5A Midwestern League POY Candidates OFFENSE

Jordan Johnson April 23, 2024 @ 11:18 PM

There have been numerous changes at the 5A level, with (9) 6A teams dropping down and most of the conferences making significant moves. The Midwestern League, or what will now be called Special District 4, should be competitive. Roseburg will move down to the 5A level, which is strange from a historical perspective, after being a perennial power in 6A for many years.    Just like we did previously I will project out the player of the year candidates on offense and defense within each conference…          OFFENSE       1.[player_tooltip player_id='406763' first='Noah' last='Blair'] 25' QB Thurston   Blair will be one of Oregon's 5A POY favorites, after dominating the conference this past season and throwing for 3000+ yards and 39 TDs, while hitting on 74% of his passes for the year. He is an outstanding overall athlete who will rank among the state's top QBs regardless of classification    2.[player_tooltip player_id='754595' first='Ceville' last='Pasi'] 25' RB Churchill   Pasi is one of the most versatile and underrated players in the state. He earned 1st team all league honors as a sophomore on the D line and did the same thing again at LB this past season. Offensively he will be a conference POY favorite as well, averaging 7.4 yards per carry and rushing for 1,289 yards and 19 TDs.    3.[player_tooltip player_id='1104607' first='Valentin' last='Rodriguez'] 25' RB Crater   The Comets won 4 games last season, with Rodriguez leading the way on the ground. His 243 carries during the regular season led the conference, rushing for 1,397 yards and 15 TDs. If Crater can improve on it's 4-6 record and win a playoff game, Rodriguez will likely benefit with all league/ all state accolade's    4.[player_tooltip player_id='1104602' first='Easton' last='Raber'] 25' WR Eagle Point   Raber was the only kid in the conference to earn 1st team all-league honors on both sides of the football. The undersized 5-8 slot WR is typically the best player on the field, catching 37 balls for 642 yards, and averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He finished the regular season with 12 TDs, which was good for #2 overall in both receiving touchdowns and yards.    5.[player_tooltip player_id='1110930' first='Matthew' last='Newell'] 26' WR Thurston   The last name speaks for itself. The Colts will graduate the conference's leading receiver in [player_tooltip player_id='738767' first='Walker' last='Bonar'] along with standouts [player_tooltip player_id='209500' first='Luke' last='Newell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='738967' first='Lombel' last='Doreen']. The youngest Newell should thrive and get the ball often with all three of them gone.    6.[player_tooltip player_id='1224401' first='Ben' last='Higginson'] 25' QB Crater   Higginson is a super talented running QB, who rushed for 827 yards and 8 TDs, averaging 6.7 yards per carry during the regular season. If he can improve on his 7 passing TDs & 7 INTs for the year, and Crater wins a few more ball games he could do well with all league recognition.    7.[player_tooltip player_id='1403779' first='Charlie' last='Dexter'] 26' TE Churchill   Just an impressive overall athlete, excelling on the basketball floor as well. Dexter earned honorable mention all conference honors as a sophomore at TE while finishing among the conference leaders in sacks.    8.[player_tooltip player_id='1185699' first='Kaden' last='Austin'] 25' WR Roseburg    It's been a rough couple seasons for the Indians who will make the drop from 6A to 5A. Austin caught 30 balls for 317 yards last year, earning honorable mention all conference accolades. I would expect him to double those numbers in 2024.