Lakers overcome early 21-point deficit to beat West Salem

Zach Young leads the way with 234 yards and four TDs

By Bill Stewart

The Lake Oswego Review, Aug 31, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Zach Young heads for the endzone on a 27 yard run late in the game giving the Lakers a 29-28 win over West Salem, Friday night in Lake Oswego. Young finished the night with 234 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Photo by Vern Uyetake / Lake Oswego Review

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It took him a quarter to warm up but once he got going, Zach Young was nearly impossible to stop.

Playing in his first game as a member of the Lake Oswego football team, Young carried the ball 38 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. His final score, plus Pat Barry’s extra point, which came with three minutes left in the game, was the difference in the Lakers’ thrilling 29-28 come-from-behind victory over West Salem on Friday.

The visiting Titans, who are favored to win the Central Valley League this year, jumped to a 21-0 lead after one quarter. It seemed West Salem could do nothing wrong in that period.

Jordan Jenkins, who moved this year from quarterback to running back, ran the ball nine times in that period for 56 yards. And Aaron Hire, who was starting his first game at quarterback, completed 3 of 4 passes in that stanza for 104 yards.

One of those passes turned into a 35-yard touchdown by Chase Sexton, which gave West Salem an early 7-0 lead. A short time later, Jenkins hauled in a short screen pass and rambled 63 yards for another score to make it 14-0.

Lake Oswego’s next possession ended with an interception by Steven Ellis, who returned the ball to the Lakers’ 11. Four plays later, Jenkins scored on a two-yard plunge and the Titans were ahead 21-0.

But the game belonged to Lake Oswego the rest of the way.

Young got his first score early in the second period on a seven-yard run. But a failed extra point attempt left the Lakers’ deficit at 21-6.

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