The Jesuit Crusaders fell to the West Linn Lions in the 2nd round of the 2025 OSAA 6a football playoffs.
The West Linn Lions are the #1 Ranked team in the state and defending champions for the 2025 season.
The game started off hot for West Linn, with Senior running back Viggo Anderson scoring a quick touchdown for the Lions.
But the Crusaders answered back quickly with a successful drive followed by a 7 yard receiving touchdown for Senior wide reliever Jack Tuenge.
The momentum stayed with the Crusaders after a successful onside kick from Jesuit kicker Luca Bolouri.
“We knew while watching film that their guys stood really far apart and we saw that after the opening kickoff that they lined up the same way. We stuck to our game plan and went sneaky middle, and the team made a great play” Bolouri said.
The Crusaders strong running game was capitalized by a rushing touchdown for the Crusaders, with them leading 14-7 with short time left in the 2nd quarter.
West Linn answered back quickly however, with an 8 yard receiving touchdown from quarterback Sloan Baker to Gavin Thaut.
With the score being tied 14-14 at halftime, the Crusaders went into the 2nd half confident in their ability to upset the Lions.
Unfortunately, the Lions held onto the momentum heading into the 3rd, stopping the Crusaders on their opening drive and scoring a 43 yard passing touchdown for Tyson Donnerberg.
Shortly after, the Lions were able to stop the Crusaders again and Josiah Molden was able to bring in a 7 yard receiving touchdown for the Lions, making the score 14-28 heading into the 4th quarter.
However, the Crusaders didn’t give up. With Junior Penny Harrison scoring a very impressive 25 yard receiving touchdown to gain some momentum back for the Crusaders, keeping it close with a score of 21-28 at the start of the 4th quarter.
“I’ve been working and staying ready, so when my number got called, I just tried to make the most of it. Credit to the guys around me for trusting me. I’m still learning the position, but moments like that make me want to keep getting better” Harrison said.
The Lions wouldn’t hold off though, with West Linn’s Sloan Baker scoring back-to-back rushing touchdowns for the Lions, making the score 21-42 with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter.
Just as the game was closing out, Jesuit’s Jack Dimer ended the game with a 21 yard rushing touchdown with 2 minutes left.
The game ended in a heartbreaking loss for the Crusaders at 28-42.
This was also Ken Potter’s final game as the head coach for the Jesuit Crusaders. Potter finished his career as the winningest coach in Oregon High School history with a record of 368-92-0.
