Top Portland high school sports moments of 2025: No. 10-1

We've done No. 20-11, now it's time for the top 10 Portland high school sports moments of 2025.

Again, the list is filled with individual and team wins, along with some postseason runs that turned the community around them into believers.

So on the final day of 2025, let's put a bow on the year and remember the best moments that the city of Portland won't forget.

10. Jefferson girls basketball takes third at state

Since their freshman year in 2021-2022, the Democrats had their starting five in Abrianna Lawrence, Chauncey Andersen, Charisma Johnson and Leila and Carmela Nunez.

So last season, it was one last ride for the Demos to try and get the ultimate prize of a state title.

Jefferson blasted through the regular season, only losing one game to eventual champion Tualatin in December and going 16-0 in the PIL.

The Demos earned the No. 1 overall seed and cruised through the first two rounds before winning a difficult quarterfinals game over West Linn.

That set up a matchup with Clackamas and the No. 2 recruit in the nation at the time in Jazzy Davidson.

There were certainly some controversial calls, but Jefferson did fall short in the semifinals 77-57. However, the Demos bounced back the next day to take down Willamette 60-48 and bring home third place, the Demos best finish since winning the 5A state title in 2010.

The 2025 class accomplished more than just trophies on the court though, they revitalized the whole program and put the Northeast back on the growing girls basketball map.

9. DeVontae Hillman doubles his gold at state track and field

After taking second in the triple jump in 2024 and not competing in the long jump, Hillman had one goal in his mind for his senior year at Parkrose.

Turn that silver into gold.

And not only was Hillman able to turn his triple jump silver into gold, but he also picked up the win in the long jump in 5A to go out on top for his prep career.

The long jump was up first, and Hillman got his winning jump on the second attempt with a leap of 22 feet, 1.5 inches.

That set the stage for Saturday where he was competing in his top event of triple jump. And again, he got his best mark early, reaching the winning jump on his third attempt which went 46-4.75.

8. Grant boys soccer’s run to the state title game

The Generals have known for the past few years that they had the ability to make a run to the state title.

Take 2023 for example when Grant went 3-9-2 in the regular season and barely snuck into the postseason as the No. 30 seed. The Generals proceeded to win their next three matches to make the semifinals before falling to Jesuit.

In 2025, the Generals were finally able to get over that hurdle, starting with an outright PIL title that had escaped them the past few years as well.

In the playoffs, No. 5 Grant survived in penalty kicks over No. 4 Central Catholic after the Rams scored a miraculous goal at the buzzer to end overtime.

In the semifinals, the Generals went on the road and dominated No. 1 Lakeridge to earn their spot in the title game.

And after playing to a 1-1 draw through regulation and overtime, it came down to penalty kicks with No. 3 Beaverton.

Unfortunately, the Beavers were able to prevail 4-2 to take the title, but the Generals electrified the Grant community once again and showed that this program continues to be one of the powerhouses of Oregon soccer.

7. Boys volleyball explodes in the city

Heading into the boys volleyball postseason, Portland squads were showing off with Central Catholic, Parkrose and Portland Adventist all entering as No. 1 seeds at the 6A, 5A and 3A/2A/1A levels.

The Rams got the job done by winning the title, meanwhile the Broncos made the title game and took home second place, along with the Cougars in 3A/2A/1A.

But it wasn’t just the top three either as the Franklin/McDaniel co-op team made the semifinals and walked away in third place.

For programs like Parkrose, Franklin and McDaniel, the sport has been especially welcoming due to the diversity of athletes it’s brought in. Many of the boys are playing a sport for the first time with volleyball, and over 40% of all boys volleyball players in 2025 identified as a person of color.

Unfortunately, PPS and many other larger school districts in the state have decided to not sponsor boys volleyball after it was sanctioned by the OSAA this fall.

The fight continues to try and get the decision changed, but if 2025 proved anything, it’s that the sport has a passionate fan base ready to keep the game growing and exploding in the city.

6. Roosevelt football wins outright PIL title, first since 1995 at 6A

Football in St. Johns has admittedly been through tough times.

Roosevelt had only won two PIL titles at the highest classification in the 119-year history of the sport and league.

But the Roughriders had been knocking on the door for the past 10 years, sharing a title here or winning a 5A league title.

In 2025 though, the Riders left no doubt by going 6-0 in league and taking home the PIL crown for the first time since 1995 at the highest classification.

Senior Geovoney Burks, an Idaho-commit, was a big reason why. He was named both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year for the PIL due to his strong running game and his hard-hitting on defense as a linebacker.

But it was more than any one player or really one team to head coach Ryan McCants. The win was about putting on for the whole North side community to let them know what Roosevelt is all about.

