‘They really develop players here at Tualatin.’ 3 Timberwolves stars sign to play Division I college football

By Dan Brood 

Left to right in photo: Will Wilson, Jack Wagner, Richie Anderson 

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It’s been the plan for a long, long time now.

Grow up playing football together, have a whole bunch of success, move on to play high-level football in college.

While the paths and destinations differ, Tualatin seniors Richie Anderson, Jack Wagner and Will Wilson are seeing that plan come true. While Anderson, with Fresno State University, and Wagner, with the University of Idaho, signed their national college football letters of intent during the early signing period in December, Wilson was set to make it three-for-three by signing his letter of intent with Northern Arizona University on Wednesday.

“It says a lot. It shows that they really develop players here at Tualatin,” Wilson said of three players signing to play Division I college football, with seemingly many more to come in the future. “We’ve been playing together since elementary school. We literally knew since Day 1 that we would eventually play college football and that we would reach a high level.”

The trio certainly has played at a high level at Tualatin. As juniors, Anderson, Wagner and Wilson played key roles in helping the Timberwolves play in the 2021 Class 6A state championship contest. This past fall, while Wilson missed almost the entire season because of injury, Anderson and Wagner led the way for a Tualatin squad that reached the semifinal round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of success here,” Wilson said.

Wagner, who has shined at quarterback, defensive back and punter at Tualatin, had maybe the steadiest path to college football of the Tualatin trio. Wagner orally committed to the University of Idaho, located in Moscow, Idaho, before his senior season at Tualatin. He officially signed with the Vandals during the early signing period.

“It was even a bigger relief than getting an offer,” Wagner said of actually signing his letter of intent. “It’s official — you’re going there. It gave me a lot of excitement because that’s my next step.”

And it sounds like Idaho was the obvious choice for Wagner, when it comes to that next step.

“Honestly, when I went up there, it was the coaches. I went up there twice before my official visit, so when I was up there, I got to meet the coaches and see how things were ran there, and I loved it,” he said. “I saw the campus and said, ‘This feels like home.’ On my official trip, I got to hang out with the players, and they were all welcoming and accepting. It felt like a new home to me.”

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Wagner, taking over as Tualatin’s starting quarterback for the 2022 season, shined as a senior, sharing Three Rivers League offensive player of the year honors while being a Class 6A all-state second-team selection. The dual-threat quarterback completed 191 of 300 passes for 2,880 yards and 29 touchdowns, throwing just eight interceptions.

While Wagner signed with Idaho in December, he took part in a letter of intent signing ceremony, along with four other Tualatin seniors, held Tuesday in front of friends, family and coaches at the school.

“It meant a lot,” Wagner said of being in the signing ceremony. “I saw three years of players go through this before me, so it felt special to be in their place. It’s a good feeling.”

Anderson (6-4, 230) had a much different path to his signing. It was following a change of mind, and a change of position, that he ended up signing with Fresno State University.

“I’m pretty excited about this,” said Anderson, who didn’t take part in Tuesday’s signing ceremony because his parents weren’t able to attend. “I’ve been waiting for the day to come.”

Anderson had committed to Colorado State University in late June, and he was all set to play at defensive end for the Rams.

But then, Anderson had a standout season on the defensive line, earning Three Rivers League defensive player of the year and defensive lineman of the year honors, in addition to being a first-team Class 6A all-state pick, and he also shined at tight end, being a first-team all-TRL honoree and a second-team all-state selection.

He had some huge games at tight end for the Timberwolves, having six catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a state playoff quarterfinal win over Mountainside among them.

“My first three years of my high school experience, in my sophomore and junior years, I was a real defensive player,” Anderson said. “This senior year, I got more tight end work. That kind of opened up my mind. I have a dream of playing in the NFL, and I think that can be achieved playing at tight end.”

That led to him decommitting from Colorado State, in favor of Fresno State.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ll make in my life,” Anderson said. “I’m going to be a tight end at Fresno now, so I’m going from defense to offense.”

He’s happy that he’ll be playing on offense, at tight end, for the Bulldogs.

“It’s the coaches and the environment,” Anderson said of what made Fresno State the right place for him. “The facilities, I’m not going to say they’re amazing, but I don’t need to have facilities be amazing. But with the coaching I’m going to have the next four years, I can see myself going real far with that. I feel like my potential can go higher.”

Wilson (6-3, 215), who couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, might have had the most unlikely, but maybe the most gratifying, path to college football.

After earning all-Three Rivers League honorable mention accolades at linebacker as a junior, Wilson appeared to be all set to have a big-time senior season for the Timberwolves, both at linebacker and on the offensive line.

But those plans fell through, as Wilson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Tualatin’s first game of season, ending his senior campaign before it even really got started.

“That was tough, really tough,” Wilson said.

But Wilson stayed with the Tualatin squad throughout the season.

“It was fun watching them get to the semis (where the Timberwolves fell 28-14 to Sheldon),” Wilson said. “I wish I was out there for that; maybe it could have been a different game against Sheldon, but it is what it is.”

But Wilson didn’t pout about it. Instead, he went to work.

“Every day, I’ve been working out, doing physical therapy, and I’m ready for the next step,” Wilson said.

The smile on his face got even bigger when he talked about the next step, signing his letter of intent Wednesday to play at Northern Arizona University, located in Flagstaff, Ariz.

“I’m just looking forward to playing college football. That’s what’s next,” he said. “I sign officially tomorrow (Wednesday) with NAU. It’s really important because now I get to play four more years of football.”

He added that he’s happy to be playing those four years for the Lumberjacks.

“I’m really excited about going to NAU. They’ve got great facilities, and I’m looking forward to just playing games there,” Wilson said. “They want me to play inside linebacker, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m extremely motivated for this. Once I tore it (his ACL), it was extremely tough, but this is football, and injuries happen. I can only go up from here.”

Northern Arizona, like Idaho, is a member of the Big Sky Conference, meaning there could be a future Tualatin football reunion on opposite sides of the gridiron.

“It was really tough missing my senior year, but I’m really excited to play college football,” Wilson said. “I’m going to get to play against Jack in college. That’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Also taking part in Tuesday’s letter of intent signing ceremonies at Tualatin High School were seniors Sophie Fast, who will play volleyball at Eastern Oregon University, Aaron Lakeman, who will run cross country and track at the Air Force Academy, Olivia Poulivaati, who will play basketball at the University of Nevada, and Avery Pratt, who will play soccer at Linfield University.