5A Oregon Defensive POY Candidates

&nbsp; As most know player of the year awards have a lot to do with a team’s success as well as the individual. Have a look at some of 5A’s best and who projects as the leading candidates for Oregon POY honors on offense and defense. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>DEFENSE </strong> &nbsp; 1.[player_tooltip player_id="110182" first="Chip" last="Allers"] LB Summit 23’ - Allers could be a double digit D1 offer guy, running a 4.4/4.5 (40) at 6-3 215.  He very well could have been the 6A player of the year if they didn’t drop a classification level just to put his talent into perspective. He has played out of position for most of his HS career so hopefully he get’s an opportunity to showcase his athleticism. 2.[player_tooltip player_id="110176" first="Demarcus" last="Houston"] ATH West Albany 23’- I could see Houston picking off 10 passes and dominating the competition all year. Look for numerous Big Sky and Mid Major programs to go on him after the early Oregon St offer. The film speaks for itself. 3.[player_tooltip player_id="278367" first="Brysen" last="Kachel"] LB West Albany 24’- The fastest rising 24’ in the state in my opinion. He was the only underclassmen in Oregon to earn all state honors on both sides of the football. He has the potential to blow up at 6-3 225. 4.[player_tooltip player_id="217272" first="Charlie" last="Ozolin"] DB Summit 23’- Ozolin was a 2nd team all-league athlete last year, but had a conference player of the year type season in my opinion. He has great size and a limitless ceiling. Look for him to have his way with 5A athletes. 5.[player_tooltip player_id="110232" first="Brady" last="Crenshaw"] S Lebanon 23’- One of the fastest rising DB’s in the NW. Expect Crenshaw to be a 1st team all state safety and also get in the mix on offense. He has definitely upped his stock over the off season. 6.[player_tooltip player_id="110215" first="Vaun" last="Halstead"] LB Thurston 23’- Halstead had an outstanding junior season making 59 total tackles, with 18 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. The Colts have produced some of the state’s top talent at the 5A level in recent years, so he will get an opportunity to see where he stacks up. 7.[player_tooltip player_id="152362" first="Ethan" last="Burkhead"] DB Thurston 24’- Look for Burkhead to have a conference and state player of the year type season, after being injured for part of the year in 2021. He is one of the fastest kids in Oregon and should thrive as a Junior. 8.[player_tooltip player_id="271368" first="Braden" last="Snoderly"] LB Canby 23’- Definitely one of the top LBs in Oregon. Seems to quietly go about things. Snoderly was relentless as a junior, finishing as one of the state’s top tacklers (97), to go along with 8 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. 9.[player_tooltip player_id="110233" first="Darien" last="Witham"] S Thurston 23’ - Witham was one of the best players at the 5A level last season earning 1st team all-league honors. He could very well double his 45 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 INTs from 2021. 10.[player_tooltip player_id="278444" first="Andy" last="Soles"] LB Canby 24’ -Not a lot of people know about Soles yet, but he’s long (6-3 200) and talented with the potential of being a conference POY. He had 33 tackles and 3 tackles for loss as a Sophomore. &nbsp; &nbsp;