Oregon 6A Playoff Predictions (All Rounds) + Analysis

&nbsp; <strong>**Winners in</strong> <strong>BOLD</strong> &nbsp; <strong>2ND ROUND</strong> McNary vs <strong>Lake Oswego</strong> 51-6 <strong>Clackamas</strong> vs Jesuit 27-25 Sherwood vs <strong>West Salem </strong>33-28 Mountainside vs <strong>Central Catholic</strong> 48-28 Westview vs <strong>Tualatin</strong> 31-28 Summit vs <strong>Roseburg</strong> 24-20 <strong>Lakeridge </strong>vs Sheldon 35-19 South Salem vs <strong>West Linn</strong> 60-7 &nbsp; <strong>QUARTERFINALS  </strong> &nbsp; Lake Oswego vs <strong>Clackamas </strong>35-34 2OT Anytime I bet against LO it bites me. I have the utmost respect for Coach Coury and his program. No matter how it ends up, I would bet that it’s a phenomenal football game. [player_tooltip player_id="28887" first="Jack" last="Layne"] has had a POY type season and [player_tooltip player_id="143909" first="Justius" last="Lowe"] has blown up. I have Clack’s line being the difference here, using ball control and a good game plan, with very few mistakes to squeak it out in OT. West Salem vs <strong>Central Catholic</strong> 42-17 The Rams are good. Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"] has been the glue with numerous D1 athletes around him. His 27 INTs/ 1 INT through the regular season have helped the team immensely. West Salem coach Shawn Stanley should be considered one of the best to ever coach in Oregon, much like Coury. Playoff time has been his specialty but I don’t think they will hang with CC. &nbsp; Roseburg vs <strong>Tualatin</strong> 48-14 Coach Dave Heuberger could potentially be the next of mayor of Roseburg. But for real he has done a phenomenal job, and if things play themselves out this way the Indians will go into this contest against Tualatin (10-1), after losing 12 straight covering the last two years. That said as the T-Wolves are the real deal and deep. I don’t expect it to be close. Lakeridge vs <strong>West Linn</strong> 31-30 I picked Lakeridge to win the state title over Tualatin in a preseason hypothetical tournament bracket.  I have a ton of respect for coach Spencer Phillips and his guys, but they have yet to get a win against the best in the TRL, with losses to (West Linn 1, Tualatin 3, Lake Oswego 21) during the regular season. They still have the talent to win it all, but they have to beat a top team to create that confidence. The more snaps this very young Lions group gets the better they become. Their convincing win over a very talented LO squad was a statement. Look for Junior’s [player_tooltip player_id="110180" first="Mark" last="Hamper"] and [player_tooltip player_id="147247" first="Earl" last="Ingle"] to have monster finishes to their season,  squeaking out this win over Lakeridge. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SEMIFINALS</strong> &nbsp; Clackamas vs <strong>Central Catholic</strong> 30-28 CC will see a much-improved Clack team, then what they saw in the last game of the regular season. If the Cavs offense shows up and puts up points, there will be a razor thin margin between the two. Expect to see the defense, specifically the line, cause numerous problems in this one. In the end I will take an experienced Rams team, to use the likes of 6-6 [player_tooltip player_id="104685" first="Riley" last="Williams"] and one of the region’s top talents in WR [player_tooltip player_id="28839" first="Jordan" last="King"], to win a close one. &nbsp; West Linn vs <strong>Tualatin</strong> 27-21 This won’t be like the regular season win for the T-Wolves, but Tualatin is physical and fast with too many weapons. 6-5 athletes [player_tooltip player_id="108147" first="Kellen" last="Hale"] and [player_tooltip player_id="204568" first="Peter" last="Burke"] compliment a handful of additional D1 athletes with size. 2023’s [player_tooltip player_id="110178" first="Jack" last="Wagner"] and Ritchie Anderson will be two of the top underclass recruits in the NW, and [player_tooltip player_id="28846" first="Cole" last="Prusia"], [player_tooltip player_id="28843" first="Malik" last="Ross"] and [player_tooltip player_id="28854" first="Jackson" last="Jones"] will all play Division 1 ball at some level. All that said as West Linn’s Chris Miller is one of the best to ever coach high school ball in Oregon. The Lions talent, with his game planning is always a threat. Look for this one to come down to the last quarter with Tualatin advancing. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>STATE CHAMPIONSHIP</strong> <strong>Tualatin</strong> vs Central Catholic 30-27 The T Wolves have maybe their best team in school history with a bunch of talented underclassmen to boot. Central brings a confidence to the state title game only achieved through years of big playoff wins and championships. I think the QB contest between a sophomore who has been lights out all season in [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"], and a 1st team all-state senior leader like [player_tooltip player_id="28854" first="Jackson" last="Jones"] will be telling. The T-Wolves will probably provide significant pressure, and bring the house against a young Newman. I see a physical matchup leaning towards THS, with the defense making a statement late in the playoffs. I will take Tualatin in one of the most competitive playoff years we have had in some time. &nbsp;