2016 SEASON SUMMARY
The season
Wilsonville lost its 2016 opener to South Medford 73-34 on the field, but South Medford later forfeited the game for using an ineligible player, so OSAA counts it as a Wildcat win. Wilsonville then beat Franklin 70-36 and won its first three Northwest Oregon Conference games before a 26-14 loss at Sandy on Oct. 7, played without star quarterback Connor Neville. Milwaukie also forfeited, and the Wildcats finished 6-1 in league and 8-1 overall.
Seeded second, Wilsonville routed Thurston 62-13, then rallied from a 28-6 halftime deficit to beat St. Helens 38-35 in the quarterfinals on Harrison Steiger's touchdown catch with 47 seconds left. A 56-34 semifinal win over No. 11 Central at Hillsboro Stadium put the Wildcats in their first state final since the 2004 title team.
In the final at Hillsboro Stadium, No. 4 Lebanon won 34-17 for the first state championship in its history. Andrew Merrick's 41-yard run gave Wilsonville a first-quarter touchdown, but Neville was injured in the third quarter and did not return. Wilsonville finished 11-2.
Last updated 2026-10-02
Game-by-game results
| Date | Opponent | Wilsonville rank | Site | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Sep 2 | South Medford OSAA records a forfeit win. South Medford won 73-34 on the field but forfeited for using an ineligible player. | — | Home | W | OSAA records a forfeit win. South Medford won 73-34 on the field but forfeited for using an ineligible player. |
| Fri Sep 9 | Franklin Played at the Marshall campus | — | Away | W 70-36 | Played at the Marshall campus |
| Fri Sep 16 | Hillsboro | — | Home | W 44-14 | |
| Fri Sep 23 | St. Helens | — | Home | W 23-14 | |
| Fri Sep 30 | Rex Putnam WilsonvilleOSAA #1 | OSAA #1 | Away | W 58-0 | |
| Fri Oct 7 | Sandy OSAA #10 WilsonvilleOSAA #1 | OSAA #1 | Away | L 14-26 | |
| Thu Oct 13 | Parkrose | — | Home | W 56-6 | |
| Fri Oct 21 | Milwaukie OSAA records a forfeit win | — | Home | W | OSAA records a forfeit win |
| Fri Oct 28 | La Salle Prep | — | Away | W 66-28 | |
| Fri Nov 4 | Thurston OSAA #15 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Round 1 | OSAA #2 | Home | W 62-13 | Playoffs - Round 1 |
| Fri Nov 11 | St. Helens OSAA #7 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Quarterfinals | OSAA #2 | Home | W 38-35 | Playoffs - Quarterfinals |
| Sat Nov 19 | Central OSAA #11 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Semifinals Played at Hillsboro Stadium | OSAA #2 | Hillsboro Stadium | W 56-34 | Playoffs - Semifinals Played at Hillsboro Stadium |
| Sat Nov 26 | Lebanon OSAA #4 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 5A State Championship - Played at Hillsboro Stadium; Lebanon won the 5A state title (12-1) | OSAA #2 | Hillsboro Stadium | L 17-34 | 5A State Championship - Played at Hillsboro Stadium; Lebanon won the 5A state title (12-1) |
Ranks are as listed going into each game: OSAA = OSAA ranking, Poll = coaches poll.
Results from the OSAA 2016-17 Wilsonville varsity schedule. OSAA records the South Medford and Milwaukie games as forfeit wins.
Highlights
- Forfeit wins. OSAA records two forfeit wins: South Medford, which won the opener on the field but used an ineligible player, and Milwaukie. (OregonLive)
- Quarterfinal rally. Down 28-6 at halftime, Wilsonville came back to beat St. Helens 38-35 on a 90-yard drive in the final minutes. (Columbia County Spotlight)
- Back in the final. The 56-34 semifinal win over Central sent Wilsonville to the 5A final for the first time since 2004. (OregonLive)
- College-bound quarterback. Senior quarterback Connor Neville, the reigning Northwest Oregon Conference player of the year, had committed to Washington State. (Columbia County Spotlight)
Recognitions
- Draco Bynum – Northwest Oregon Conference co-Lineman of the Year; first-team All-NWOC at DL (OregonLive)
- Draco Bynum – 5A all-state second team, DL (OregonLive)
Injuries
- Connor Neville – Injured in the third quarter of the state final and did not return. (Democrat-Herald)
Game recaps
Playing without quarterback Connor Neville, Wilsonville took its only league loss of the season.
St. Helens led 28-6 at halftime. Neville threw an 18-yard touchdown to Andrew Merrick and ran for another score, and Tharren Blood's 60-yard interception return plus a two-point conversion tied it 28-28. Austin Kness kicked a field goal for the lead, St. Helens went back ahead 35-31 with 2:49 left, and the Wildcats answered with a 90-yard drive that ended on Harrison Steiger's 6-yard catch with 47.3 seconds to go. Kness recovered the ball on St. Helens' last-play lateral attempt.
Connor Neville's passing carried Wilsonville past 11th-seeded Central and into the state final.
Andrew Merrick ran 41 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, and Austin Kness added a 38-yard field goal and Cooper Mootz a 14-yard touchdown run. Lebanon's Maddox ran for 179 yards and Hoene caught three touchdown passes. Neville was hurt in the third quarter and did not return. Lebanon finished 12-1 as the 5A champion.
Photos
Sources & further reading
- Wilsonville Football Program (2016-17) – OSAA
- 2016 OSAA 5A Football State Championship bracket – OSAA
- South Medford football uses ineligible player, forfeits first two games of season – The Oregonian/OregonLive
- With star QB Connor Neville suspended, No. 2 Wilsonville falls 26-14 at Sandy – The Oregonian/OregonLive
- Steiger, Wilsonville dash Lions' state semifinal dreams – Columbia County Spotlight, 2016-11-15
- Connor Neville passes No. 2 Wilsonville past No. 11 Central 56-34 into 5A football final – The Oregonian/OregonLive
- Prep football: Lebanon captures first state title – Albany Democrat-Herald, 2016-11-26
- Lebanon claims the school's first state football championship with 34-17 win over Wilsonville in Class 5A final – The Oregonian/OregonLive
- OSAA 2016-17 Fall Academic All-State Top 10 Football Teams – OSAA
- 2016 OSAA 5A Football rankings (final overall records) – OSAA
- Northwest Oregon football all-league teams: Nick McCoy, Iosefa Polamalu are top players – The Oregonian/OregonLive, 2016-11-18
- All-state football lists for 2016 – The Oregonian/OregonLive, 2016-12-25
Summaries on this page are written by the Wilsonville Football site. Follow the links for the original articles.