By Gavin Carpenter

We’re just over halfway through the 2023 Oregon high school football season, and with many big games coming up, a Top 15 ranking finally seemed appropriate. The teams are ranked on a few main criteria (record, strength of schedule, strength of wins, consistency, etc), and every game matters. Even in a level of the sport where many games become very lopsided very quickly, there is still much to learn from every showing, especially when there are so few games in a season. With that out of the way, let’s get into the rankings, starting with…

1: West Linn (5-0; 6A #1)

Over five games, West Linn has absolutely demolished any and all competition, including #10 Lake Oswego by 35 points and dispatching Lake Stevens (a top 5 team out of Washington) in a game where they led 35-10 at the half. They've done all this while compiling one of the best point differentials in the state, with an offense that dropped 98 points against those two previously mentioned teams, as well as having yet to be up by less than two scores at the half. The fact that this team isn't nationally ranked is shocking. It doesn't get any easier for them, either; all four of their remaining opponents are ranked on this list, with a clash of giants on Friday between themselves and the #2 Tualatin

Next Game: vs #2 Tualatin (5-0; 6A #2)

2: Tualatin (5-0; 6A #2)

While Tualatin has not quite had the offensive production befitting a #2 team, their defense has been stellar, and that 0 in the losses column should remind you that this team shows up ready to play every game. They held #3 Wilsonville to just 13 points; excluding that game, Wilsonville is averaging 41. They eked out a win on the road in Tacoma, WA against Lincoln through sheer defensive skill, and a 31-24 win over #13 Lakeridge should also be mentioned. Like West Linn, all of their remaining opponents are ranked in the Top 15, with the big test coming this Friday against West Linn on the road.

Next Game: at #1 West Linn (5-0; 6A #1)

3: Wilsonville (4-1; 5A #1)

Good offensive production abound for Wilsonville, although their defense can be a little suspect (for a team of this stature) against lower-rated teams such as Summit, where they allowed four scoring drives. A week one blowout of Thurston (4-1; 5A #4) tells a different story, however, and gives a glimpse of what this team can achieve when all the pieces are put together. Their only loss came by 9 points to #2 Tualatin, and they'll have another tough test on Friday against Hillsboro

Next Game: at Hillsboro (4-1; 5A #8)

4: Central Catholic (5-0; 6A #3)

There are very few teams that have scored 180 points through five games; Central Catholic hasn't just scored 180 - they've outscored their opponents by 180. Racking up nearly 250 points and allowing just 53, they've been one of the most statistically dominant teams anywhere this year. Sure, their strength of schedule isn't as tough as some of the other teams on this list, but they have played Bellevue (WA) and had to take on Jesuit on the road, and neither game was within 20. No one so far has been able to touch them, and looking ahead, with no ranked teams on their schedule, it is highly likely that they will finish the regular season without even being challenged.

Next Game: at Gresham (0-5)

5: South Salem (5-0; 6A #4)

This team is a bit of an enigma to me. Sure, they're 5-0 and beat South Medford (4-1; 6A #12) by 24, but a 1 point win over Sunset (3-2; 6A #11) and lackluster defensive performances against mid-tier and low-tier teams makes it hard to tell where this team's true ceiling is. Not much quality looking ahead, either; they only have one team, North Salem (4-1; 6A #15), who currently has a winning record.

Next Game: at McNary (0-5)

6: North Medford (4-1; 6A #5)

You would be forgiven if, after watching them get demolished by #14 Tigard 27-7, you thought that this team wasn’t going anywhere. That illusion should have quickly faded away, however, when they proceeded to atomize everything that moved within a 30 mile radius. A strong win over North Salem (4-1; 6A #15) boosts their strength of schedule, and drubbings of Bend and Grants Pass by a combined 82-0 help as well. Two strong tests remain against Sheldon (3-2; 6A #14) and #5 South Salem.

Next Game: at Roseburg (1-4)

7: Mountain View (5-0; 5A #2)

It was noted earlier that Central Catholic was one of the most statistically dominant teams. Mountain View is the most statistically dominant team. Outsourcing their opponents by 206 points this year, they have allowed a combined three points in their last four games. Sure, there isn’t much quality on their schedule (and there’s not much upcoming, either), but the sheer dominance of this team is simply impressive.

