Preseason spotlight: Wilsonville football

The wait is over and football is back in Wilsonville; here are the three picks for this year’s impactful players.

Alex Derlago, Managing Editor | September 2, 2025

Senior Luke Carli goes up to intercept a pass during a match against South Douglas. The Jamboree is set up so each team gets twelve plays each game, with three total games played in the day.

Riddick Molatore, S, RB, Sr.

Molatore is entering his senior year as one of the best linebackers in Class 5A with the stats to back it up. Through nine games last season, the Workhorse led the team in solo tackles, tackles per game, and sacks while also contributing at running back for the added cherry on top.

This production would not go unnoticed, as he ended last season as the second-leading tackler in the state, placing third among sack leaders. Considering he was stacked against three-star recruits, these accolades appear even more polished.

Ironically, while being a primary run-stopper on defense, he took the role of starting halfback after Roman Kealoha went down with a hamstring injury in last year’s preseason. Molatore’s campaign in the backfield would run through four games, in which he would rush for 148 yards on 36 carries, resulting in one touchdown.

Underwhelming in a broad sense, but his plug-and-play ability when needed is what brought Wilsonville its second straight title. This year, Molatore is taking on the role in the deep zone. That ability to adapt is going to come in handy with his transition to safety this year, but with Ben Weipert on the other side of him, it should soften the load.

Senior Riddick Molatore jukes by a defender in his pursuit of the end zone. Riddick is currently listed as the second-string running back and could see quite a bit of production. (Avery Eckley)

Luke Carli, WR, CB, Sr.

We haven’t seen much from Luke Carli at wide receiver over his tenure, but the few glimpses we’ve had have been promising.

With Nick Crowley being the focal point of the offense last year, Carli’s time at receiver was severely limited — but that’s no longer the case. Carli is an early favorite to be the No. 1 option with athleticism that matches receivers of recent memory (Nick Colyer).

Looking at his numbers in the weight room this offseason, his explosiveness is elite, exhibiting a 420-pound squat and a 275-pound power clean. His work in the weight room was a big aid in his shining moments last year, and it’s going to be fun to see how he translates the progress on the field this year.

On the defensive side of things, Carli was a serviceable corner with great size for the position. He can match any receiver’s speed in the division and plays tight coverage downfield. His only knock: Carli tends to draw a lot of holding calls that contribute to an abundance of unnecessary penalties early last season. This year, that shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s still something to look out for.

Luke Carli lines up along the right hashes in preparation for the snap. This drive ends in a touchdown pass from Trevor Glos. (Avery Eckley)

Keona Tam, WR, OLB, Sr.

Another candidate to be the No. 1 option heading into Week 1 is senior Keona Tam, entering the season with a lot of leverage from last fall.

Hailing from Waimea in the beautiful tropics of Hawaii, Tam came to Oregon to forgo his junior year at Wilsonville. “Hawaii’s very physical, yeah, very physical overall, and up here it’s more mindset and alignments, more concepts,” Tam Said. The switch was made with ease as he quickly represented himself as the No. 2 option, with lots more to come at the end of the season.

Tam was a streaky receiver to say the least, but one thing was consistently there: his speed. Clocking in at a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, there isn’t one defensive back in Oregon who can match Tam’s stride for stride. In six of their 11 games, Tam consistently had a 30-yard reception or more. In total, he finished with 583 yards on 29 receptions, second to Nick Crowley.

Wilsonville Broadcast Network

Wilsonville Broadcast Network

Wilsonville Broadcast Network

Preseason spotlight: Wilsonville football

Wilsonville Broadcast Network