Grant Runs and Hides: Topple Trojans 38-12

Lights out.

That was the thought racing through many spectators mind’s as the Grant Generals seemed to pick apart the Trojans of Wilson High School in the first half last Friday night. It also may have been the thought on the brains of the hosting Trojans all night after their first offensive possession as the Generals delivered several hard hits to start the game.

After forcing a Wilson punt, quarterback Sam Davis lead the offense down the field and handed off to senior Mike Waters who took it 33 yards to open the scoring with 6:54 left in the first quarter.

The defense forced another Wilson punt, but Grant’s offense put itself in a hole by committing back-to-back penalties on what would have been 3rd down conversions. Davis dug the Generals out on try number three however, as he delivered what could only be described as a “perfect ball” to senior receiver Chris Lewis for an 80-yard touchdown to close out the first quarter.

What Has Happened to the PIL?

As we prepare to open the 2014 PIL season this week, the Portland-Metro community has several different topics on their minds. Will Roosevelt’s recent
success in 5A translate to wins at Oregon’s highest level of football? Will Benson be able to turn around their dismal 3-26 record over the last three years? Will Grant and Lincoln return to making deep playoff runs as we were accustomed to seeing over the majority of the last decade?

However, one question looms larger after the first two weeks of Oregon high school football; what is going on with the PIL lately?

Take a moment to reminisce on some of the talented high school football stars to come and go from the PIL over the last 15 years.

Names like Conner Kavanaugh, Kenneth Acker, Ndamukong Suh, and Alex Green come to mind. To the close observer, even names such as the Colasurdo brothers, John Sheffield, and Daniel Halverson bring back great memories.

We think of heroic single game performances like Michael Johnson having 17 tackles in Lincoln’s state championship loss to Jesuit, or of Paris Penn shredding defenses for the better part of three seasons.

Amazing battles between Grant and Lincoln with PIL championship implications on the line sear our brains with lasting images. Franticly played playoff games such as Wilson’s 2003 showdown with eventual state champions Tigard and, as previously mentioned, Lincoln’s epic battle with Jesuit for the 2005 state title in what many consider the best championship game in Oregon’s history. This is the PIL that was feared throughout the state at times.

Fast forward to present day and what are we left with? Over the last 5 years the league has shifted from having two teams playing in the quarterfinals in 2009, to only having two actual Portland-based teams in the league in 2011, to now; a league that went 1-17 in non-league play and is desperately trying to stay relevant in what is starting to turn into a high school football hot-bed in the state of Oregon.

Can this poor performance be chalked up to schools scheduling some of the tougher teams in the state? In the cases of Roosevelt and Grant, the answer is yes as both teams have played a top ten team in the first two weeks. If you glance at the rest of the league, the numbers start to look downright embarrassing.

Wilson has scored a combined 7 points against two 5A opponents. Cleveland has been blown out by Century and Aloha, not exactly who comes to mind when thinking of the Metro League elite. On average, PIL defenses have given up 42.3 points a game, while putting up a subpar 14.8 points a game on offense. If you exclude Lincoln, the only team in the league with a win this season, those numbers get even worse on both sides of the ball, at 44.8 and 12.3, respectively.

While it is inevitable that teams such as Lincoln, Grant, and Roosevelt will find their form (and by virtue of having to play other PIL teams, wins) it is self-destructive for these teams to ignore the fact that they are slipping towards the bottom of the state in terms of fielding competitive rosters. If there isn’t a resurgence of popularity in downtown Portland high school football, these numbers will continue to dwindle.

The PIL has some of the most unique and intriguing settings in the entire state to watch a football game, and some up and coming talent to try and change the ways of recent league memory. If these schools are able to combine their community and their teams to grow together, we could be looking at some serious growth in talent and competitiveness among the state’s elite.

Who says a PIL team can’t have sustained success like teams such as Lake Oswego, Sheldon, Jesuit, and Central Catholic? In many cases, it isn’t always the facilities or number of players on a team that results in on field success, but rather the attitude of the team and the community surrounding each school. A never back down, take on all comers approach has been what has hardened these powerhouses into what they are today.

Every school should be taking notes on the way these teams approach a game, how they seem solely focused on making themselves better no matter who their competition is during any given week. It is a fact ladies and gentlemen, that competition breeds excellence, and the sooner the PIL finds this out, the sooner they can return to the glory days of old.