Beaverton High football travels to Sunset on Friday, Oct. 2, for the Metro League conference opener at 7 p.m.
Both teams enter league play with losing records. The Beavers are 0-4 overall after a preseason that included losses to Caldera, McMinnville, Liberty and Aloha. Sunset sits at 1-3, with its lone win a 45-44 thriller at Liberty on Sept. 18.
Sherwood shut out Sunset 45-0 on Friday, Sept. 25, leading 38-0 after three quarters. Sherwood quarterback Kai Boatsman threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns on 18 passes, while receiver Mikey Brandt hauled in all three scores and totaled 141 receiving yards, according to MaxPreps. Sherwood's defense added five sacks.
That loss extended Sunset's home losing streak to five games, dating to last season.
Beaverton's preseason has been just as difficult. The Beavers have been outscored 151-49 through four games, and their Sept. 18 loss to Aloha ended 49-0. Second-year head coach James Testa lost record-setting wide receiver Oliver Luebkert, now at Eastern Washington, and quarterback Spencer York, now at Southern Oregon, after a 6-5 finish in 2025.
Testa told OregonLive in an Aug. 31 preseason preview that his squad had "untapped potential with a high upside."
Friday's game is the first that counts toward Metro League standings for both teams.
First-year Sunset coach Jesse Thompson is working with a young roster. He said in the same August preseason preview that "most are a year away from being real impact players for us." One potential boost on the offensive line: starting center Troy Lopez, an all-Metro League third-team pick as a sophomore in 2025, suffered a torn ACL late last season and was expected back sometime in October, according to an OregonLive feature on top offensive linemen. Junior Shawn Arnold has been filling in at center. Whether Lopez is available Friday is unclear.
After the Sunset game, Beaverton continues Metro League play at Westview on Oct. 9, then hosts Jesuit on Oct. 16 and Southridge on Oct. 23 before closing at Mountainside on Oct. 30.
