Tualatin ‘found a way to win’ in showdown with 5A No. 1 Wilsonville: 5 takeaways

TUALATIN — A collision of two powerhouse programs in their respective classifications made for some intrigue in Week 3. 

Would No. 3 Tualatin continue asserting itself as one of a handful of state title contenders in the Class 6A big-school division? Or would No. 1 Wilsonville of Class 5A announce itself with a huge statement as one of the state’s best teams regardless of school size?

Well, let’s just say, a little of both happened. 

Behind a big-play defense and a stout running game, Tualatin held off Wilsonville, 22-13, on Friday night in nonleague play at Tualatin High School. 

“They came out and punched us in the mouth a little bit and we weren’t expecting that,” Timberwolves senior Jayden Fortier said. “But we found a way to win.” 

Tualatin improved to 3-0 with a matchup against Jesuit looming, while Wilsonville (2-1) suffered its first defeat of the season before playing host to Summit next week.

Photos by Dan Brood

Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s matchup:

Watch out for Tualatin’s defense

A week after forcing five turnovers — all fumble recoveries — in a 17-14 win over Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.), the Timberwolves relied on their defensive playmakers again with four more timely takeaways. 

Tualatin intercepted Wilsonville senior quarterback Kallen Gutridge, a returning 5A all-state second-team selection, three times, including two by senior cornerback Kenen Elder. Senior Thomas Ngure added a fumble recovery in the first half.

“The defense again, they did another good job,” Tualatin coach Dominic Ferraro said. “Our coaches emphasize turnovers and work on it, taking the ball away. We’ve been really good taking the ball away, which is important. When you win the (turnover battle), you win 92 percent of the time, and we’re 3-0, so that’s proof right there.”

Fortier, a senior linebacker, threw a dagger in Wilsonville’s hopes of scoring a late go-ahead touchdown by intercepting Gutridge near the goal line with 9:35 left. The Timberwolves’ offense then burned nearly seven minutes off the clock before a game-clinching 22-yard field goal from junior Calvin Evans. 

“My guys trusted me and I read the route, and I just went up and got it,” Fortier said. “(The receiver) ended up bobbling the ball. I got the job done, and that’s all that matters.”

The Timberwolves secondary led by Elder and AJ Noland, along with Zack Zuckerman and Matthew Eleweke, helped keep the Wildcats’ receivers in check most of the game. Their defensive line headed by seniors Trace Bell and Ryder Jones pressured Gutridge all game.

“It’s just experience,” Fortier said. “Last year, we had dawgs. We had Richie (Anderson), Luke Ash, and we had Dylan Munley. We each had to fill their shoes, and they taught us how to grind and get these wins.” 

Tualatin’s secret weapon: The Wildcat

When faced with short-yardage situations offensively, look for Tualatin to lean on its leader, Fortier.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is big, fast and strong, and he scored two touchdowns in the first half — a bruising 5-yard run on the team’s opening drive and a 4-yard run to help the Timberwolves take a 12-7 lead just before halftime. 

Ferraro described Fortier as the program’s “war dog” when needing a few yards to score or get a first down. 

“We’ve got three or four play packages where we work with him and by design, it’s one or two yards,” Ferraro said. “That’s everything you need, and he did a good job with it tonight.”

Fortier finished with five carries for 19 yards and two touchdowns.

New identity, same Timberwolves still a team to beat

Tualatin’s recent run has launched the program to another level over the past couple seasons.

Coming off a state quarterfinal appearance in 2019, the Timberwolves have consistently remained a threat to go deep in the playoffs.

They followed the COVID-shortened season with a state title game appearance two years ago and a semifinal berth last fall in Ferraro’s first year. 

While the personnel has changed, the victories keep coming under the team’s senior leadership.

“We’re an experienced group, especially our O-line with all-conference returners,” Fortier said. “That goes a long way.” 

Ferraro said the biggest challenge for his team now is its ability to handle adversity, which he acknowledges will help form its identity. 

“That toughness piece is there, but sometimes how we react to certain things, we’ve got to do a better job,” Ferraro said. “That just comes with maturity and experience, and as a coaching staff, we keep talking to them about it and keep emphasizing the next-play mentality.” 

Transfer QB making an impact

It’s still a learning experience for Tualatin junior quarterback Nolan Keeney.

