2017 SEASON SUMMARY
The season
Wilsonville opened 2017 with a 35-7 home loss to South Medford, then won its next ten games. After a 52-0 win over Franklin, the Wildcats swept all seven Northwest Oregon Conference games to win the league, outscoring league opponents 334-69. Cooper Mootz ran for four touchdowns in a 57-7 win at St. Helens.
Seeded second, Wilsonville beat Bend 41-21 and then avenged the previous year's title-game loss with a 31-7 quarterfinal win over Lebanon. In the semifinals at Hillsboro Stadium, No. 3 Hermiston ran for 307 yards and built a 22-7 halftime lead. Junior quarterback Nathan Overholt threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns and the Wildcats got within one score late, but Hermiston recovered the onside kick and won 35-27.
Wilsonville finished 10-2. Fernando Salazar, Draco Bynum and Austin Kness made the 5A all-state first team, and Bynum went on to sign with Washington.
Last updated 2026-10-02
Game-by-game results
| Date | Opponent | Wilsonville rank | Site | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Sep 1 | South Medford | — | Home | L 7-35 | |
| Fri Sep 8 | Franklin | — | Home | W 52-0 | |
| Fri Sep 15 | Hillsboro Played at Hare Field | — | Away | W 52-14 | Played at Hare Field |
| Fri Sep 22 | St. Helens WilsonvilleOSAA #12 | OSAA #12 | Away | W 57-7 | |
| Fri Sep 29 | Rex Putnam | — | Home | W 41-14 | |
| Fri Oct 6 | Sandy OSAA #5 WilsonvilleOSAA #9 | OSAA #9 | Home | W 48-14 | |
| Thu Oct 12 | Parkrose OSAA #31 WilsonvilleOSAA #4 | OSAA #4 | Away | W 43-0 | |
| Fri Oct 20 | Milwaukie OSAA #13 WilsonvilleOSAA #7 | OSAA #7 | Away | W 49-0 | |
| Fri Oct 27 | La Salle Prep OSAA #19 WilsonvilleOSAA #4 OSAA records this game as a forfeit win | OSAA #4 | Home | W 44-20 | OSAA records this game as a forfeit win |
| Fri Nov 3 | Bend OSAA #17 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Round 1 | OSAA #2 | Home | W 41-21 | Playoffs - Round 1 |
| Fri Nov 10 | Lebanon OSAA #10 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Quarterfinals | OSAA #2 | Home | W 31-7 | Playoffs - Quarterfinals |
| Sat Nov 18 | Hermiston OSAA #3 WilsonvilleOSAA #2 Playoffs - Semifinals Played at Hillsboro Stadium; Hermiston went on to win the 5A state title (11-2) | OSAA #2 | Hillsboro Stadium | L 27-35 | Playoffs - Semifinals Played at Hillsboro Stadium; Hermiston went on to win the 5A state title (11-2) |
Ranks are as listed going into each game: OSAA = OSAA ranking, Poll = coaches poll.
Results from the OSAA 2017-18 Wilsonville varsity schedule. OSAA records the La Salle Prep game (44-20) as a forfeit win.
Highlights
- League champions. A 7-0 sweep of the Northwest Oregon Conference, with every league win by at least 24 points. (OSAA)
- Four for Mootz. Cooper Mootz ran for four touchdowns in a 57-7 win at St. Helens. (Columbia County Spotlight)
- Payback. Wilsonville beat Lebanon 31-7 in the quarterfinals, a year after losing to the Warriors in the state final. (OregonLive)
Recognitions
- Fernando Salazar – 5A all-state first team, OL (The Bulletin)
- Draco Bynum – 5A all-state first team, DL; second team, TE (The Bulletin)
- Austin Kness – 5A all-state first team, DB; second team, K (The Bulletin)
- Bridger Youd – 5A all-state second team, C (The Bulletin)
- A.J. Burkhead – 5A all-state second team, DL (The Bulletin)
- Manav Raghubansh – 5A all-state second team, LB (The Bulletin)
- Nathan Overholt (QB), Cooper Mootz (RB) and Kevin Burke (DB) – 5A all-state honorable mention (The Bulletin)
- Draco Bynum – Signed with the University of Washington (OSAAtoday)
Game recaps
Cooper Mootz scored four rushing touchdowns as the Wildcats rolled.
In a rematch of the 2016 final, Wilsonville handled Lebanon to reach the semifinals for the third straight year.
Hermiston's line controlled the game, and the Bulldogs piled up 307 rushing yards. Wilsonville turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and did not score until 21 seconds before halftime, trailing 22-7. Nathan Overholt completed 21 of 33 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and a hook-and-lateral play covered 52 yards for a late score, but Hermiston recovered the onside kick to finish it. Hermiston went on to beat Churchill 38-35 for the 5A title and finished 11-2.
Photos
Sources & further reading
- Wilsonville Football Program (2017-18) – OSAA
- 2017 OSAA 5A Football State Championship bracket – OSAA
- Cooper Mootz's four rushing touchdowns help Wilsonville football whip St. Helens – Columbia County Spotlight, 2017-09-23
- Wilsonville pays back Lebanon with 31-7 win in rematch of 2016 Class 5A final – The Oregonian/OregonLive
- Bulldogs advance to title game – Hermiston Herald, 2017-11-19
- All-state teams – The Bulletin (Bend), 2017-12-19
- Retooled Wilsonville ready for another run at 5A football title – OSAAtoday, 2018-08-28
- 2017 OSAA 5A Football rankings (final overall records) – OSAA
Summaries on this page are written by the Wilsonville Football site. Follow the links for the original articles.