Les Schwab Bowl gives South Salem star Parker Williams another chance to enjoy football brotherhood

By Dan Brood 

The Les Schwab Bowl.

Sure, it’s a high school football all-star game, featuring many of the top players from around the state, to be played Saturday at Linfield University in McMinnville.

But it’s more than that. Ask any player who has been part of the game, and the week leading up to the game, and they’ll likely let you know — it’s about brotherhood.

It could be said that football is about brotherhood.

You certainly don’t have to convince Parker Williams of that.

Williams, a South Salem senior-to-be who will play in the defensive backfield for Team Willamette in Saturday’s contest, knows all about football brotherhood, and he discovered how deep that brotherhood runs in a scary situation.

It was Oct. 21, when the Saxons defeated rival Sprague in a conference game at South Salem High School.

After the victory, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Williams was on his way to meet up with his teammates.

“It was pouring down rain,” Williams said, looking back at that night following Team Willamette’s early practice Tuesday. “We were all going to Shari’s. That’s where we always go after games. The turn into Shari’s was really dark. I saw the turn too late. I still thought I could take it. Tried to take it, and it was too late. I lost traction and slid into a pole.”

He did more than just barely slide into the power pole. There was a massive transformer explosion. Power lines were down and sparking, and part of the south Salem area lost power.

Within moments, with Williams out of the car, he was surrounded by his teammates, who rushed out of the restaurant when they saw the accident.

“The guys were all right there, pretty quickly,” Williams said. “They were right by my side.”

It was more than just Williams’ South Salem teammates who rushed out of the restaurant. There were also players from Sprague who sprinted out.

“It was really great. I know a lot of them,” Williams said. “It was really nice. They were all really supportive. (Sprague 2023 graduate) Drew Rodriguez, he was one of them, and (Sprague senior-to-be) Athan Palmateer, they came out. I had my own teammates, great teammates, and they were all really helpful. They were by my side the whole time.”

So, what did the scary situation prove to Williams?

“Football, it brings people together. You can see it out here, as well,” he said. “In football, we all just mesh, and it forms a brotherhood like no other. It’s deeper than just the game. It’s more rooted than that.”

Williams, with his special appreciation for the brotherhood that football helps form, had a big junior season for South Salem, helping the Saxons go 8-2. He was a first-team all-Mid-Valley selection and a second-team all-league pick at cornerback, all while carrying a 4.29 weighted grade-point average.

He’s looking for big things again for the Saxons in the 2023 season.

“It should be pretty good,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of returning players. I think we’re going to shock a lot of people.”

Before that, there’s the opportunity to play in the Les Schwab Bowl.

“It’s great,” Williams said. “I’ve had a bunch of teammates at South, like Zack Wusstig, who’ve played in this, so it’s great for myself to be in that position, playing with great people and great competition. That’s always fun.”

Williams also wants to help Team Willamette come away with a win in Saturday’s all-star clash with Team Columbia.

“I think it’s important,” Williams said of getting the victory. “I always play to win, especially against great competition. You always want to win and be the best you can be.”

And, of course, there’s the brotherhood of football. 

“That makes this all so special,” Williams said.

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Proceeds from this year’s Les Schwab Bowl, presented by Express Employment Professionals, will benefit the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association general scholarship fund, the Brayden Bafaro Scholarship Fund, and various youth charities.

This is the 75th game in the series, but just the second that won’t be North vs. South. Instead, players were drafted by the Team Columbia coaching staff, with head coach Steve Pyne from Central Catholic, and by the Team Willamette coaching staff, with head coach Josh Line from Sheldon. In last year’s game, the first under this format, Team Columbia posted a 28-9 win over Team Willamette.

Gates will open at 3 p.m. Saturday, with food carts on site. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at lesschwabbowl.com/tickets. The game can also be streamed online, at a cost of $10, at lesschwabbowl.com.