Oregon's Upcoming Dynasty: West Linn

<div> West Linn is in a good spot. Chris Miller one of the best to ever coach high school football in Oregon is back, although he technically never left. For years West Linn has run one of the top youth programs anywhere in the West, and Miller has been able to develop that talent. That said as anything less than a state title in the coming seasons for the Lions will be deemed not meeting expectations. Not an easy task for anyone to fulfill.</div> <div></div> <div> West Linn has a unique combination of unquestioned talent, numbers, and a legit line year in and year out. This season will be no different, with Miller leading the Lions to a (60-16) record and a state title covering the last 6 years, in 6A’s most brutal conference.</div> <div></div> <div> The Lions will be led by Oregon 6A Offensive POY candidate <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28717" first="Gavin" last="Haines"]</b> (6-1 200 Sr. RB/WLB), a 3* national recruit who went for 2000+ yards and 24 total TDs, while averaging 8 yards per carry in 2019. Gavin has shown flashes of Brady Breeze on the defensive side of the ball, but offensively the team will rely on his experience and consistency.</div> <div></div> <div> QB <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28720" first="Blake" last="DeBisschop"]</b> (6-4 180 Sr. QB) didn’t get a ton of snaps last season 28/38, 73% Com Pct 3 TDs/0 INTs, playing behind state statistical leader Ethan Coleman, but Blake is the real deal. When all is said and done I project Debisschop to be listed ahead of the state’s current #2 QB [player_tooltip player_id="28702" first="Sam" last="Vidlak"], who is committed to Oregon St. He is that good.</div> <div></div> <div> From a recruiting standpoint the guy with the highest ceiling might be <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28707" first="Mitchell" last="Duea"]</b> (6-6 235 TE/DE Sr.). Another 3* kid, Mitchell can play on either side of the ball at the highest level, currently holding offers from Georgetown, Air Force, Bucknell, and Northern Colorado. Duea provides options to schools due to his size and versatility. Look for a host of other Mid-Major & Big Sky programs to go on him in the near future.</div> <div></div> <div> All of this said as you win state championships because of athletes like <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28755" first="Thomas" last="McNamara"]</b> (5-11 185 SS/WLB Sr.) and <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28779" first="Clay" last="Masters"] </b>(5-11 175 ATH Sr). McNamara went off as a Junior earning unanimous 1st team All TRL honors, with Masters racking up 2nd team accolades. McNamara accounted for 79 total tackles (54 solo), 8.8 tpg, and 5 tackles for loss. Masters did a little bit of everything and should be considered one of the most versatile kids in the state heading into next season. His 31 catches for 512 yards and 6 TDs were only a glimpse of his potential. Playing corner he did well, making 27 total tackles with 2 INTs and 6 pass deflections.</div> <div></div> <div> Defensively the key to everything is <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28772" first="Cole" last="Peters"]</b> (5-9 180 WLB Sr). If he stays on his current pace he will finish as one of the state’s all-time leading tacklers. Peters will be a leading candidate for defensive POY honors within the conference, and potentially the state. Over the last two seasons, Cole has put up ridiculous numbers accounting for 245 total tackles. 31 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 14 hurries, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 pass deflections. The kid is literally everywhere.</div> <div></div> <div> As referenced West Linn is traditionally one of the top teams in the state up front. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28718" first="Zach" last="Holmes"]</b> (6-3 275 G Sr.) is ranked among the top O lineman in Oregon, with multiple D1 offers. That said as the loss of TRL D lineman of the year Ryan Seth and talented Offensive guys Luke Popma and Tucker Parrish will be tough to make up for.</div> <div></div> <div> The depth doesn’t end there with <b>[player_tooltip player_id="28789" first="Flynn" last="Schiele"]</b> (6-3 180 WR Sr.), one of the region’s most underrated, and<b> [player_tooltip player_id="28759" first="Kaanan" last="Huffman"]</b> (6-4 225 TE Sr.) rounding out one of the deeper skill groups in the region.</div> <div></div> <div> In summary, the Lions are legit and will be ranked the state’s #1 6A team heading into the season. It won’t be just this year as West Linn’s younger teams continually go undefeated. Over the next 1/2 decade you can expect the West Linn dominance to continue. The TRL is obviously in a class of their own, but I will take Mountainside HS to be the Lions biggest challenge in the years ahead.</div> <div></div> <div> I can’t say enough good things about Coach Miller. He is the guy that every athlete wants to play for. Have a look at the division 1 athletes who have come through West Linn in the past six years and expect to see many more go on and make an impact at the D1 level.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><b>D1 ATHLETES 2014-2020</b></div> <div></div> <div>Elijah Molden- Washington, Alex Forsyth- Oregon, Evan Voeller- Oregon, Ethan Long- Arizona St, Jaydon Grant-Oregon St, Tim Tawa- Stanford (Baseball), Keishon Dawkins- Oregon St, Mitchell <span class="il">Johnson</span>- Eastern Washington, Ahmir Mcgee- Portland St, Blake Fletcher & Sam Chitty- Bucknell, Luke Popma- Georgetown, Zack Huffstutter- UCLA "WO", Casey Tawa- Rice "WO"</div>