout defense since Rigby scored 56 in the 2019 state quarterfinals.
“They had a lot of time,” Cluphf said. “We’ve got to get to the quarterback. We’ve got to get pressure on the quarterback and make him feel us there on the defensive side and not let him get comfortable back there.
“Our defense did a really good job against (Meridian quarterback Zeke Martinez), a guy who moves around, last week. We’ve got to get back to that.”
Eagle quarterback Austin Ramsey finished 11-for-17 for 79 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Crawford made seven catches for 62 yards, and Jaxon LeBeau led the defense with 10.5 tackles.
Eagle returns to its Idaho schedule next week when its hosts Centennial (0-2) on Friday.
FRUITLAND 54, NEW PLYMOUTH 6
Sophomore quarterback Titus Vidlak completed 15-of-18 passes for 200 yards and three TDs, and he ran for another score to lead the Grizzlies to a win Saturday on the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium.
Spencer Tracy stood as his top receiver, making five catches for 103 yards and two TDs. Austin Tesnohlidek (36 yards, two TDs) and Kaden MacKenzie (77 yards, one TD) led Fruitland (3-0) on the ground, and Coye Coffman returned a punt for a score.
This story was originally published September 7, 2024 at 3:14 PM.
