WEST LINN Sprague High School’s football couldn’t keep up with the pace set by West Linn quarterback Tim Tawa and lost 56-20 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.
Sprague, which was in the state quarterfinals for the sixth time in the school’s history, finishes the season 10-2.
No. 1 seed West Linn (12-0) advances to play Clackamas in the Nov. 25 semifinals at Providence Park in Portland.
Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Sprague briefly caught fire on the ground as Dane McKinney ran for touchdowns of four and one yards and cut the Lions’ lead to 14-13.
But West Linn, last year’s state runner-up, scored 42 consecutive points behind the strong arm of Tawa and awesome team speed.
Tawa was 21 of 31 passing for 281 yards and five touchdowns.
“He’s pretty good,” Sprague coach Jay Minyard said. “They’re a really good football team, and he obviously can throw it well. But they’ve got some team speed, too. (Elijah) Molden’s a special athlete, and they’ve got several guys. And that speed kind of got to us. They can kind of get themselves into a hole and out of a hole really quick.
“There were some pivotal moments in that second quarter, there’s some plays that kind of took the momentum away from us a little bit here and there and gave them some mojo. WE lost to a really, really good football team, but we had an outstanding season with great leadership from an outstanding senior class. We have nothing to hang our heads about.”
Sprague’s Jailen Hammer tries to take down West Linn’s Tyler Good as the Olys fall to West Linn 56-20 in the OSAA Class 6A state quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at West Linn High School.
Sprague’s Jailen Hammer and the Olys fall to West Linn 56-20 in the OSAA Class 6A state quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at West Linn High School.
West Linn defenders try to take down Sprague’s Noah Mellen in the OSAA Class 6A state quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at West Linn High School. West Linn defeated Sprague 56-20.