Oregon City stuns Lakeridge 13-6
The Pioneers top the Pacers for the first time in 11 seasons
LAKE OSWEGO — The unheralded Oregon City Pioneers pulled off the Oregon high school football upset of the week last Friday, knocking off Lakeridge 13-6 on the Pacers’ home turf.
It was the first time since 1996 that an Oregon City High School varsity football team had beaten Lakeridge.
There were several heroes for the Pioneers. Junior running back Justin Gates rushed for 112 yards and broke a 63-yard run to score the game’s first touchdown.
Oregon City senior running back Mitch Wagner was a workhorse, rushing 24 times for 71 yards.
Oregon City punter Alex Gay punted the Pioneers out of trouble on several occasions, averaging 38 yards on eight punts.
And the Pioneer defense was superb, forcing four turnovers and coming up with the defensive stops on all but one occasion.
The defense set the tone early, holding on downs at the Pioneer 1-yard line on Lakeridge’s first possession of the game.
Senior defensive lineman Aaron Bates came through with two pivotal fumble recoveries. Senior lineman Matt Conrad also recovered a Pacer fumble, and junior defensive back Derek Haak intercepted a late-game pass, foiling a Pacer desperation drive for a comeback.
All of the game’s scoring took place in the third quarter.
The two teams played hot-potato football through the first three minutes of the second half, with each team turning the ball over three times during that brief span.
Bates ended the turnover spree with a fumble recovery inside the Oregon City 40. A short time later, Gates put Oregon City on the scoreboard with his 63-yard romp to paydirt.
Lakeridge answered when Pacer quarterback Robbie Kool hit Erik Hillier with a 34-yard touchdown pass, knotting the score at 6-6.
Oregon City then went on the march, with Mitch Wagner taking the ball in from the 2 for a lead that the Pioneers refused to relinquish.
Lakeridge finished up with a 297 to 225-yard edge in offense. But the Pioneers finished on top where it counts — on the scoreboard.
Lakeridge quarterback Robbie Kool played only half the game because of a pulled hamstring, but he was in the game at the end. Kool, who is arguably one of the TRL’s top quarterbacks, completed 6-of-13 passes for 127 yards, and he threw the Pacers’ only interception.
Tyrell Fortune, a 250-pound running back, headed the Pacer ground game, rushing 12 times for 75 yards.
Oregon City quarterback Ryan Versoza completed 5-of-13 passes for 26 yards.
The Pioneers (2-2, 1-0) face a key match-up this Friday, when they entertain Putnam (1-2, 0-1). A win would gain the Pioneers the inside track for one of the TRL’s four berths in postseason play.
Lakeridge faces an even stiffer test on Friday, when the Pacers (1-2, 0-1) battle West Linn (4-0, 1-0) on the road.