Keeney, who transferred from Westview, did most of his damage on the ground with 13 carries for a game-high 133 yards, and he found continual holes in Wilsonville’s defense. He also completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 55 yards. 

His 38-yard scramble with 29.7 seconds before the break helped set up Fortier’s go-ahead touchdown.

“He’s done a great job,” Ferraro said of Keeney. “We put a lot on our quarterback to make decisions. Every once in a while, the concept doesn’t click, but to give him some credit, last week he had a fumble at a key point in the game and our QB coach worked with him all week on ball security. He did a great job. He’s going to be a dude, one day at a time.”

Fortier said he’s been impressed with Keeney’s leadership. 

“For a young dude, he’s been a leader,” Fortier said. “He’s one of our captains; he comes with a strong arm. He’s a great dude. He understands and picked up our playbook super fast. He’s just a good dude overall, and I’m glad he’s our QB1.”

Wilsonville shows it belongs

A year ago, the two programs met with Tualatin running away to a 44-7 victory.

Fast forward to Friday, and the gap has closed significantly. Despite four turnovers, Wilsonville had its opportunities to take control after facing a 19-7 deficit with 7:43 left in the third quarter.

Gutridge helped the Wildcats answer with a 1-yard keeper that capped a 10-play drive, narrowing Tualatin’s lead to 19-13 late in the third.

Gutridge’s 40-yard run had the Wildcats knocking on the door to take the lead early in the fourth until Fortier’s interception.

“You compete in a game like that, you want to go out and have the good guys come out on top,” Wilsonville coach Adam Guenther said. “It didn’t go that way, but I’m not disappointed in the effort. We have guys in the (postgame huddle) crying and are upset, and that’s a good thing because it shows they care and have heart. But this isn’t the end of the trip — this is only Week 3.” 

Guenther said these chances to play up against 6A teams are a valuable tool to find out where they are.

“(Tualatin) is a legit team, and I think we proved we are, too,” he said.

Gutridge was 23 of 44 for 280 yards and one touchdown — a 32-yard lob to senior Maverick Summers for a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. Junior Nick Crowley had nine catches for 142 yards, and junior Mark Wiepert added four receptions for 86 yards.

Wilsonville earned the respect of its counterpart. 

“They’re a good football team,” Ferraro said. “They’re big, they’re physical, and they’ve got great skill kids. They took away a lot of our deep shots to throw the ball.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind they’re going to win the 5A state championship,” Fortier added.

Guenther called his team a “special group with a lot of talent.” Time will tell with the Wildcats having reached three 5A state title games since 2016 and hoping for their first triumph under Guenther.

“There’s a sense of calm; there’s no frantic, no edge,” he said. “And that’s going to take these guys far.”

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Tualatin 22, Wilsonville 13

Wilsonville - 0 - 7 - 6 -0 — 13 

Tualatin - 6 -6 - 7 - 3 — 22 

First quarter 

5:30 T - Jayden Fortier 5 run (2-point conversion failed)

Second quarter

8:07 W - Maverick Summers 32 pass from Kallen Gutridge (Emmitt Fee PAT)

:25.8 T - Fortier 4 run (PAT miss)

Third quarter

7:43 T - Carson Mullins 2 run (Calvin Evans PAT)

3:50 W - Gutridge 1 run (PAT miss)

Fourth quarter 

2:10 T - Evans 22-yd field goal

STATISTICS 

Passing: Wilsonville - Kallen Gutridge 23-44, 280, TD, 4 INTs; Tualatin - Nolan Keeney 6-10, 55.

Rushing: Wilsonville - Gutridge 6-65, TD, Maverick Summers 3-10, Mark Wiepert 1-4, Biz Nieuwstraten 1-4, Ty Smith 1-3; Tualatin - Jayden Fortier 5-19, 2 TDs, Keeney 13-133, Tino Russo 11-68, Carson Mullins 16-67.

Receiving: Wilsonville - Summers 1-32, TD, Nick Crowley 9-142, Mark Wiepert 4-86, Emmitt Fee 2-15, Kheller Larson 1-2, Nick Colyer 1-2, Roman Kealoha 3-1; Tualatin - Tyson Hunt 1-21, Kenen Elder 2-18, AJ Noland 1-12, Ruso 1-4, Fortier 1-0

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STATEWIDE SCOREBOARD

Week 3 predictions: How did we do?

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