Looking ahead to the red-letter days of 2025 TRL football

Published 12:19 am Saturday, August 2, 2025

Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying: “There are only two things certain in life – death and taxes.”

Miles Vance

Well, I’ve got an addition. “Death and taxes” – sure, we’ll stick with those, but let’s add one more that’s a sure-fire certainty. “The Three Rivers League is the best football league in Oregon.”

It was true last year. It was true in 2023. It was true in 2022. It was true in 2021. It was even true in the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

Indeed, West Linn walked off with the 2024 Class 6A state championship — the Lions beat TRL rival Lake Oswego 44-30 to claim their second title in three years and their third crown in the past eight playoffs — to help the Three Rivers League prove itself to be the state’s best conference, and there wasn’t really a close second.

In addition to No. 2 West Linn’s upset of previously unbeaten No. 1 Lake Oswego in the 6A Open Football State Championship, fourth-ranked Lakeridge reached the quarterfinals of the Open Championship, while Tualatin gave the TRL a fourth team in the upper playoff bracket.

In total, the 2024 TRL produced two finalists, two semifinalists, three quarterfinalists and four qualifiers.

Around the rest of the state’s six Class 6A leagues, the Mt. Hood Conference produced three Open qualifiers, but only Central Catholic advanced past the first round (eventually reaching the semifinals). Special District 1, meanwhile, sent two teams (Sheldon and Sprague) into the Open Championship, with both reaching the quarterfinals and the Irish advancing to the semifinals.

But c’mon. The Mt. Hood Conference and Special District 1 paled in comparison to the TRL, and that’s been true for every league in the state for the past five playoff seasons.

With that as pretext, it clearly makes sense to pay attention to what’s going on in Three Rivers League football, so here’s a look ahead to the red-letter days of the coming 2025 fall season.

Non-league

In the 2025 non-league schedule — four games that stretch to the end of September — here are some of the big contests to watch involving the Lakers, Pacers, Lions and Timberwolves.

For Lake Oswego, the Lakers have killer back-to-back games in Weeks 2 and 3, hosting Sheldon at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, and hosting Central Catholic at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12.

For Lakeridge, the Pacers face three Open Championship qualifiers in four weeks, playing at Nelson at TBA on Friday, Aug. 29, hosting Mountainside at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, then facing Central Catholic at Hillsboro Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.

For West Linn, the Lions play another difficult, eclectic non-league schedule, opening with a home game against Kamehameha, Hawaii, at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, playing at Sumner, Washington – the reigning big-school state champion – at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, then hosting Camas, Washington – West Linn coach Jon Eagle’s former team and Washington’s 4A runner-up – at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.

Three Rivers League

With three state quarterfinalists, two semifinalists and two finalists a year ago, the Three Rivers League will serve up a ton of exciting, competitive football in 2025.

Here are the times, dates and locations of the 2025 games between Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, West Linn and Tualatin, along with their 2024 TRL and overall win-loss records.

• Lake Oswego (5-0 in TRL play, 11-1 overall) at Tualatin (2-3 in TRL play, 6-4 overall), TBD Friday, Oct. 3.
• Lakeridge (3-2 in TRL play, 7-3 overall) at West Linn (4-1 in TRL play, 11-1 overall), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10
• West Linn (4-1 in TRL play, 11-1 overall) at Lake Oswego (5-0 in TRL play, 11-1 overall), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.
• Lakeridge (3-2 in TRL play, 7-3 overall) at Tualatin (2-3 in TRL play, 6-4 overall), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.
• Tualatin (2-3 in TRL play, 6-4 overall) at West Linn (4-1 in TRL play, 11-1 overall), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24.
• Lake Oswego (5-0 in TRL play, 11-1 overall) at Lakeridge (3-2 in TRL play, 7-3 overall), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.

Miles Vance is the sports editor for the Lake Oswego Review, West Linn Tidings and Wilsonville Spokesman. He has covered high school sports in Oregon for 37 years.