Six Lane County football teams prepare for second-round action

Undefeated Willamette hosts another playoff game, while crosstown rivals Churchill and Thurston meet in the 5A quarterfinals, as the state’s prep football playoffs head into their second week. Also, Junction City and Lowell face big road challenges. And Crow battles top-ranked Triangle Lake.

Here’s the roundup for Lane County teams:

6A

Undefeated Willamette, the No. 4 seed in the 6A playoffs, hosts Portland’s Central Catholic, the No. 5 seed, at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14. The Wolverines rolled to a 42-20 win over No. 13 Mountainside in last week’s first round, and Central Catholic (8-2) also racked up 42 points in dispatching Newberg, 42-14. The Rams’ only two losses have come against Lake Oswego and Nelson, two teams that have advanced to the 6A quarterfinals, so this game is a good opportunity for the high-powered Wolverines (10-0) to show how they stack up against top-tier 6A teams.

5A

No. 13 Churchill knocked off No. 4 Lebanon 21-8 last week in the 5A tournament’s biggest upset so far. The Lancers stay on the road this Friday, but the trip is much shorter: They’re traveling to Thurston for a quarterfinal bout. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The conference foes met in the regular season Oct. 17 at Churchill, and Thurston won, 27-16. On paper, the Colts (10-1) appear to have the edge — they haven’t lost since a 35-6 decision at Silverton Sept. 5. But the Lancers have rolled off three straight wins since that loss to the Colts. 

4A

A week after a 31-21 win over Stayton in the first round, No. 8 Junction City hits the road for a game against No. 1 Cascade. The game, to be played at Scio High School, kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday. The Tigers, 7-3, have won three games in a row — but the undefeated Cougars have won 10 straight this season, including a 42-14 thumping of Pendleton-Nixyaawii in last week’s first round. 

2A

No. 8 Lowell (9-1) also has a quarterfinal road game this weekend against a No. 1 team — in this case, undefeated Heppner (10-0). But the Devils are on a hot streak of their own, with nine straight wins, including a 34-14 victory in the first round against Oakland. The Devils have scored 50 or more points in six games this season. Heppner has cracked the 50-point mark seven times — and has held foes to less than 10 points in nine of its games, including a 54-0 rout of Nestucca in last week’s first round. (The distance between Lowell and Heppner, by the way, is about 307 miles.) Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday. 

1A (six-player)

Top-ranked Triangle Lake earned a bye into the quarterfinals and faces another Lane County team in the quarterfinals: It’s No. 9 Crow, which rolled over Dayville-Monument-Long Creek 52-12 in last week’s first round. Since a 34-0 loss Oct. 10 at Elkton, the Cougars (7-2) have won four in a row and have averaged more than 50 points a game in that stretch. But the Lakers (9-0) can score as well; they’re averaging more than 48 points a game. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday.