Oregon’s top high school boys track and field athletes: Meet the state’s best throwers
By René Ferrán
We’re highlighting many of the state's top returning high school track and field athletes.
Our eighth list focuses on the boys throwers. Here are some of Oregon’s best in the shot put, discus and javelin.
There are hundreds of great athletes in the state, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. Let us know about any athletes you think should be added!
Ian Clawson (South Salem) photo by Diana Dettwyler
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Alex Whitaker, Sr., Horizon Christian (Hood River)
Personal bests: Shot put, 42 feet, 9 inches; Discus, 135-11
Whitaker is a top contender in Class 1A in the shot and discus after placing in the two events at last spring’s state championships, finishing fifth in the shot and eighth in the discus. He’s improved his personal best by almost four feet in the shot this spring.
Austin Milton, Jr., Sherwood
Personal bests: Javelin, 201-4
Milton had a huge breakthrough toward the end of his sophomore season. He threw an 18½-foot personal best to win the Pacific district title, leaving his parents and event coach looking at each other, wondering, “Where did that come from?” He took third at the 6A state meet three days later. Six weeks later, he threw another personal best to take second at The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field, followed by a victory in August at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Florida. Since then, he’s attended several national javelin training camps, positioning himself as the Bowmen’s next great javelin thrower.
Ben Moffett, Sr., Clackamas
Personal bests: Javelin, 186-2
Moffett is another thrower who made a big jump in the final weeks of last season, throwing an 18-foot personal best to finish second at the Mt. Hood district championships and coming back to take sixth at the 6A state meet. He’s improved his personal best by more than 11 feet this spring.
Blake Seibert, Sr., Lebanon
Personal bests: Javelin, 164-8
Seibert went undefeated during the COVID-shortened season last spring until the 5A state meet, when he threw a personal best and finished sixth.
Caleb Ness, Jr., Santiam Christian
Personal bests: 800 meters, 2 minutes, 5.16 seconds; Javelin, 174-9; High jump, 6-0
Ness could have a future as a decathlete, considering he placed in three separate disciplines at the 3A state meet last spring — third in the 800 and fourth in the high jump and javelin. He has the top throw among returning 3A javelin throwers this year.
Colton McMaster, Sr., Astoria
Personal bests: Shot, 58-9 ¾; Discus, 192-10; Javelin, 147-11
McMaster moved to 12th place on the state’s all-time list in the discus last spring with his school-record throw at a Cowapa home meet. A week later, he won 4A state titles in the shot and discus, and he capped his season in July with an eighth-place finish in the discus at The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field.
Elias Martinez, Sr., Sandy
Personal bests: Shot, 48-11½; Discus, 114-11
Martinez competes in all three throws for the Pioneers, but his best event is the shot put, in which he placed second at the Mt. Hood district meet and sixth at the 6A state championships last spring.
Elijah Jackman, Sr., Tigard
Personal bests: Shot, 53-10; Discus, 171-6
Jackman entered the season as the reigning Three Rivers district champion in the discus, with a third-place finish at the 6A state meet in that event and a fifth-place showing in the shot. He broke the school record in the discus at the Tigers’ season-opening meet, and he has his sights set on Jeremy Moore’s 10-year-old record in the shot (60-3). “Elijah has put in a ton of work this offseason and is going to have an amazing season this spring,” coach Doug Kuffel said. “I’m really excited to see how it unfolds.”
Gavin Korkeakoski, Sr., Newberg
Personal bests: Javelin, 176-7
Korkeakoski is a standout three-sport athlete for the Tigers, earning all-Pacific honors as a cornerback, placing third at the OSAA 6A state wrestling meet in February, and now seeking to improve upon his ninth-place finish from last spring’s 6A state track meet in the javelin. “Gavin is more focused than ever to add his name to the champion throwers we have had here at Newberg,” coach Brandon Ramey said. “He’s had a great year so far athletically, and I’m confident he will continue that momentum right into the track and field season.”
Ian Clawson, Sr., South Salem
Personal bests: Shot, 44-9; Discus, 148-6
As a junior, Clawson went undefeated in the discus all season until the 6A state meet, when he finished sixth. He started 2 for 2 at meets this spring.
Ian Patton, Sr., Clackamas
Personal bests: Shot, 46-2; Javelin, 166-0; Long jump, 20-8
Patton is an aspiring decathlete who runs on the Cavaliers’ 4x100 relay, competes in the high and long jumps (placing seventh in the latter at the 6A state meet last spring) and is among the top returning javelin throwers with his mark set at a Mt. Hood dual meet. He placed 11th at state in the javelin.
Jacob Nash, Sr., Sheldon
Personal bests: Javelin, 174-5
Nash has dabbled in many events during his career, but his best is the javelin, in which he went undefeated during the regular season as a junior — including a victory at the Eugene City Championships — and placed eighth at the 6A state meet. “Jacob has fallen in love with track and enjoys trying it all,” Irish coach Erin Regalli said. “The four-year journey has been challenging but very rewarding for him. He loves to learn and practice all that he can to be successful.”
