Wilsonville High Wildcat’s First Four Games Deliver Drama, Growth, and Grit

Photos by Avery Eckley, Active Media

To officially kick off Week 1, Wilsonville hosted the Sandy Pioneers in the most competitive four quarters we’ve witnessed in these past few seasons. Over the course of this campaign, we saw two very different offenses clash in what came out as a narrow 34-27 win for Wilsonville.

We knew the narrative going into this game — Sandy year in and year out has had a competitive run game that serves as the focal point of their offense. Their starting halfback last season, Mataio Olomua, had 178 attempts on the ground, and that's exactly the philosophy Coach Dill had going into this game.

This time around, it would be Caden McMahon and James Richards splitting reps in the backfield for Sandy. The pair struggled on the ground all throughout the game, and Wilsonville's run stoppers did not go down without a fight. It was stuff after stuff for this defensive line in what came out as four tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.

As for the Wildcats' offense, the home opener served as a testament to the trust Coach Gunther has in his young quarterback — and when Trevor Glos lets it loose, great things happen. The signal-caller threw for four touchdowns and 236 yards on 26 attempts with one interception — a performance well above the pay grade for his first varsity start.

In the wide receiver room, it was Carli and Tam making things happen downfield. The pair finished with 189 yards in the air with four touchdowns between the two — a common theme as we progress through the season.

Speaking more on Carli, his start to the season is one to remember, as at the time of writing the young wideout has already eclipsed 387 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. His route running looks savvy, and his poise along the hashes has been his moneymaker so far. Toe drag after toe drag, Carli has not let a single ball on the sideline go incomplete.

“It kind of comes naturally,” he said. “When you’re running routes, you kind of have that sense of where the rest of the field is. It’s about having that spatial awareness.”

Even with the success sustained in the home opener, a tough week would follow. In Week 2, the Summit Storm made their way up to the Willamette Valley in the most anticipated rivalry this year. The two perennial powerhouses have been neck and neck every year in terms of talent, and this year was no exception.

28-20 was the final score in Wilsonville’s first loss since Week 7 of last season. Their struggle to shut down late would be their pitfall, as Summit would take the lead and hold it all throughout the fourth quarter. With high hopes seemingly diminished, Wilsonville would rebound and find itself in the win column the following week against Hillsboro — and then once again in a strong showing against Forest Grove.

Through the first four weeks, the team sits at a comfortable 3-1 record, and the word “rebuild” is out of everyone's vocabulary. What was supposed to be a transitional season has instead become a statement of unison. Wilsonville isn’t just surviving the early tests; they're setting the standard that reflects this program's core — to reload, not rebuild.