By René Ferrán
In a normal year, December would be a time to hand out all-state awards for fall high school sports in Oregon.
Of course, nothing about 2020 has been normal.
We hope circumstances will allow for high school sports to take place later in the school year. While we wait, we thought it would be fun to name an all-state team this December anyway.
Here are one longtime writer’s picks for an all-returning, all-classifications, all-state team in Oregon high school football. This all-state team doesn’t take solely into account where a player slots into the recruiting rankings; it combines 2019 performance with 2020-21 projection to determine who might be the best of the best in the state of Oregon next spring. It also doesn’t divide between Class 6A and Class 1A — as you’ll see — but puts everyone into one boat.
We invite comments as to which players would make your all-Oregon team!
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FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Drew Carter, Sr., Tigard
The two-sport standout earned a football scholarship to Colorado, which will allow him to play basketball once football season ends. Last season, Carter led the Tigers to the Class 6A No. 1 playoff seed, throwing for 2,767 yards and 23 touchdowns against two interceptions.
RB Damir Collins, Sr., Jefferson
The Oregon State commit busted out last season, rushing for 2,453 yards and 27 touchdowns while averaging more than 11 yards per carry in earning PIL offensive player of the year honors.
RB Nate Denney, Sr., Bend
Denney ran for 2,220 yards and 24 touchdowns to earn 2019 Mountain Valley Conference offensive player of the year honors. He will enroll at Yale next fall to major in STEM and play football for the Bulldogs.
RB Gavin Haines, Sr., West Linn
Haines was a first-team all-Three Rivers League selection last year who ran for 1,620 yards and 21 touchdowns to help the Lions reach the 6A state quarterfinals.
WR Keenan Speer-Johnson, Jr., Tigard
A wrist injury cost Speer-Johnson, one of the top junior recruits in the state, most of his sophomore season after transferring from Central Catholic, but he’ll team with Carter to form one of the top passing combos in the state this season. He has offers from Nevada, Utah State and Kentucky.
WR Tanner Volk, Sr., Aloha
Volk will take on an even more prominent role this season for the Warriors after playing off all-state receiver Regan Wilson in 2019. Volk had 46 catches for 847 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
WR Trent Walker, Sr., Beaverton
Walker earned first-team all-Metro honors as a junior after catching 67 passes for 911 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season. He starred at a recent Oregon National Preps Showcase in Eugene and figures to add to his offer sheet, which includes Air Force and Army.
TE Carson Cota, Sr., South Medford
Cota sports offers from Oregon, Utah State and Georgia Tech, among others, after a junior season in which he caught 24 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
OL Jacob Barnes, Sr., McMinnville
Barnes, one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the country, signed with Oregon State in the early period. He’s also a two-year returning starter for the Grizzlies on the offensive line.
OL Edward Beglaryan, Sr., Tigard
Beglaryan took over the starting center role for the Tigers last season and became a leader on one of the state’s top offensive lines.
OL Henry Buckles, Sr., Hood River Valley
Buckles became a force along the offensive line for the Eagles last fall and committed to Oregon State in March.
OL Charlie Pickard, Sr., Jesuit
The Crusaders churn out standout offensive linemen every year, and Pickard — who’s drawn interest from San Jose State, Air Force and Dartmouth, as well as a preferred walk-on offer from Oregon — is the latest to come through the assembly line.
OL Shane Schwake, Sr., Sheldon
Schwake committed to Eastern Washington in July after a junior season in which he was the only non-senior to start on a talented Irish front line.
PK Jay Kartub, Sr., Sheldon
Kartub has earned 6A all-state honors each of the past two seasons, going 37 of 37 on PATs last year and kicking three field goals with a long of 46 yards. He has committed to Air Force.
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FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL Keenan O’Donnell, Sr., Thurston
O’Donnell played alongside five all-state first-teamers last fall and earned second-team honors after finishing with 27 tackles (5½ for loss) for the repeat 5A state champions. He’s drawing interest from colleges on both sides of the ball.
DL Nate Rawlins-Kibonge, Sr., Jefferson
A year ago, Rawlins-Kibonge was a Washington State basketball commit focused on helping the Democrats win a 6A state title. Now, he’s an Oklahoma football recruit after dominating in his first season playing the sport, with 28 of his 74 tackles last season for loss and five sacks.
DL Andrew Savaiinaea, Jr., The Dalles
Savaiinaea transferred from Washington powerhouse Eastside Catholic and immediately became one of Oregon’s top recruits in the Class of 2022. He had 25 tackles and three sacks for the Crusaders, who won the Evergreen State’s 5A title before losing to Marietta (Ga.) in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series.
DL TJ Zimmerman, Sr., West Albany
Zimmerman, like Carter, is one of the state’s top two-sport athletes, earning second-team all-state honors in football (45 tackles, seven for loss) and basketball for the Bulldogs.
