It was a special night at WLHS as the homecoming king and queen were announced and the Lions (2-5, 0-3 Three Rivers League) took on their bitter rival the Oregon City Pioneers. For nine years the Lions had dominated OC and they were searching for a tenth straight victory. It was not to be though as the Pioneers took an early lead and never let go.
Oregon City struck first with a 68 yard touchdown pass from Jon Hall, junior quarterback, to Nick Martin, junior wide receiver. West Linn wasn’t phased and struck right back with a 32 yard pass to Jarrod Howard, senior, from Hayden Coppedge, junior quarterback. The Pioneers retaliated with a 32 yard touchdown of their own to Justin Cornejo, senior wide receiver, and Hall added a second touchdown pass for the game. West Linn failed to score on their next drive, but pushed OC back into the shadow of their goal post and forced a safety on the punt. At the end of the first quarter the score was 14-9.
Cornejo and Hall connected again for a touchdown, this time from 37 yards. Oregon City stopped West Linn and took the ball back and scored on a 17 yard dash from Mitchell Thompson, senior running back. In response, the Lions put up another touchdown from Louis Germain, junior running back, from a yard out. They went for two but failed and the score was 28-15 going into halftime.
The third quarter was just the opposite of the first two quarters. The only score resulted from 12 yard pass to Dalton Tuor, senior, from Coppedge. The score was 28-22 at the conclusion of the fourth quarter.
Oregon City scored on a 21 yard run from Thompson to put them up 35-22. West Linn fought back and scored on a one yard pass to Colin Davis, senior. It wasn’t enough and Oregon City had the ball in the dying seconds and emerged victorious.
Coppedge lead the game with 358 yards and three touchdowns on 22-42 passing. Howard had 12 receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown. Hall threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, and Thompson rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
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After nine year drought, Oregon City emerges victorious
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![Walker McCrae](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Walker-475x316.jpg)
Walker McCrae, Staff Reporter
Before Walker McCrae, senior, realized his dream of becoming a sports manager, he was faced with one task, one court and one orange leather ball.
“Walker! Get on the bench!” belched his eighth grade basketball coach, distinguishable by his lopsided scowl and aggravated temper.
Now staring back down to the ball, McCrae watched as the grips slipped from his fingers and the ball hit the court with a bounce and a resounding thud. Another game, another bench, another hour and a half watching the ball pass from player to player while he sat on the sidelines.
Yet this time, as he took his seat, he reached a sudden epiphany.
“I realized that I sucked at sports,” McCrae said, “So, logically, I became interested in sports management.”
Today, instead of framing his daily life around school sports, McCrae punches his alarm at 7:15 a.m., parks his red Honda Pilot in spot 86 by 8 a.m. and, after the day ends, pulls into his driveway after fighting 20 minutes of after-school traffic. McCrae still incorporates Intramurals Basketball and tennis into his schedule during winter and spring, yet he is more invested in sports management than any other athletic interest.
“Last year, I was the editor for the Athletics section, and I still contribute a large amount of articles to Athletics,” McCrae said. “My love of journalism has fed into my desire to manage a sports team by boosting my knowledge of sports culture. It has also made me respect the media immensely, as I am well aware how difficult it is to be a journalist.”
McCrae hopes to pursue financial/economic studies at his school of choice-- Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. Once accepted to Barrett or another college with a Business program, McCrae plans to take every opportunity available, such as job shadowing and internships, to climb the management ladder.
“Sports Management is a rigorous, competitive pursuit,” McCrae said, “but I’m super excited. I really have to bring it, not only in the classroom but also when I’m building connections with people. That’s what’ll make the difference.”
For now, McCrae can be seen in the halls with a few friends, laughing at inside jokes while watching play-by-plays on his phone.
“All of my friends want to be biologists, statisticians, mathematicians,” McCrae said. “I’m one of the few people I know who wants to go into my field. That doesn’t mean other kids aren’t interested in it nationwide, so like I said, I’ll still have to bring it.”