Andrew Nemec’s picks: West Linn-Lake Oswego, Jesuit-Mountainside

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week's Oregon high school football games make up the best slate of the year, and three of those games are elite match-ups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Linn at Lake Oswego. Lakeridge at Tualatin. Jesuit at Mountainside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are my picks - given with some trepidation, as the margins are razor-thin in these match-ups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Oswego 24, West Linn 21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/west-linn-lake-oswego-position-by-position-advantages-offense/">Position-by-position advantages: Offense</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/west-linn-lake-oswego-position-by-position-advantages-defense/">Position-by-position advantages: Defense</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Lake Oswego and West Linn enter this week's showdown undefeated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lakers and Lions are, hands-down, the top two teams in the state, and the sincere hope is that they find themselves on opposite sides of the bracket so a state championship rematch could be in play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So far this season, Lake Oswego boasts the most impressive win among the two teams, a 21-0 shutout of Central Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Linn counters with a 31-24 win over Washington powerhouse Sumner and a 30-20 win over Lakeridge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Sumner trailed to Puyalliup 31-0 at halftime this season and Lakeridge has looked very beatable, so those victories raise ever-so-slight questions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the margins are this thin, that can make all the difference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Oswego's [player_tooltip player_id='402409' first='Hudson' last='Kurland'], a Washington State Cougars commit, may be the state's best quarterback, while his collection of wide receivers and tight ends is truly elite - with 5-6 players who could be multi-offer prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Linn junior and preseason All-American [player_tooltip player_id='632957' first='Josiah' last='Molden'] can takeaway one side of the field, but there are several more options for Kurland to throw to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preseason All-American LaMarcus Bell has missed time of late and his status is up-in-the-air. If he plays that's another added boost to the Lakers. If not, [player_tooltip player_id='1059015' first='Justin' last='Craigwell'] has played at an all-state level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Linn's youth may show up a small amount here, and while I predict they win the state title next year, I think Lake Oswego has a slight edge this week -and this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jesuit 35, Mountainside 34</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jesuit's biggest games: 13-7 L to Tualatin, 35-6 L to Central Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountainside's biggest games: 33-14 L to Lakeridge, 42-35 L to Nelson </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two unstoppable forces in Oregon 6A football will take the field in this matchup, and both will continue to be tough to stop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jesuit running back [player_tooltip player_id='1591586' first='Luke' last='Ortner'] and Mountainside quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1232699' first='Cade' last='Mitchell'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ortner ran for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns to break the school record in rushing yards, while senior all-purpose athlete [player_tooltip player_id='770006' first='Joe' last='Stimpson'] returns and would've been an all-state selection on both sides of the ball with a healthy season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mitchell's stock has skyrocketed in the past six months, as he's won multiple camp MVP awards and has had a stellar senior campaign despite a mass exodus of top prospects (transfer) from Mountainside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have enough offensive firepower that a shootout seems likely, but both have given up a lot of points to talented opposition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is an incredibly tough game to pick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lakeridge 28, Tualatin 24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet another game that feels very difficult to predict.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeridge entered the season with state title aspirations, but is sitting at an underwhelming 3- 3 with losses to Nelson, Central Catholic and West Linn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tualatin hasn't played nearly as tough of a schedule and is 5-1 with a better-than-you'd-think 49-24 loss to Lake Oswego that showed they can put up points on an elite defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That theory will be tested against Lakeridge, who can be as disruptive defensively as anyone in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tualatin is young with its best days still ahead, while Lakeridge's roster began the year with 35 seniors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think that gives the Pacers a slight edge, but the Timberwolves should not be counted out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is likely going to come down to a big play - or possible big turnover - late.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TCqEbJOL3Rj3w3AWyh3nx","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"spotify","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TCqEbJOL3Rj3w3AWyh3nx </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->