Jake Rams, Sr., West Linn
Personal bests: Shot, 48-5½; Discus, 119-6
Rams is better known for his work on the football field, where he was a WaFd SBLive Oregon first-team all-state offensive lineman. He won a Three Rivers district title in the shot put last spring, placing 12th at the 6A state meet. “Jake is a very quiet but very serious thrower, a leader in our throwers group,” Lions coach Joe Cerny said. “He takes pride in helping the younger throwers.”
Jarom Huntsman, Sr., La Grande
Personal bests: 300 hurdles, 42.41; Javelin, 185-9; Triple jump, 40-9¾
Huntsman is a jack-of-all-trades for the Tigers program, winning Greater Oregon district titles in the 300 hurdles, javelin and triple jump and bringing home medals from the 4A state meet in all three — fourth in the javelin, fifth in the hurdles and eighth in the triple jump. He is also quite busy off the track as a three-sport standout and member of the choir, ASB and National Honor Society. “Jarom is a true leader,” coach Matt Wolcott said. “He is passionate, hard-working and enthusiastic.”
Justin Parnell, Sr., Dallas
Personal bests: Shot, 55-0; Discus, 150-1
Parnell made the most of his COVID-shortened junior season last spring, bettering his PRs in the shot by 17½ feet and discus by almost 40 feet while taking home medals in both from the 5A state meet — fifth in the shot, sixth in the discus.
Kale Ferguson, Jr., Joseph
Personal bests: Discus, 134-8; Javelin, 150-8
Ferguson won the 1A state title in the discus and took second in the javelin at Eastern Oregon University last spring, throwing 13-foot personal bests in each event.
Keegan Young, Jr., North Bend
Personal bests: Javelin, 171-11
Young dabbles in other events, but it’s in the javelin that he truly shines. He took second at the 113th annual Coos County Championships and fifth at the 5A state meet last spring.
Logan Thebiay, Sr., Wilsonville
Personal bests: Shot, 54-6½; Discus, 130-6; Javelin, 162-3
Thebiay was an NWOC district finalist as a freshman and a 5A state finalist as a junior, finishing fourth in the shot and seventh in the javelin. He’s thrown personal bests in the shot and discus this spring.
Orie Schaffers, Sr., Silverton
Personal bests: Shot, 50-7½; Discus, 137-0
Schaffers was a model of consistency during his junior season, which ended with an eighth-place finish at the 5A state meet in the discus and a 10th in the shot. He went over 50 feet in the shot for the first time in late March and has also improved on his personal best in the discus this spring.
Parker Jarvis, Jr., Grants Pass
Personal bests: Shot, 49-4
Jarvis made the most of his first season with the Cavemen, winning the shot put title at the 71st Grants Pass Invitational and then at the Southern Oregon regional championships.
Pat Vialva, Sr., Tigard
Personal bests: Javelin, 186-5
Vialva moved to Tigard from Long Beach, Calif., where he didn’t get many opportunities to throw the javelin for Long Beach Poly. He already has made his mark this spring, moving to third on the school’s all-time list. “He’s a great athlete, hard worker, and just an amazing person,” coach Doug Kuffel said. “He has worked all offseason on his strength and technique, and we’re looking forward to great things from him this spring.”
Roman Fritz, Sr., North Bend
Personal bests: Shot, 44-7; Javelin, 184-10
Fritz was undefeated in the shot and javelin throughout his junior season, including victories at the 113th annual Coos County Championships, until heading to the 5A state meet, where he placed third in the javelin.
Sam Willis, Sr., Silverton
Personal bests: Shot, 49-2½; Discus, 156-8
Willis placed fourth at the Mid-Willamette district meet in the discus as a freshman, then went undefeated in the event last spring until the 5A state meet, where he placed third. He took sixth in the shot at state. This spring, he’s improved his personal best in the discus by nearly 11 feet.
Samuel Jennings, Sr., Pendleton
Personal bests: Javelin, 224-9
Jennings has been among the state’s best throwers since his freshman year, when he won the Intermountain district title and placed fourth at the OSAA 5A state meet. Last spring, the Brigham Young signee won district and state titles for the Buckaroos, then placed seventh at The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field before uncorking the third-longest throw in state history in winning the USATF state title in mid-July.
Stephen Machin, Sr., La Pine
Personal bests: Shot, 53-0; Discus, 151-4
Machin qualified for the 3A state meet in the discus as a freshman, then came back last spring and won the state title in the shot while placing second in the discus — his only defeat in either event during the six-week season. He broke the school record in the shot last year, and by throwing a 13-foot personal best in the discus this spring he moved to second on the school’s list in that event.
