‘We’re all locked in together.’ Westview takes top honors at Metro Area Lineman Challenge; Gunner Jorgensen named MVP

By Dan Brood 

The Wildcats were motivated.

They were determined.

They were strong — really, really strong.

And they weren’t going to be denied. 

Members of the Westview football squad powered their way to the team championship at the Metro Area Lineman Challenge — a competition that featured such events as the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, vertical jump, standing broad jump, bench press, farmer’s carry, tractor tire flip, two-man sled relay and team tug of war — on July 16 at Hare Field in Hillsboro. 

“That says a lot,” Westview senior-to-be Campbell Sager said of the team title. “We’ve all bought in together. Pretty much our whole starting line is returning seniors. We’ve been playing together for a while, and we’re ready for the season. We’re all locked in together.”

“I think it says a lot, and it shows the kind of dedication we have and the motivation behind us,” junior-to-be Jack Miller said. “This says that we have a very strong line.”

“It’s a huge thing. We like to feel that we’re underdogs, but we’re starting to show everybody what we can do,” senior-to-be Israel Chavez-Strand said. “I feel that we’re a strong, tight-knit group. We love each other, and we’ve been playing together since we were little kids.”

Westview, coming off a 9-2 season in 2021 with the Wildcats’ only losses coming against Jesuit and Tualatin, took the top spot in the standings at the 22-team lineman challenge with 75 points. Tualatin placed second with 68 points. Sheldon was third with 49, and Jesuit placed fourth with 46.

“We had a little bit of a rough ending last season, so this is proof that we can do it this year,” Westview senior-to-be Jackson Sager said. “Last year, it was rough, and the two teams we lost to were here, and I think we really proved ourselves. That was definitely motivation.”

Not only did Westview get a bit of vengeance in winning the team title, but the Wildcats also had the heavyweight division individual champion and overall MVP for the event in senior-to-be Gunner Jorgensen.

“It means a lot,” Jorgensen said of his individual championship. “I went to some camps this summer, and I wasn’t placing well there, so I put in a lot of work for this.”

Jorgensen took the top spot in the heavyweight individual standings with 5,754 points (in a decathlon-type scoring system). Tualatin senior-to-be Will Wilson was second with 5,740.

“I thought I’d be top five,” Jorgensen said. “I didn’t know if I’d get the No. 1 spot because the guy from Tualatin that was getting first place in some of the events.”

Jorgensen was at the top of his game in the tire flip, turning the tire over 14 times, tying him with his teammate, Campbell Sager, for the best score of all competitors in that event.

“Probably the tire flip,” Jorgensen said when asked to name his best event. “I almost got 15. I got 14, which tied for the best.”

While he excelled in the tire flip, Jorgensen seemed to be consistent — consistently strong — throughout the competition.

He had 23 lifts of 185 pounds in the bench press, tying him with Jackson Sager for the best mark for the team in that event. Jorgensen also had a team-best mark of 85 yards in the farmer’s carry. He tied for the team best in the vertical jump with a height of 24 inches. Jorgensen had a 40-yard dash time of 5.43 seconds and a shuttle-run mark of 4.67.

“This was really fun,” he said.

Jackson Sager finished in sixth place in the heavyweight standings and eighth overall. Campbell Sager placed seventh in the heavyweight standings and ninth overall. He had the top time of heavyweight competitors in the shuttle run, with a mark of 4.49, in addition to tying Jorgensen for the top spot in the tire flip.

Westview senior-to-be Jason Cephus finished in eighth place in the lightweight division individual standings. He topped all competitors in the shuttle run with his mark of 4.46.

The Wildcats definitely showed their strength in the tug of war. Westview powered its way through the event, going undefeated in the double-elimination bracket, winning most of its bouts in just a few seconds, including a victory over Sheldon in the championship match.

“I think we were really dedicated, and we got our game plan together really fast,” Jorgensen said of the tug of war. “Everybody put in their work, definitely.”

“It was just teamwork. We all just got low and gave it our all,” Miller said. “Besides the tug of war, we did really well in the bench and the farmer’s carry. For me, the best was the farmer’s carry.”

Most of all, the Wildcats say, the team’s performance is a good sign entering the 2022 high school season, where the play of the linemen could be a big factor for success.

“Our line has been up and coming for a while,” Jackson Sager said. “Some of them, like me and my brother, have been playing since third grade. Our running back has been playing since third grade. We have a good relationship between our line, our running back and our quarterback.”

“Oh, of course this gives me motivation. I think we’ve got one of the best lines in the state,” Jorgensen said. “This says that we’ve all been putting in the work this entire time, and we’re ready for the upcoming season.”

“This is definitely motivation for the season. We’ve been putting in work every single day. Our line is super close,” Campbell Sager said. “Team is looking good. We’ve all had our heads down, grinding, getting ready for the season.”

The team victory at the Metro Area Lineman Challenge shows the Wildcats are more than ready.

“It means a lot,” Campbell Sager said. “We have a lot of our rivals, and good competitors, out here. We woke up early, showed our dedication, and took it home.”

“I’m really excited for this season,” Jackson Sager said. “It was really fun. I was waking up early. I was groggy and said, ‘This is going to be tough.’ But in the first hour, I was really happy to be here.”

And the Westview linemen aren’t about to let up now. 

“I’m going to go work out right after this,” Chavez-Strand said with a smile.

Other members of the Westview championship group of linemen include Elijah Mazkowitz, Xeiden Padasdao, Otis Thompson and Brayden Felps.

Westview will open the 2022 high school season Sept. 2, when it will play host to Clackamas in a nonleague game.