5. Grant baseball’s run to the state title

Recently the PIL has had a hard time winning postseason baseball games, just ask Grant as it was bounced in the first round from 2022-2024.

In 2025, the Generals were able to get over that hump at least by beating No. 24 Forest Grove 6-0, but up next for No. 9 Grant was a trip south to No. 8 Roseburg.

Junior Jinki Tomita tossed a gem and the run continued with a 4-3 win and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Certainly the run would end there though as up next was No. 1 South Salem. Instead, senior Cooper Yudhishthu tossed a five-inning shutout as the Generals, led by state Player of the Year Kaeden Cruse, mashed for 12 runs in the 12-0 win.

Now on the road against No. 5 Jesuit, it was Cruse once again after he blasted two home runs to upset the Crusaders and put the Generals in the state title game for the first time since 1958.

The run came up only a couple runs short though as No. 2 Sunset was able to hold on for a 6-5 win and take the state title.

Grant’s run still brought together a community that rallied for them, especially at the Jesuit game with a sea of blue. It was a run that no Generals baseball fan or alum will forget.

4. Cayden Laughton, Lincoln boys tennis win state

A year after the departure of three-time state champion Will Semler, the Cardinals have found the next great tennis star in the state in freshman Cayden Laughton.

The freshman dominated all season and cruised to the individual state semifinals where he had to dig deep for a three-set (7-5, 4-6, 6-2) win over Jesuit junior Tristan Hernandez.

In the finals, Laughton put away Mountainside junior Arnav Arora with relative ease, winning 6-1, 6-4 to keep the individual crown in Cardinal red.

But Laughton’s win did more than just give him an individual crown, it secured first place as a team for Lincoln, its fourth team state title in program history.

3. Roosevelt girls sprinters put on a show

Powered by junior Aster Jones and senior Ellis Heslam, there was no catching the Riders on the track at the 2025 state meet.

For the second consecutive year, Jones took home the titles in the 100 and 200 meter dash with times of 11.51 and 23.95, the former being a new PR for Jones.

Heslam set a new PR as well in the 400 where she took second in a time of 54.31 seconds. She also placed fourth in the 200 with a time of 25 seconds flat.

Then in the girls 4x100 relay, together with Nevaeh Landrum and Mia Chadney, the Riders were able to cross the line in first with a time of 47.30 seconds.

All that sprinting success helped the Riders place fourth overall as a team to bring home a trophy with 43 points.

Along the way, the team shattered sprinting records all season, and Jones will have one more season to try and break them even further.

2. Trio of girls wrestlers take home state titles

After three years of coming close but no title, David Douglas senior McKenzie Mills’ only goal was to go out on top.

Finally, the Scot was able to do that in 2025 by winning all four of her matches at 190 pounds via pin. Her quickest fall was 43 seconds, which came in the title bout to cement herself as champion.

She wasn’t alone atop the podium as Cleveland senior Isabel Herring won her second state crown, this one coming at 155 after she won at 170 her junior season.

Herring also dominated her field, winning all four matches by pin and none of them went past the first period.

Reaching the pinnacle first though was Ida B. Wells junior Zorina Johnson, winning her second crown and this one at 130.

Johnson’s four wins included three tech falls and a pin, something she said was intentional to keep getting better for her seasons after high school.

Now a two-time champion, Johnson will have a shot at three this season.

But overall, the three girls grapplers proved that Portland continues to be a leader in the growing sport of girls wrestling.

1. Lincoln girls cross country repeats at state, Ellery Lincoln individual champion

Head coach Eric Dettman called it a rebuilding year. But the only thing that was being rebuilt was a spot in the trophy case for the Cardinals girls cross country team.

Junior Ellery Lincoln, an Oregon commit, led the way all season and was able to capture her first individual crown in a time of 17:11.01. Meanwhile the team captured the state crown with 94 points, beating out South Eugene in second with 120.

Ellery Lincoln had been battling all kinds of injury and sickness since her breakout freshman cross country season. Finally healthy, she put it all together this fall to help guide the Cardinals back to the top.

But it takes more than one runner to win a team title. Senior Elyse Henriksen, a Northwestern commit, was her steady self all season and finished 10th at state in a time of 18:25.46.

Senior Claire Tagalog was next in 26th with a time of 19:20.21, followed by sophomore Julia Olivares in 33rd and freshman Gwyn Fairchild in 39th.

If you’re counting at home, that’s three of the top five set to return next season for the Cardinals, and there are more youngsters on the way with a talented freshmen class ready to join the fray.

As a whole though, the back-to-back titles now gives Lincoln three in its girls cross country history.

More than anything, it proved that Lincoln isn’t a program that rebuilds at this point, it just reloads.