Oregon 6A football power rankings: Who are the favorites?

We're through one full week of high school football action, but some trends are already emerging.   A few of the preseason favorites have solidified themselves as true juggernauts, while others have been exposed as a work-in-progress.   Of course, there's still a lot we don't know.   Here's that Oregon 6A power rankings so far - from state title favorites to teams sliding back.   Undoubtedly, there will be changes over the coming months.   This is merely a snapshot.   Of note, there's no firm order within each tier, so the first team listed is not “higher” than the others in the same tier.    State champion favorites   Lake Oswego Lakers — Lake Oswego is loaded and entered the season as one of the state title favorites.   They've only solidified that belief through two weeks, beating South Medford 40-3, then Sheldon 51-7 - an average score of 45.5 to 5.   Even better, senior running back LaMarcus Bell is fully healthy and rolling.   Last week, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries (14.8 yards per carry).   It's worth monitoring Lake Oswego's offensive and defensive line, as the groups are talented, but relatively inexperienced.   But so far, they've more than been up to the challenge.   Defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1246545' first='Josh' last='Christensen'] continues to look like an FBS prospect, and athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1234612' first='Jalen' last='Bauman'] has been absolutely stellar (0 completions allowed, punt return touchdown last week).    This week's contest against No. 3 Central Catholic will tell us a lot, because the Rams are legit in their own right.    West Linn Lions — The West Linn Lions entered the season as the defending champions.   But after graduating 11 first-team all-league players, there were some questions about who would step up and what, exactly, it would look like.    Would the Lions hit the ground running, or take some time to grow as a group?    Safe to say, West Linn isn't having any issues.   Facing a a solid, but unspectacular Kamehameha (Hawaii) squad, the Lions earned a 48-21 victory, led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='937233' first='Sloan' last='Baker'], who threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns with 84 yards rushing.   Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='769989' first='Viggo' last='Anderson'] is one of the most dynamic players in the state, and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='632957' first='Josiah' last='Molden'] is among the best defenders the state has seen in the past decade.   West Linn is a juggernaut - and has a chance to flex its muscle in the next two weeks with road contests at Sherwood and at Sumner (Washington).    Potential favorite   Central Catholic Rams — Entering the season, I thought there was a trio at the top of the state title race - Lake Oswego, West Linn and Lakeridge (more on them later).   Why not perennial title contender Central Catholic?   Several key pieces transferred out of the program.   But they are still a loaded team that I had at No. 4.   With Lakeridge sliding down the list, the Rams are at No. 3 - and registered an interesting 36-22 win over Central Catholic (California) in Week 1.   That alone isn't (yet?) enough to move them up into the “favorites” tier.   But that could change as soon as this week, as the Rams face Lake Oswego.   If coach Charlie Landgraf's bunch get a win Friday, they climb to the top tier.   Even with a loss, I would expect Central Catholic to be a top-five team by season's end.   Intriguing contenders   Tualatin Timberwolves — Tualatin has been a top-five program over the past few years and has a loaded young group coming up soon.    This year?    Tualatin thumped Clackamas 49-14 in Week 0, then picked up a gritty road win over Jesuit 13-7 without star running back [player_tooltip player_id='937241' first='Cole' last='Hachmeister'].    Dom Ferraro's group has games against South Salem and Sherwood next before a tough challenge against Lake Oswego on October 3.   If the Timberwolves enter the Lake Oswego game undefeated they'll be playing for a shot to make a big leap up this list.    As is, Tualatin is a quality team that could go 6-3 or even 5-4 given its brutal regular season schedule, and they'd still be a top-10 program.   Willamette Wolverines — Willamette has loaded up with transfer talent and makes the jump to 6A as a compelling group.   Led by sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='904208' first='Zeke' last='Thomas'] and big-time defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='739439' first='Tony' last='Cumberland'] (Oregon Ducks commit) and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='791149' first='Kawai' last='Chamberlin'], Willamette has plenty of star power on both sides of the ball.   