The game has absolutely no bearing on league standings. It has nothing at all to do with playoff seeding. The loser of the game will still have a legitimate shot at winning the state title. Beyond that, Friday's game between Lake Oswego and Jesuit just happens to be the biggest game of the year, at least in the regular season.
The latest AP poll has the Crusaders in the top spot, the Lakers are number two. That alone makes for an intriguing match-up. But the stakes are a little higher this time. The game at Lake Osego High School will be televised nationally, by CBS College Sports, aka CSTV. "I'm excited about that for the exposure for Oregon. I think that Oregon football is very good, and sometimes, being kind of small, smaller markets, we don't get the due we're worth," Lakers head coach Steve Courty said.
And make no mistake, the juniors and seniors that were on last year's varsity team haven't forgotten about their embarrassing 21-0 loss at the hands of Lake Oswego last year. You don't see the Crusaders shut out that often, and you probably won't see it again for a while.
Jesuit head coach Ken Potter has his sights on the Metro League title, and doesn't want to play up the importance of the game. He wants to make sure his kids have their minds on the playbook, and not on the television cameras. "Make sure you get on the field, play hard and have fun, and enjoy the experience that rarely comes along for very many people."
