Oregon-bound Cale Millen piles up TDs as Mount Si rolls Kentwood

KENT — Mount Si High School quarterback Cale Millen has his future set with the Oregon Ducks.

He verbally committed back in May and will head south to join the program this spring. He has photos that show him sporting green and yellow splashed across his Twitter account. He has a group chat going with the other Oregon recruits in his class.

He assures that one day soon he will convince his dad, former Washington Huskies and NFL quarterback Hugh Millen, to swap the purple for a different color.

And he says he will try to pop down to Eugene for a game or two on Saturdays this fall.

But on Friday nights? The senior signal caller for the Wildcats has other business to take care of. He wants to return Mount Si, a Class 4A program in a five-year state-playoff drought, to prominence.

“This is my senior year,” Millen said Friday, after he lifted the Wildcats to a second consecutive statement win. “Our senior class is obviously really special. We’re excited, we’re ready to make a huge run this year.

“I think we have a lot of knowledge across the board on both sides of the ball. I think it will be a special year for us.”

So far, it is shaping up to be.

Millen threw for five touchdowns and ran for another as third-ranked Mount Si piled up 486 yards of offense to wallop reigning 4A NPSL Cascade champion Kentwood, 54-10, at French Field.

Last week, the three-star prospect had a similar outing, tossing five touchdowns in a 52-0 shutout of Wenatchee.

He’s connected with three different receivers for multiple touchdowns across the two games, and is aided by a defense that has given up just one touchdown in eight quarters.

“I think we’re just clicking really well on both sides of the ball,” Millen said. “We’re playing tough and practicing hard all week, and it’s really showing up on Friday nights.”

Mount Si scored on eight of its nine drives against the Conquerors behind an impressive outing from Millen, who completed 88 percent of his passes for 369 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for another 31 yards and a score.

The Wildcats failed to reach the end zone on a single drive in the second quarter, when Millen threw a deep pass that Kentwood’s Trent Morrison snatched out of the air.

“We only got stopped one time,” Millen said. “We were rolling the whole time. We all felt confident.”

Kentwood had more trouble generating offense. Only one drive finished in the end zone for the Conquerors, who turned the ball over on downs twice, lost a pick, a fumble and punted three times.

Sophomore quarterback Jalin Church and junior receiver Alphonse Oywak connected on a 26-yard pass for Kentwood’s only touchdown late in the third quarter. And senior kicker Connor Plett put the the Conquerors’ only other points on the board on a 32-yard boot on their opening drive.

But, Kentwood coach Michael Bush is satisfied with scheduling to top-tier opponents in back-to-back weeks — the Conquerors played traditional powerhouse Skyline last week — even if both games resulted in losses.

“I think it prepares us for our league,” Bush said. “We scheduled these guys on purpose because we knew they were going to be really good. The KingCo is really good every single year, and the only way you can beat them is to play them.

“We’re going to continue to play them, and continue to improve. We started 17 out of 22 underclassmen this year. We’re a really young team. I think this is a great lesson. We got a lot of great film from this, and we’re excited to get better next week.”

George Strunk (8 of 17 passing, 89 yards, interception) started behind center for Kentwood with Nathan LaBorde (soreness) out for the week. Church played three series in the second half, sparking the Conquerors to their only touchdown on a 29-yard scamper and the touchdown connection with Oywak that ended a streak of six consecutive quarters of not allowing a touchdown for Mount Si.

Oywak had six catches for 94 yards to lead Kentwood. Running back Gabe Johnson led the Conquerors in rushing grinding out 82 yards on 16 carries.

But, most of the offensive flash belonged to Mount Si.

Jonny Barrett, a Division I recruit and Millen’s favorite target, finished with six catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns (39 and 32 yards), bringing the duos’ season total to six.

“I’ve been throwing to him since third grade,” Millen said. “I always know where he is going to be, he always knows where I’m going to put it.”

Andrew Mostofi (five catches, 33 yards) caught touchdown passes of 14 and 1 yards, while junior Colby Botten (eight catches, 181 yards) led the Wildcats in receiving and hauled in a 34-yard score.

Running back Cole Norah pitched in 60 yards on eight carries and a 3-yard score, while Clay Millen, Cale’s younger brother and the Wildcats’ back-up quarterback, scored the final of Mount Si’s eight touchdowns on a 4-yard keeper just before time expired.

“That was awesome,” Cale Millen said. “That was his first varisty touchdown. It’s good to see. I’m proud of him. I know he’s going to do great things when I’m gone.”

But, Millen won’t get ahead of himself. There’s plenty more to do before he departs for Eugene.

“We just keep rolling,” he said. “We have Skyview next week, a long road trip for us, but we’re just going to keep practicing hard.”

Mount Si coach Charlie Kinnune noted in the postgame huddle that this group has the chance to make an impact.

“We’re in a good place,” Millen said.

This story was originally published September 7, 2018 at 10:02 PM.