It's hard to move Josh Line's team above the “intriguing” tier so far, because the leap from 5A to 6A is a steep one and Willamette is unlikely to face a true title contender until the playoffs.   A 34-7 win at South Medford in Week 1 was an encouraging start, but the truth is we won't know how good they really are until the playoffs.   This week's test against Grants Pass will be an intriguing benchmark.    Nelson Hawks — I have no idea what to make of Nelson.   The Hawks picked up arguably the state's most impressive win so far in Week 0, beating Lakeridge 26-21.    Then they lost to Timberline (Idaho) 43-15 last week.   That's a tough out-of-state opponent, but it's hard to make that translate to an Oregon-based projection.    Athletes. [player_tooltip player_id='1110921' first='Chaz' last='Katoanga'] and [player_tooltip player_id='937176' first='Malachi' last='Garlington'] are emerging as true Division I prospects and the team is as well-coached as any in the Mt. Hood Conference.   I guess we'll see.    Lakeridge Pacers — Oh Lakeridge!   After building the reputation for underperforming based on its talent, the Pacers entered this season absolutely loaded with 35 seniors and multiple Division I prospects.   They were a top-four team in every significant state poll and were projected to be firmly in the mix with West Linn and Lake Oswego to win the state title.    All of that is still possible for this group, but a shocking Week 0 loss to Nelson (26-21) inevitably drops them down the list.   It is noteworthy that both of Lakeridge's starting safeties were hurt by the end of the game and Nelson capitalized with four long touchdowns.   Spencer Phillips team bounced back with a 33-14 win over Mountainside last week.   Still, a team can't remain in the top tier with an early-season loss.   A healthy Lakeridge is still a potential juggernaut, but they have some questions to answer now.    Sliding    Jesuit Crusaders — Jesuit registered an early-season loss to Tualatin 13-7 last week.   But it's important to note that [player_tooltip player_id='770006' first='Joe' last='Stimpson'] missed the contest, and is a game-changing talent.   The Crusaders have had their share of state title teams over the years, but this one feels like it falls slightly short of that.   Still, it's a talented group that has a real shot at winning the Metro League title this fall.   Mountainside Mavericks — Mountainside experienced a mass exodus of its top players during the offseason, and it was clear a step back was likely.   A season-opening 33-14 loss to Lakeridge underscored that point.   Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1232699' first='Cade' last='Mitchell'] (New Mexico commit) is one of the top quarterbacks in the state.   It would've been amazing to see him with a full arsenal.   Mountainside will be tested early this season with games against Oregon City and Nelson.   Sandy Pioneers — I used to cover Sandy early in my prep writing career, so I'll always have a soft spot for the community.   Sandy thumped Sunset 56-32 in Week 0, then narrowly lost to 5A power Wilsonville 34-27 last week.   A contest against Lakeridge on September 19 will tell us a lot, but generally a loss to a 5A team means you're unlikely to be a major state title contender at the 6A level.   Still, this is a talented Sandy program and it will be fascinating to watch them this season.   The Pioneers have top-10 potential.    Sheldon Irish — A perennial top-10 program, several major Sheldon contributors left for Willamette.   That has clearly hurt the potential of this team.   Sheldon lost to Lake Oswego 51-7 in Week 1 and next faces West Salem, North Medford and Willamette.   We'll learn a lot in the coming weeks, but it Sure feels like the Irish are feeling the sting of high school football's “transfer portal.”   I feel for Sheldon and respect the program's rich history.    Big Test Next   Grants Pass Cavemen — Led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='796694' first='Jordan' last='Rossetta'], Grants Pass earned a 21-18 win over North Medford last week.    This week?   The Cavemen face fast-rising Willamette.   The winner of that contest will solidify its standing in the state race, while the loser will take a step back.    Sherwood Bowmen — Sherwood beat Roosevelt 31-18 last week.   That victory doesn't tell us much about where the Bowmen belong in the pecking order.   The Bowmen appear to be a top-10 team, but games against West Linn and Tualatin over the next two weeks will tell us a lot.

We're through one full week of high school football action, but some trends are already emerging.