The Rise of ALPHA Football
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One of the most impressive organizations in the West, covering the last few 7v7 seasons, has been ALPHA Football out of Oregon. Back in the day there were 1-2 teams per state competing in the NW. There are now many…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most impressive organizations in the West, covering the last few 7v7 seasons, has been ALPHA Football out of Oregon. Back in the day there were 1-2 teams per state competing in the NW. There are now many more than that with ALPHA rising as quick as anybody.
Dylan Young and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are the individuals who run the program. Each has resumes which speak for itself. Their ability to acquire the top talent from different parts of the state is impressive, with so many others trying to do the same.
Recently ALPHA traveled to one of the nation’s premier Pylon tournaments in Dallas and finished 4th among 26 teams, finishing 6-1. In pool play they went 3-0 beating TDG Elite out of Texas, a team featuring almost all 3 and 4* kids, with commitments to the likes of Alabama, Florida St, Texas, Oregon St etc..
Breaking down the ALPHA roster we see two of the top recruits in the state of Oregon for 2024 in Wiley and Gus Donnerberg Gus Donnerberg 6'4" | 220 lbs | TE West Linn | 2024 State OR . The Twins have elite size and overall athleticism, coming from a talented family with D1 genes. Each recently landed their first division 1 offer, with Wiley racking up Nevada and Gus Idaho.
Both are deserving and will be offered by numerous other schools before all is said and done. I’ve had Wiley ranked the #3 recruit in the state for the last year, and consider him good enough to potentially be the #1 guy in Oregon, even with USC commit Joey Olsen Joey Olsen 6'6" | 220 lbs | TE Lakeridge | 2024 State OR and Clackamas lineman Devin Brooks Devin Brooks 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Clackamas | 2024 State OR being offered by most of the Pac 12.
Gus has been killing it defensively for ALPHA and can play on either side of the ball at the D1 level. Wiley has been off the charts good with one reputable scout describing his performance in Dallas this way, “It was the Wiley Donnerberg Wiley Donnerberg 6'4" | 200 lbs | ATH West Linn | 2024 State OR show. The kid was the best player on the field, going against all those nationally ranked guys. None of them could stop Wiley. Not a single one.”
Elias Johnson Elias Johnson 6'3" | 170 lbs | DB Jesuit | 2024 State OR 6-3 165 CB out of Jesuit HS might be getting tired of hearing his own name recently. If Wiley wasn’t such a freak, you could probably consider him the fastest rising athlete in the Northwest. He will continue to climb the rankings board and end up a multi offer D1 kid.
Two players worth the price of admission and then some on a Friday night, include Parker Williams Parker Williams 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB South Salem | 2024 State OR of South Salem and Pierce Walker Pierce Walker 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB North Salem | 2024 State OR of North Salem. Both are incredibly similar with each projecting as 1st team all-league athlete’s next season. Williams has excelled at DB on the 7v7 circuit but could be one of the Valley’s stat leaders at WR. Pierce is equally talented on both sides of the football and plays with a no non sense demeanor. He is a playmaker and was consistently one of the hardest hitters on the field last year.
1st team all-league, 3* CB Jaylan Moore Jaylan Moore 5'9" | 160 lbs | DB Sherwood | 2024 State OR of Sherwood, has backed up his ranking this off season. He was one of the difference makers in Dallas and deserves recognition, potentially projecting at the FCS level with continued progression. Bowmen teammate Keaten Fried Keaten Fried 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Sherwood | 2024 State OR was hurt, but earned Pacific Conference Defensive POY honors, and is one of the more underrated kids in Oregon.
The glue which has kept the offense in tact includes two QB’s who have played out of their minds. Baird Gilroy Baird Gilroy 6'5" | 215 lbs | QB West Linn | 2025 State OR (6-4 200) of West Linn has upped his stock significantly this early off season. The Lions are the front runners to win multiple state titles in a row, and there will be a quarterback battle with talented 24′ Nick Sakys Nick Sakys 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB West Linn | 2024 State OR , and the current sophomore Gilroy going head-to-head.
The other QB for ALPHA who people should get to know is Athan Palmateer Athan Palmateer 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB South Salem | 2024 State OR . He stepped in at Sprague last season and did a good job on a team that was average at best. So far this off season he has looked like one of the top QB’s in the region, and will get a nice bump when the updated positional rankings are released.
Esteban Mendez Esteban Mendez 5'5" | 145 lbs | ATH South Salem | 2024 State OR of South Salem is your ideal 7v7 slot, and was one of the stat leaders within the conference this past season. Victory Orikannu of Westview could be one of the top players in the Metro in 2023.
Last but definitely not least is 6-4 200-pound WR Eli Johnson Eli Johnson 6'4" | 200 lbs | WR South Salem | 2024 State OR , who just so happens to be the son of one of the most athletic people in the world during his time, Olympian Dave Johnson. His stats over the last two seasons at South do not accurately reflect his potential. He has been unreal this off season, and poses legit matchup problems for opponents, opposite fellow 6-4 200-pound WR Wiley Donnerberg Wiley Donnerberg 6'4" | 200 lbs | ATH West Linn | 2024 State OR .
In summary ALPHA is going to be a program to contend with for years to come. Look for them to be a factor this weekend at the prestigious Pylon tournament in Las Vegas. We will keep you updated as the results come in.