‘They’ve got dudes, we’ve got dudes.’ Tualatin-West Linn showdown lives up to the hype — and Timberwolves can’t wait for a rematch
By Dan Brood | Photos by Leon Neuschwander
The second half was about to start.
A wild first half ended with West Linn clinging to a 21-17 lead over Tualatin in a Three Rivers League showdown.
As the third-quarter kickoff was nearing, Tualatin junior lineman Reid Dobash, standing on the Timberwolves’ sideline, took off his helmet and yelled out, to no one in particular, “Damn, I love football!”
Anyone who watched the back-and-forth battle between two of the state’s top — and likely two of the most athletic — teams would likely agree.
And when that back-and-forth battled ended, it was the Lions who were celebrating a 42-30 victory following the intense, electrifying game played Friday in front of a large, loud crowd at Tualatin High School.
“Tough game. We just made more mistakes,” said Tualatin senior tight end/defensive end Richie Anderson, who had a big game on both sides of the ball. “They’re a great team. We knew that they’re a great team.”
“It was a lot of things. It was fun, first of all. We always have good games against them,” said Tualatin senior quarterback Jack Wagner, who accounted for 373 yards of total offense. “But it was a tough game. They were really physical, and I don’t think we were ready for that. I had four turnovers, and I just can’t do that. It was just a tough game.”
Tough game, yes. But the Timberwolves almost were able to overcome that — thanks to what looked to be an unyielding effort.
“Obviously, when you come into the Three Rivers League, it’s the toughest conference out here, and when you play a great team like West Linn, you expect a battle,” said Tualatin junior receiver Jayden Fortier, who had a touchdown catch. “I feel like we left it all on the field and gave it all we’ve got. It was great, honestly. This was the challenge of the year. Everyone said it was going to be the game of the year, and I really believe that it lived up to the hype.”
West Linn, which entered holding the No. 2 spot in the latest Class 6A media poll, improved to 5-1 this season and to 2-0 in Three Rivers League play, putting the Lions in a tie with Tigard for first place in the league standings.
Tualatin, which was No. 4 in the Class 6A media poll, suffered its first loss of the season, moving the Timberwolves to 5-1 overall and to 1-1 in league games. But, the Tualatin players say, that first loss could turn out to be a good thing.
“Now we know we can be beaten,” Anderson said. “We have a great team. We know we can win it. We know we can get that far, but now we know what we have to go through to get there.”
Tualatin just needs to look back a year to see how beneficial that first loss of the season could be. In the 2021 campaign, the Timberwolves started the season 5-0 before suffering a 35-24 home loss to Lake Oswego. Last year’s Tualatin squad rebounded from that first setback to win seven consecutive games, putting the Timberwolves in the Class 6A state title game.
“Yeah, look at us last year,” Dobash said. “We lost against Lake Oswego and we came back and made it all the way to the championship.”
“I hope that happens again,” Wagner said. “It’s a good learning point for us. Yes, we all hate getting our first loss, but it’s something we can learn from, and something we hope we don’t feel again.”
Dobash put things a little more bluntly.
“This feeling sucks,” he said. “We’re going to learn from this feeling. It’s not going to happen again.”
One thing the Timberwolves know they can build on is their ability to battle back — something they didn’t have to do in their first five games.
“That was the first time we’ve been down all season, and I really like how we responded,” Fortier said. “When it’s a shootout — they’ve got dudes, we’ve got dudes — that’s just what has to happen.”
Tualatin, which never led, showed it was capable of battling back — over and over again.
After trailing 7-0 early, the Timberwolves tied the score when senior running back Luke Ash scored on a 2-yard run, behind a block by senior fullback Kevin Interian, coming with 1 minute and 31 seconds left in the first quarter.
A 39-yard touchdown pass from Wagner to Fortier, who made a spectacular catch against tight coverage, tied the score at 14-14 with 2:56 left in the first half. The Lions regained the lead, 21-14, when senior Ben Winjum scored on a 1-yard run with 44.5 seconds to go in the second quarter.
But even that was enough time for the Timberwolves to battle back again. A 43-yard strike from Wagner to Anderson helped set up a 37-yard field goal by sophomore Calvin Evans, coming on the final play of the first half, making the score 21-17 at the intermission.
In the first play from scrimmage in the second half, West Linn senior Koffi Kouame scored on a 52-yard run, giving his team a 28-17 lead. But Tualatin kept on battling.
The Timberwolves responded with a 6-yard touchdown run by Ash, set up by his 62-yard run. Wagner scored on a 2-yard run on a fourth-and-goal play, trimming the Lions’ lead to 35-30 with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter.
Tualatin, trailing 42-30 in the fourth quarter and losing possession after West Linn junior Wiley Donnerberg made a juggling interception of a tipped ball in the end zone, still kept battling. The Timberwolves looked to capitalize after senior Dylan Munley recovered a West Linn fumble with just over two minutes to play. Tualatin moved the ball to the Lions 11-yard line before turning the ball over on downs, allowing West Linn to run out the clock and get the hard-earned victory.
“Just little stuff, missing gaps, blocking assignments, all that stuff,” Fortier said of the defeat. “It’s just stuff we can clean up in practice. But you can’t beat that effort. We gave everything we had.”
“It was good,” Dobash said. “We made some mistakes; we’re going to make some adjustments in practice. We’re going to pick up the intensity.”
“One-hundred percent — this will help us learn for the playoffs,” Wagner said. “I think it will be a good thing.”
Anderson agrees
“Oh, absolutely. I assure you, everyone is going to be in the film room,” he said. “They’re a great team and did great things, but we made too many mistakes.”
Wagner, looking to guide the Timberwolves back from behind throughout the contest, completed 19 of 39 passes for 313 yards, and he rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries.
“It was fun. We have to come through adversity and step up,” he said. “I had to step up and try to be that leader I need to be. Our defense started making stops and gave us a chance.”
Ash ran for 130 yards on 20 carries and added a 38-yard reception. Fortier had four catches for 85 yards. Junior Kenen Elder had five receptions for 40 yards and junior AJ Noland had four catches for 64 yards.
Anderson had five catches for 86 yards. On defense, he had two sacks, including one where he also forced a fumble that he recovered.
“We did a lot of good things,” Anderson said. “We have a great team. I’m sure that they knew that we have a great team. We know they have a great team. That’s how it goes. We didn’t play good defense. It’s a tough one for us.”
But the question is: Does Tualatin want a chance to make up for that tough one? Meaning a postseason rematch with West Linn. The unanimous answer isn’t surprising.
“Absolutely. We’re going to see them in the playoffs, I promise you that,” Fortier said. “And for me, that result is going to be much different. Yes, sir, that’s motivation.”
“It was two great teams,” Dobash said. “We want them. We’ll see them in the playoffs.”
“Of course, we want them again,” Wagner said. “I think we’ll see them in the playoffs again.”
“I never not want to play a team, especially them,” Anderson said with a smile. “Going against top competition is the most fun. Absolutely, this was a fun game. Great players against great players. We were right there.”
Speaking of fun, that takes us back to Dobash, and the love of football — especially when it comes to games like Friday’s highly anticipated showdown at Tualatin.
“It’s a gift. It’s a gift to play the game that we love,” he said. “It’s the greatest game on earth and I love it.”
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