We knew West would win, but which one would it be? When the mists cleared, it was the #4 West Salem Titans (9-1) that took the 41-26 win over the #10 West Linn Lions (8-3).

We knew we would see a lot of the Titans’ top RB Jordan Jenkins, but would we see 35 carries for 168 yards, with only 3 totes over 9 yards in length?

We knew we would see the Lions’ Bryce Baker bombing away, but who knew he would heave it 46 times? Or that he would complete 27 of them for 460 yards, and 3 touchdowns, and still lose by 2 touchdowns?

We didn’t know that he and West Salem QB Aaron Hire would both heave 3 TD and 3 Interceptions apiece. Or that there would be 3 consecutive interceptions on 3 plays. Or that West Salem would score twice in 33 seconds to break open a 20-13 game in the fourth quarter.

We do know defense wins football games, though, and so when the Titans held the Lions to two Robert Truax field goals on 3 red zone trips in the first half, one coming after a 75 yard completion to Josh Oltman, it was an indication of good things to come for West Salem.

The sequence early in the fourth quarter, where three straight plays resulted in interceptions, which West Salem Coach Shawn Stanley credited with getting his heart rate “At its peak!”, and also resulted in Landon Kuenzi’s 19 yard touchdown, and a 21 point Titan lead, was the beginning of the end for the Lions. And Tyler Scheller’s interception with just over 4 minutes to go, which set up the final Titan touchdown, would extend the lead to an extent that Baker’s bombs couldn’t come back from.

Coach Stanley was concerned about “Near misses, especially in the first half,” but after halftime, the plays started to come around. “We needed to be 6 inches closer a lot of times; in a game of big plays, (it was) good to see the kids make plays when they had to.”

A tired but smiling Jenkins admitted it “Feels Good!”, and acknowledged the effort of his line in his night of small gains that added up to a lot of yards, and a lot of time. Which was important in limiting the dangerous Baker’s opportunities. “We gave up some big plays, and we can’t give up so many again. But we just kept milking the clock. We had to keep working, and we tired them down.”

1^st. qtr.

The Titans went 3 & punt to open the game, and Baker recovered from a fumbled exchange to hit Mark Goerwicz for a 51 yard slant route. But the Titans held the Lions at their 6, and some thought Truax’s 23 yd. FG attempt was wide right.

The Titans responded with an 11 play, 80 yard scoring drive, which featured 8 Jenkins carries, and was highlighted by a 29 yard catch by Central Valley All-Conference WR Jordan Bishop on a tipped pass, and was capped by Bishop’s 18 yard hitch route to payturf (They don’t have any dirt at West Salem) that put the Titans up 7-0 with 3:04 left in the quarter.

Jordan Bishop comes down with the tipped pass.

The Lions’ All-Three Rivers League QB Baker came firing back, with 5 passes in 6 plays, but the Titans forced another punt, and two Jenkins runs ran out the quarter.

2^nd. qtr.

A very quick first quarter was followed with a second quarter that took over an hour to play, as the light rain that fell thru the first quarter let up.

On the second play of the quarter, Hire’s pass sailed high, as did most of his passes in the first three quarters, and Bishop’s Lion nemesis Justin Monahan (the two all conference receivers are also top defensive backs, and were after each other all night long) intercepted the pass at the Titan 29.

However, another Lion drive stalled after consecutive incompletions, and West Linn trotted Truax out for a 29 yard field goal to pull within 7-3 with 7:15 left in the first half.

A defensive holding penalty helped the Titans, but 3 Hire incompletions and the inability of Jenkins to generate yardage against the Lion defense forced the Titans to punt again. West Linn went no where as well, and were forced to punt as well.

That produced one of the critical sequences of the game. As CCTV video confirmed, the bouncing punt hit the Titan’s John Gallagher as he went down to cover the kick, and the Lions’ Oltman recovered the ball at the West Salem 33. The officials awarded the ball to the Titans instead, and the West Linn bench erupted. First one, then another, and finally a third penalty flag flew. For that, 20 yards was marched off, and confusion instead of water was reigning. Jenkins jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of the Lions’ state of mind, and broke off a 24 yard run, one of two of his best plays of the night.

An interesting late hit (considering an earlier one on the other sideline was overlooked) penalty put the ball on the 11, and Hire heaved it for Chase Sexton for the Titan score. Despite the blocked PAT kick, it was 13-3 Titans 3:47 before the half.

Baker immediately answered, with a 75 yard shot to Oltman down the left seam, but Jake Simpson managed to run Oltman down at the 5. It was critical, as the Lions couldn’t punch it in, and had to trot out Truax again. Truax is probably the best place kicker in the state, with 55 yard range, and he boomed another 29 yard field goal with 2:03 left in the half.

The fireworks weren’t over, as Hire responded with a 75 yard bomb of his own, to Bishop, for a touchdown. Bishop ran under the deep throw down the right side at the Lion 38, and as the Lions’ Josh Thurston fell, Bishop trotted the rest of the way to a 20-6 lead.

For those not familiar with Bishop, think Randy Moss. The 6’3” Bishop makes running and leaping plays that most receivers and defensive backs can’t think about making.

Baker came firing back, with 22 and 19 yard completions, but the half ran out with the Lions only down to the Titan 35, and no time outs left to get Truax a field goal opportunity.

3^rd. qtr.

The rain came back, and the Lions tried some adjustments, as Baker ran the ball 3 times on the opening drive of the second half, and for more yards than he threw it for. But it still resulted in a punt. The Titans responded with a 14 play drive, however that also stalled, and a 46 yard field goal attempt was blocked by Josh Thurston, and returned 12 yards by Ziad Elsahilii.