LB Keith Brown, Sr., Lebanon
The nation’s No. 5 inside linebacker recruit and the state’s No. 1 overall, according to 247Sports, decided in October to reverse his previous intent to skip the high school season and will delay his enrollment at Oregon to play as a senior. He had 37 tackles (five for loss) as a junior.
LB Bryan Cuthbertson, Sr., Sherwood
Cuthbertson could play any of three sports in college — football, wrestling or track — but after a junior season in which he made 158 tackles (22 for loss) and four sacks, linebacker might be his long-term calling.
LB Patrick Hisatake, Sr., Westview
Hisatake transferred from Clackamas to Westview over the summer, and he moved from defensive back to edge rusher after gaining more than 35 pounds over the past 18 months. He committed to Cal-Berkeley in August.
LB Emar’rion Winston, Jr., Central Catholic
Winston follows in the footsteps of older brother Lamar, committing to join Oregon in 2022. Emar’rion looks to build upon the promise he showed as a sophomore when he had 25 tackles (18 solo) for the 6A champions.
DB Thomas McNamara, Jr., West Linn
A unanimous first-team all-Three Rivers selection at outside linebacker, he figures to move to strong safety for the Lions this season after making 79 tackles (five for loss) and breaking up three passes as a junior.
DB Dawson Muggy, Sr., Thurston
Muggy is a two-way standout for the two-time defending 5A titlists, but he shines brightest in the secondary, where he had 25 tackles, six interceptions and nine pass breakups in earning first-team all-state honors as a junior.
DB Malcolm Williams, Sr., Lake Oswego
Williams, who signed with Santa Clara for baseball in the early period, ranked among 2019 state leaders in interceptions at safety, finishing with five in the regular season for the 6A runner-up Lakers.
DB Trejon Williams, Jr., Jefferson
Williams ranks as the state’s top recruit in the Class of 2022 and is No. 9 among safeties nationwide, according to 247Sports, with offers from more than half of the Pac-12 schools along with Penn State. As a sophomore, he had 37 tackles and two interceptions.
Punter Tyler Dahlback, Sr., Mountainside
Dahlback earned first-team all-state honors for the Mavericks — the first first-team honoree in program history — and also is a top placekicker.
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SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Brian Mannion, Jr., Mountainside
RB Devin Bradd, Sr., North Medford
RB Clay Peden, Sr., Sherwood
RB Miles Wilson, Sr., Reynolds
WR Nick Kennewell, Sr., Clackamas
WR Chance Miller, Sr., Canby
WR Jeremiah Noga, Sr., Hidden Valley
TE Mitchell Duea, Sr., West Linn
OL Liam Brown, Sr., Sunset
OL Noah Culbertson, Sr., Sherwood
OL Dawson Davis, Sr., Crater
OL Aden Murphy, Sr., Tigard
OL Declan Quillin, Sr., Jesuit
PK Gavin Levesque, Jr., Thurston
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SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL Jordan King, Jr., Central Catholic
DL Kaleb Moxley, Sr., Southridge
DL Anthony Pugh, Sr., West Salem
DL Broderick Reese, Sr., Century
LB Royce Fasel, Jr., Glencoe
LB Kyle Liscom, Jr., Pendleton
LB Cole Peters, Sr., West Linn
LB Dyami Rios, Sr., McNary
DB Andrew Oliver, Sr., Lakeridge
DB Andrew Simpson, Sr., Mountainside
DB Dane Sipos, Sr., Lebanon
DB Hewitt Sullivan, Sr., Tigard
Punter Christian Ferreyra, Sr., Oregon City
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THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB Sam Vidlak, Sr., Hidden Valley
RB Royce Fasel, Jr., Glencoe
RB Pryce Pothier, Jr., Newberg
RB Lucas Tuski, Jr., Marist Catholic
WR Payton Dart, Sr., Wilsonville
WR Trevor Jaasko, Sr., Crater
WR Andrew Simpson, Sr., Mountainside
TE Carter Neuman, Sr., Sheldon
OL Ryan Dirksen, Sr., Central Catholic
OL Jacob Hannah, Sr., North Bend
OL Zach Holmes, Sr., West Linn
OL Jake Moore, Sr., Wilsonville
OL Holden Whipple, Sr., West Salem
PK Tyler Dahlback, Sr., Mountainside
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THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DL Tyler Exline, Sr., Banks
DL Julian Lopez, Sr., Lake Oswego
DL Kaden Segel, Sr., Grant
DL William Woitte, Sr., Crater
LB EJ Broussard, Sr., Mountainside
LB Jason Davis, Sr., Jefferson
LB Owen Magill, Sr., Silverton
LB Colt Musgrave, Sr., Bend
DB Coleman Compton, Sr., North Bend
DB Darius Mims, Sr., Jesuit
DB Jackson Monfort, Sr., Grant
DB Hagan Stephenson, Sr., Marist Catholic
Punter Mateo Burgos, Sr., Gladstone
