‘I’m just in my happy place right now.’ Linemen enjoy their day in the spotlight at annual Metro Area Lineman Challenge

By Dan Brood 

For the linemen, this is a big deal.

It’s certainly about competition — who’s the strongest, fastest, most skilled, who can jump the farthest.

Sure, all of that matters.

But there’s so much more. 

It’s about bonding. It’s about progress. And, of course, it’s about getting ready for the upcoming high school football season.

All of that mattered at the 2022 Metro Area Lineman Challenge, which was held July 18 at Hare Field in Hillsboro.

“This means lot. It’s a really big team-bonding experience,” Tigard senior-to-be Matthew Studer said during the 22-team competition, which 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. “Coming back out here, from our last season, we’re ready. Teams aren’t really looking too hard at us right now, but they’re going to get a rude awakening in the fall.”

“This is my second year doing it, and it’s really fun again,” Tualatin senior-to-be Will Wilson said. “We have a whole new O-line this year, so this is really exciting. We’re getting ready for the season, and we’ve had a great day today. We’re just excited and ready to get after it.”

“This is super awesome,” said Sheldon senior-to-be Noah Snyder, who, along with his Irish teammates, was competing at the lineman challenge for the first time. “It’s a reward. It’s cool to be out here and check out all of these other guys and see what’s going on.”

“Our team just loves the competition,” Tualatin senior-to-be Drew Corcoran said. “We want to get out here and bond and get ready for the regular season.”

This year’s event marked the 12th year for the Metro Area Lineman Challenge, which was started by, and is run by, Glencoe coach Ian Reynoso. For teams such as Tigard and Tualatin, who have been at the event since the inaugural competition, the lineman challenge is one of the highlights of the summer.

“This means a lot to us. Coming up, before I came here, we were known to do well here. So, we just wanted to come out, work hard, do well and continue that legacy,” Tigard senior-to-be Reese Hare said. “This is a lot of fun. I was just nervous my first year, but I had the best time of my life, and I was excited to come back.” 

“I think this competition really means a lot to us. It gets us a lot closer. It’s helping us grow as a team,” Corcoran said. “I love the farmer’s carry. It was a real mental challenge and a fun event. I’ve had a blast. I’m having a lot of fun out here.”

Westview, looking to ride the momentum from last year’s 9-2 season, earned the team championship at the lineman challenge with a score of 75 points.

“Linemen don’t usually get a lot of credit,” Westview senior-to-be Jackson Sager said. “You don’t get a lot of stats to prove yourself. When you’re out here, you can actually compete with other teams and linemen.”

Senior-to-be Gunner Jorgensen helped lead the Wildcats to the team title, as he was both the heavyweight division individual champion and the overall MVP for the event.

Jorgensen, consistent throughout the competition, tied his Westview teammate, senior-to-be Campbell Sager, for the top mark in the tire flip, each with 14. Campbell Sager also had the top mark in the shuttle run for the heavyweight division with his time of 4.49 seconds. Westview senior-to-be Jason Cephus had the top time in the shuttle run for the lightweight division with his mark of 4.46.

Tualatin, looking to reload on the offensive line after getting to the Class 6A state championship game last fall, finished second with a score of 68.

“We’re just building up chemistry and building brotherhood on the O-line,” Wilson said. “This event is big. It helps us as a team just come together. The O-line is like a unit. This competition is helpful, for sure.”

Wilson had a big performance for the Timberwolves at the lineman challenge, as he was a close second to Jorgensen in the heavyweight individual standings. Wilson also had the top mark for heavyweights in three events — the 40-yard dash, at 5.02; the vertical jump, with a height of 31 inches; and the standing broad jump, with a distance of 109.5 inches.

Tualatin senior-to-be Bodan Griffith was the lightweight individual champion. Griffith, on his way to winning the title, tied Hillsboro’s Sebastian Echeverria for first place in the bench press for the lightweight division, each lifting 185 pounds 24 times.

Sheldon, competing at the lineman challenge for the first time, finished third in the team standings with 49 points. Snyder had the top time in the 40-yard dash for the lightweight division with his mark of 5.14. Irish sophomore-to-be Brody Thomas had the top mark in the standing broad jump in the lightweight division with his leap of 110.

Jesuit, traditionally known for its powerful offensive line, gave indication that 2022 will be no different, as the Crusaders finished in fourth place in the team standings with 47 points.

Jesuit senior-to-be Sylus Wallace had a big performance for the second consecutive year at the lineman challenge, finishing third in the heavyweight division individual standings. Wallace had a distance of 119 yards in the farmer’s carry, up from 104 a year ago, putting him in a tie with his Crusaders teammate, Liam Cassidy, for the top mark in that event.

Also for Jesuit, junior-to-be Dillan Rystadt had the top mark in the vertical jump for the lightweight division with a height of 32 inches.

Cassidy finished in fourth place in the heavyweight division individual standings. Glencoe senior-to-be Spencer Krussman finished fifth in the heavyweight individual standings.

Central Catholic senior-to-be Francis Godlee-Campbell, competing in the heavyweight division, topped everyone in the bench press with his mark of 28 lifts.
Southridge seniors-to-be Jackson Powell and Adam Slail finished second and third, respectively, in the lightweight division individual standings. Tigard junior-to-be Brian Smith placed fourth, and Thomas was fifth.

Glencoe junior-to-be Pierce Ashenfelter took the top spot among lightweight competitors in the tire flip, with 12, and in the farmer’s carry, with a distance of 102 yards.

Tualatin placed first in the two-man blocking sled relay, and Westview powered its way to first place in the team tug of war.

While the individual results and team placings are important, the linemen say there are other benefits to the event.

“I think the best part is seeing how I’ve improved from last year to this year,” Hare said. “I’ve improved on the bench, the tire flips. My shuttle (run) got a lot better, too. It’s just from putting that work in during the offseason.”

“I think it’s great to be out here,” Jackson Sager said. “The last time I was out here I was a freshman. I was with the other linemen, and I wasn’t able to do much. I remember the farmer’s carry, I walked about five yards with it. Now, I did three laps, or two-and-a-half laps. It’s definitely special to get the chance to prove yourself.”

“We don’t really have a lot of these. It’s a really big opportunity for us. It’s really exciting and I’m excited to see how it goes,” Studer said. “I’m ecstatic. I just love football. I love being on this turf. I’m just in my happy place right now.”

Rounding out the top 10 in the team standings, Glencoe was fifth, Nelson sixth, Tigard seventh, Beaverton eighth, Central Catholic ninth and West Linn 10th.