The Lions marched 57 yards in 8 plays, capped by a jumping touchdown catch by Monahan. Truax’s kick pulled West Linn to within 20-13 with 2:02 left in the quarter.

Bryce Baker looking to throw, as he did 46 times against the Titans.

The Titans watched another Truax kickoff go for a touchback, but answered with, of cours, Jenkins. Jenkins’ other 24 yard gain was the first of four consecutive carries, and the quarter ended with the Titans on the Lion 38.

4^th. quarter

Similar to the first half, a fast initial quarter was again followed by an almost unending following quarter. After a 29 yard slant and go to Bret Gilbert, Hire again looked to Bishop for high flying heroics, and he got what he wanted. A leaping grab that Bishop hauled down just inside the back line of the endzone produced a 26-13 Titan lead.

Stanley, and everyone else, then had their heart rate tested. Monahan took the kickoff at the goal, and came out thru traffic 19 yards, then the interception festival broke out.

Baker’s deep toss on the right side saw his receiver beat coverage, only to have Bishop cut over and sky for the interception at the 43, which he took out of bounds at the Lion 41.

Jordan Jenkins with one of his 35 carries thru the West Salem rain.

Hire handed it right back with an interception toss on the right side to Mark Gorewicz at the 14, which he brought out to the 18. But Baker responded with yet another interception, this one to Kuenzi at the 19, and Kuenzi was off to the races for the touchdown. Hire’s two point conversion toss to Mat Alto pushed the Titans out to a 34-13 lead, and the West Salem crowd was celebrating what they thought was the game clincher.

But only briefly, as Baker came blazing back, with 4 completions for 74 yards and a touchdown in 2 minutes. The big hit was a 46 yard completion on a slant route to Oltman, and the capper was a 17 yard score down the left sideline to Monahan. Truax’s kick pulled the Lions back to within 2 scores with still 8:15 left.

The Titans worked clock, with 4 Jenkins carries in 5 plays, but the drive died at the Titan 41. A timely 52 yard punt helped though, as the Lions were pinned at their own 7. A 30 yard Baker completion to Oltman got the Lions to the 44, but 2 plays later, Scheller made his interception, and went down the right side of the Lion’s formation for 42 yards to the 12.

Jenkins pounded four times, scoring after a West Linn timeout, and the Titans pushed the lead back to 21 with 2:32 left. Unphased, Baker went 65 yards on 3 completions, and pulled the Lions back to within 2 scores. A 43 yard pass to Monahan started it, and a 9 yard toss to Kyle Krause completed the drive.

The Titans recovered the crucial on-side kick, however, and worked the clock down to 8 seconds before they had to punt, and hang time ended the game, one Coach Stanley described as "A very strange game."

Stanley did feel the up-tempo Lions were "A great test. There's more in store, and we will be ready." The Titans had several players cramping up on the wet night as the 3 hour battle wound down, but no new serious injuries appeared to have happened. Stanley noted "Its a catch 22. You try to hold out some players that are banged up in practice, but then their conditioning suffers. But we got out ok, largely due to the three interceptions. They took a lot of pressure off the offense and the defense."

No clearer contrast in styles could exist than the fact that the Lions’ only rushes after halftime were by Baker on keepers out of passing formations, while the Titans ran 20 second half rushing plays, 18 by Jenkins.

1^st. qtr.

West Salem – Jordan Bishop 18 yd. pass from Aaron Hire (Ryan Allen kick) 3:04

2^nd. qtr.

West Linn – Robert Truax 29 yd. FG 7:15

WS – Chase Sexton 11 yd. run (kick blocked) 3:47

WL – Truax 29 yd. FG 1:58

WS – Bishop 75 yd. pass from Hire (Allen kick) :30

3^rd. qtr.

WL – Justin Monahan 18 yd. pass from Bryce Baker (Truax kick) 2:02

4^th. qtr.

WS – Bishop 10 yd. pass from Hire (pass failed) 10:51

WS – Landon Kuenzi 19 yd. pass interception return (Matt Alto pass from Hire) 10:18

WL – Monahan 17 yd. pass from Baker (Truax kick) 8:15

WS – Jordan Jenkins 2 yd. run (Allen kick)

WL – Kyle Krause 9 yd. pass from Baker (run failed) 1:49

Rushing

West Linn - 14-29; Baker 6-20; Kraus 4-11; Oltman 3-(-4), Josh Thurston 1-2.

West Salem – 41-185, 2 TDs; Jenkins 35-168, 1 TD; Sexton 3-23, 1 TD; Thomas Hoover 1-2; Hire 1-(-8).

Passing

West Linn – Baker 27-46, 3 TDs, 3 Int., 460 yds.

West Salem – Hire 11-21, 3 TDs, 3 Int., 228 yds.

Receiving

West Linn – Monahan 11-186, 2 TDs; Oltman 6-185; Kyle Krause 3-32, 1 TD; Josh Thurston 2-9; Eric Kocian 3-16; Adam Goode 1-19; Austin Brown 1-13.

West Salem – Bishop 5-154, 3TDs; Bret Gilbert 3-53; Sexton 1-15; Thomas Hoover 1-4; Jenkins 1-2.

First Downs

West Linn – 15

West Salem – 14

Kick Returns

West Linn – Monahan 3-59; Elsahilii 1-12.

West Salem – Halley 1-24; Bishop 1-7.

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