Next Game: at Redmond (3-2)

8: Oregon City (5-0; 6A #6)

They’ve benefitted early from a weak strength of schedule, but a 28-24 win over #14 Tigard shows that they can play good teams close and do enough to win. Because of that, it’s hard to truly rank them accurately, but they’ve got a gauntlet of Top 15 teams remaining on their schedule that will give us a better idea as to how they will play and where they will fit, including what should be a great game this friday at #10 Lake Oswego

Next Game: at #10 Lake Oswego (4-1; 6A #7)

9: Henley (5-0; 4A #1)

Since Henley doesn’t have a lot of strong opponents, or even mid-tier ones for that matter, it’s hard to predict where they would fall against some of the higher ranked 6A and 5A teams, and that won’t really change excluding a game against #14 Mazama (albeit a 4A team). That being said, an undefeated record counts for something, and a strong 12 point win over Cascade (4-1; 4A #5) gives me enough clues to put them just below the true powerhouses.

Next Game: at Klamath Union (1-4)

10: Lake Oswego (4-1; 6A #7)

Their strength of schedule is decent, and they’ve won their games against mid-tier teams convincingly, but their one game against a quality team was against West Linn, and a 41-7 loss tells us more about how good West Linn is than about Lake Oswego. Their defense has also not been stellar against those mid-tier teams, and their point differential has suffered for it. They have 4 ranked opponents coming up, including the #1, #2 and #8 Oregon City who they play this Friday, and it is hard to believe that they play better than 2-2 in their final 4 games.

Next Game: vs #8 Oregon City (5-0; 6A #6)

11: Sherwood (5-0; 6A #8)

A lot of people have been very high on this team, seeing as they’ve demolished the last four teams they’ve played by a combined 153-0. Not that that isn’t impressive, but against the teams that they played, frankly the offense is underperforming. That 5th game confirms my suspicions, as they not only allowed a 1-4 West Salem team to score 21, but they also only won by 13. There’s a bit more quality upcoming between Newberg (4-1) and Liberty (3-2) as well as their Friday matchup against McMinnville (3-2), and it is quite hard to believe that this team looks nearly as good as they do now in a few weeks.

Next Game: at McMinnville (3-2)

12: Silverton (5-0; 5A #3)

A high flying offense averaging 40+ points a game and a stout defense have elevated this team to an undefeated record, albeit against low-quality opponents. Their week one 34-7 victory against Dallas (3-2; 5A #7) was impressive, but this team is starved for good competition, and they can’t be ranked any higher until they play a good quality opponent. They’ve got two major tests; West Albany (5-0; 5A #4) and McKay (4-1; 5A #9) in back to back weeks after their game at Crescent Valley (2-4) this week.

Next Game: at Crescent Valley (2-4)

13: Lakeridge (4-1; 6A #9)

Before last week, their defense had looked suspect, given that it was consistently giving up multiple scores a game to low-quality teams and making scores look closer than they should be, but that all changed against #2 Tualatin. This team gave them a run for their money, and the defense kept it within reach for the entire game against a top-quality opponent. They’ve got a gauntlet for the rest of the season, but don’t be shocked if they pull off an upset here or there - they’ve got the tools on offense and defense to do so.

Next Game: at #14 Tigard (4-1; 6A #10)

14: Tigard (4-1; 6A #10)

This team probably has had the most difficult in-state strength of Schedule so far, with wins over #6 North Medford as well as Liberty (3-2), and it’s only going to get worse from here. They’ve played down or up to every opponent they’ve had to face, and while their offensive production is not nearly as good as it will need to be for the upcoming tests, having never scored 30 points in a game this year, they have a great opportunity to play spoiler and pick up a few wins between now and the end of the year.

Next Game: vs #13 Lakeridge (4-1; 6A #9)

15: Mazama (4-1; 4A #2)

I usually reserve the #15 pick in my rankings for a bit of a controversial wild card pick, and for me, Mazama is that team. They’ve scored 50+ in three of their 5 games, and all three of those high-scoring games were against teams with winning records; Eagle Point (3-2), North Bend (5-1), and Ashland (3-2); their only loss came by 4 points against Marist (4-1; 4A #4). This team should be a very interesting team to watch

Next Game: at Hidden Valley (1-4)

Other Honorable Mentions: Sunset (3-2; 6A #11) West Albany (5-0; 5A #4) Thurston (4-1; 5A #5)