‘Tawa Island.’ Undersized but determined Jordy Tawa helps West Linn family complete unlikely trifecta: 3 brothers, 3 first-team all-state football players

By Bob Lundeberg | Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Entering his final season with the West Linn football program, Jordy Tawa kept his expectations in check. 

Tawa received some varsity playing time as a junior, but the undersized cornerback hadn't experienced the individual success of older brothers Tim and Casey Tawa. Jordy patiently waited for his opportunity, and he reaped the rewards last fall. 

With the graduation of current Syracuse defensive back Clay Masters, Jordy emerged as the Lions’ shutdown corner during the 2021 fall season. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior regularly tangled with much larger receivers in the Three Rivers League and went on to receive first-team all-league and Class 6A all-state honors. West Linn advanced all the way to the state semifinals before falling to TRL rival Tualatin.

Jordy’s honors cemented the Tawas’ place in Oregon high school football history. All three brothers made first-team all-state, a potential big-school record. 

“It’s just really cool, man,” Jordy said. “I think it reflects well on everybody in our family, and it was incredible. I can’t express enough how happy I was to be able to live up to the expectations and live up to what my brothers have done. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Older brothers Tim (West Linn class of 2017) and Casey (2020) were multiyear varsity stars who piled up stats and helped lead the Lions on deep postseason runs. Jordy followed a different path. 

As a freshman, Jordy qualified for the 6A state wrestling championships in the 106-pound bracket. He began to grow but still weighed only around 145 pounds entering the spring 2021 football season.

“Jordy was always the small kid, that’s what he was,” said Tim, who was selected in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. “To see him continue to work, get bigger, stronger and faster and have it pay off for him was really special.”

Jordy Tawa photo by Taylor Balkom

Jordy split his time between JV and varsity during the spring as seniors Brenden Crouse and Masters were entrenched at corner. The Lions cruised to a 6-0 record and were widely considered the state’s best team.

With openings across the secondary heading into the fall, Jordy quickly seized the role of West Linn’s No. 1 corner. He remained in that position all season while also returning kicks. 

“Jordy is a very good listener, and he’s perceptive,” Lions coach Chris Miller said. “He’s always been a good worker and is quiet. It was maybe a challenge for him to figure out exactly where he was at … and he gained a lot of confidence throughout the season. 

“He has tremendous technique and can really read eyes. He defended a bunch of 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 receivers who are much bigger than him, Division I-level guys, and he did a very nice job. The ultimate compliment was that a bunch of players named him ‘Tawa Island.’ When the players anoint you ‘Tawa Island,’ you know you’re doing something right.” 

Jordy said defensive backs coach Alex Molden, a former NFL corner, played a big role in his development. He also spoke with Tim before every game for motivation. Tim even got to attend a few games last season between baseball duties. 

“I think he’d talk to me more as a mental thing, but he didn’t need it,” Tim said. “You could hear the confidence and see the confidence.”

Added Jordy: “It was tougher for me because I didn’t grow up to be 6-foot, 190 (pounds) like my brothers did. Expectations were high for me based on them, but I couldn’t fulfill them for a long time because of my size. … Senior year just felt like my time. It was the right time for me to step in and carry it out.” 

Tim, one of the most decorated athletes in Oregon prep history, set a lofty standard for the brothers. 

The 2016 Oregonian High School Athlete of the Year, Tim was a three-time Oregon Gatorade football player of the year (2014-16) and the 2017 Gatorade baseball player of the year. He set numerous passing records and led West Linn to the 2016 state football title, but baseball was his true calling. 

“I always wanted to go to Stanford, and they gave me that opportunity with baseball,” he said. “When I got offered to play baseball there, I hadn’t broken through in football yet. I thought I had a real shot to play pro baseball, and football kind of took off after that. Don’t get me wrong, I love football, loved the winning and loved it in high school. But the memories I made at Stanford, the people I got to meet, it was a great experience.” 

Tim was a four-year starter for the Cardinal who batted .290 as a senior with 12 homers, a .519 slugging percentage and a .985 fielding percentage. He helped lead Stanford to the College World Series and made the all-tournament team. 

While Tim was playing college baseball, Casey blossomed into a star receiver and corner for the Lions. He received first-team all-state recognition on both sides of the ball as a senior and signed with Rice. 

Casey Tawa photo by Taylor Balkom

Casey credited Tim for setting the bar high as the older brother. 

“The true marvel of the three of us is Jordy,” said Casey, who is in the transfer portal and looking for a new home. “Not to sound conceited, but Tim and I were always pretty naturally gifted athletes. But Jordy somehow pulled it off and became an absolute stud. … It’s truly incredible and remarkable what he’s done, and I could not be prouder of him.”

Growing up, Jordy did everything he could to compete against his older brothers in basketball, Wiffle ball and countless other activities. As the youngest and smallest, things typically didn’t go his way. 

“Oh, it was definitely competitive,” Casey said. “Jordy used to get upset because he would get picked on and never really won. It probably helped make him tougher … and helped all of us get tougher in general.” 

Added Jordy: “It was fun, it was competitive, it was tough. But it was definitely influential and helped me a lot growing up to go home to competition like that.”

The years of backyard games assisted Jordy in overcoming his physical limitations to become a college football prospect. A few short months after fighting for playing time, he joined his brothers as first-team all-state selections. 

“It’s really cool, and I think the credit goes to the three boys,” Miller said. “They motivated each other. Tim set the bar really high, Casey came in to prove his own value and his own name. … And then the third boy, smaller in stature, plays a good bit of JV and some varsity in the spring and became our lockdown guy in the fall.

“We had a Tawa boy for eight straight years. It’s a neat family. (Mom) Lisa is a sweetheart and the boys were a pleasure to coach.”