On the night of the 95th “Battle of the bridge” rivalry game between Oregon City and West Lin, 6-foot, 171-pound junior and game MVP Tim Tawa put on a dazzling aerial show completing 28 passes for 455 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions open their season with a 40-28 victory over rival Oregon City High School.

MVP

Tim Tawa

Linn

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Jackson Kneibuhler

Oregon City

Jackson is a three-year letterman on the varisty football team and a three-year letterman on the wrestling team. He is a honor and AP student who is a member of the honors Wind Symphony. Jackson is a NHS member, member of the marching band and is also a classroom leader at his church. Jackson spent this last summer on a mission trip to South Dakota on the Pine Ridge reservation with his fellow high school classmates. When Jackson graduates from OCHS he wants to attend Stanford University and be a Radiology Oncology Physicist.

Jack Holland

Linn

HALL OF FAME

Hal Lindsley

Oregon City

Hal Lindsley played in the Battle for the Bridge game in 1945. 70 years ago he was a member of the Oregon City Pioneers football team that defeated the Lions 14-6. He was honored to play on both the defense and offense during the game and remembers the coach asking him to punt on 3rd down. Hal also remembers the hits that he got in on the Lions. After he graduated in 1946 Hal went into the Army. After the service in 1947 he entered the University of Oregon where he was a member of the frost football team until an ankle injury ended his career. Hal says all of the friends he made at both West Linn and Oregon City are still friends today.

Ron Chappell

Linn

Ron played in the Jesuit-Holy Cross rivalry his sophomore, Junior and senior years. As captain of the 1943 squad, Ron led his team to an 18-14 victory over Holy Cross, an undefeated season and the Louisiana State Championship. In the Holy Cross – contest, Ron alone picked up more yards than all of the Tiger ball carriers combined. His 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter proved to be the game’s winning play. Ray went on to star for LSU, playing alongside future NFL Hall of Famer Y.A. title. Ron also played for two years in the NFL before returning to his alma mater to coach and teach. He served as Jesuit’s head coach from 1966-1970, retiring in 1988 after a 33-year career.

GAME SUMMARY

This game is billed as the longest uninterrupted rivalry game west of the Mississippi River. More than 4,500 fans packed Pioneer stadium to watch West Linn beat Oregon City for the second consecutive year. Oregon City still leads the series record at 59-36.