<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong> Every week we will highlight some of the state's top performers, teams, and overall athletes in the Northwest. Feel free to send over any relevant info as stats aren't always available. Here we summarize Oregon's best from Week ZERO. </strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2106040' first='Leofatu' last='Filipe'] 28' DE Thurston- Filipe is one of the fastest rising prospects on the west coast, leaving no doubt as to why on Friday night in the 20-17 win over Sheldon. The 6-5 versatile big man was dominant on the defensive side of the ball, also taking a clutch INT to the house for a touchdown. I could see him adding some other major offers in the next few weeks. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1125493' first='Reece' last='Ballew'] 27' RB Mountainside- If I was going to place a bet on who might finish with the state's best numbers at the end of the season, it would probably be Ballew. The Metro League POY candidate went for 316 all-purpose yards and 2 TD's doing a little bit of everything in the loss to #2 Tualatin (15 rush-104, 3 rec-94 Yds, 4 returns for 118 yards). </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2215712' first='Samuel' last='Doman'] 27' TE/ATH Canby- It's not every day you see a 6-4 200-pound kid returning kicks, but Doman was that guy, returning not one but two for long touchdowns in the 49-22 win over then #8 Churchill. Almost everyone is familiar with the last name, coming from one of the most talented football families in the state. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Lake O- </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='937340' first='Ryder' last='Lemm'] 27' QB, [player_tooltip player_id='936920' first='Jasiah' last='Agnimel'] 27' WR, [player_tooltip player_id='1613644' first='Presley' last='DeLance'] 28' WR, [player_tooltip player_id='937103' first='Cole' last='Callahan'] 27' RB/ATH, [player_tooltip player_id='797128' first='Cameron' last='Elijah'] 27' ATH, [player_tooltip player_id='1242855' first='Griffin' last='Ellingson'] 27' WR/ATH- Give credit where credit is due. LO showed up and laid a whoopin on a good Willamette team. Leave it to maybe the state's all-time greatest coach Steve Coury to figure out how to do that after graduating an unreal amount of division 1 talent from last year's state championship team. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Andrew Nemec did a good job summarizing this in his last article. Lemm BALLED going 18/24 for 366 yards and 4 TD's. The D1 wideouts Agnimel and DeLance did their thing, but I really like [player_tooltip player_id='797128' first='Cameron' last='Elijah'] absolutely killin it on both sides of the football, scoring 3 touchdowns (2 receiving with a 70 INT return). Don't sleep on Callahan this year. He had 11 carries for 75 yards and a 70-yard TD called back to go with 5 tackles and 2 PBU's. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2054697' first='Carter' last='Lemon'] 27' DB Tualatin- The basketball standout could be a 1<sup>st</sup> team all-state DB as well. He shut his side of the field down, finishing with 5.5 tackles, 2 PBU's, and a blocked punt in the blowout win over #10 Mountainside. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2243368' first='Quinn' last='Scott'] 27' QB/ [player_tooltip player_id='2097970' first='Brady' last='Patterson'] 27' WR/ATH North Medford- As referenced in the pre-game prediction, North Medford's 1-8 record from last year doesn't accurately reflect the talent on their roster. The 6-3 185 QB Scott hit on 12/20 passes for 264 yards and 3 TD's/1 INT, with Patterson catching 3 balls for 125 yards and 2 of those touchdowns, in the 22-14 upset win over then #9 Lakeridge. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1939267' first='Brody' last='Joyce'] 28' QB Canby- The 2<sup>nd</sup> team all-league returner showed why he is ranked one of the state's top 28's, going for 6/7 for 289 yards and 3 TD's while rushing 2 times for 91 yards and another touchdown. The Cougars are a legit top 10 team and left no doubt with the 49-22 win over a good Churchill program. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2255451' first='Josiah' last='Vela'] 27' Safety Central- The underrated Safety/Linebacker did a great job in the opener, finishing with 11 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the 42-7 win over 4A #7 Tillamook. The team makes the move down to the 4A level where should be very competitive. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='937241' first='Cole' last='Hachmeister'] 27' ATH Tualatin- In only 2 quarters the D1 athlete Hachmeister scored 2 TD's, one of which came via a 105-yard INT return to the house in the 52-13 win over Mountainside. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1242808' first='Braylon' last='Gaines'] 27' QB / [player_tooltip player_id='2105973' first='Jalen' last='Crichton'] 28' ATH Nelson- Gaines is one of the top basketball players in the west, holding multiple D1 offers. He didn't waste any time showing that he could replace Mt Hood POY Danny Leary at QB, while finishing with 4 TD passes on the evening. Crichton is another guy I had listed as one of Oregon's fastest rising 28's. He added 132 total yards and 2 touchdowns while coming up just short in the 49-48 OT thriller at GP. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='936893' first='Easton' last='Lawson'] 27' ATH Lakeridge- Even with the unexpected loss to North Medford, Lawson showed why he should be considered one of the state's fastest rising recruits. On the night he caught 10 passes for 132 yards, while also adding an INT and 5 tackles on D.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1708540' first='Carter' last='Vinson'] 28' LB Stayton- Vinson was a monster as a sophomore earning 1<sup>st</sup> team all Oregon West honors. He went right back to work this season, finishing with 24 tackles (9 solo) and 2 TFL's in the 41-37 win at Astoria. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Saxon Brock </strong>27' DB Ashland- You have to like any 6-4 DB that can play corner and move like him. Roseburg came back and beat Ashland 18-7, but Brock was impressive, totaling 14 tackles (11 solo) with 3 receptions for 30 yards on offense. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2088792' first='Zane' last='Carley'] 27' OLB / [player_tooltip player_id='2106063' first='Rocco' last='Grady'] 28' DE-OT Tualatin- The 1<sup>st</sup> team all TRL returner Carley is always solid, adding 2 tackles, 2 hurries, and 2 TFL's in the 40-point win over Mountainside. That said as people should watch out for Grady as he could be the breakout lineman of the year in Oregon. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1563740' first='Mason' last='Girt'] 29' RB Lakeridge- The 22-14 loss at North Medford isn't what the #9 Pacers were hoping for or expecting, but they are extremely young with a super talented 2029 class. Girt averaged close to 10 yards per carry going for 100+ while more than exceeding expectations. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1591747' first='Carson' last='Bottemiller'] 27' LB / [player_tooltip player_id='2248003' first='Jaedin' last='Jangala'] 28' DB Mountain View- The undersized 5-8 175-pound backer Bottemiller continued to show that he is one of the top two sport athletes in the state (baseball), making 13 tackles in the 13-10 win over West Albany. The junior DB Jangala stepped up big returning an INT 64 yards. You could see him climb the rankings board quickly. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in