Les Schwab Bowl delivers again: ‘It’s the best football experience I’ve had in my entire life’
By Dan Brood | Photos by Ken Waz
Dylan Dihn might have summed things up best.
As he was running off the field after the first touchdown of the game, the 2023 Grant graduate and the starting center for Team Columbia yelled, “He’s so damn good at football! I love my quarterback!”
That quarterback, who in fact does seem to be “so damn good at football,” is Cru Newman, who turned in an absolutely amazing performance to help lead Team Columbia to a convincing 42-13 win over Team Willamette in the 2023 Les Schwab Bowl, a high school football all-star game played Saturday in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd at Linfield University in McMinnville.
“It’s awesome,” a smiling Newman said after the game. “Meeting all of these new guys, new people that you’d never thought you’d meet, and you build this bond over the week. Winning this is pretty cool.”
“It was fun,” said Nick Colyer, a Wilsonville senior-to-be who was named Team Columbia Defensive MVP. “It was a whole week of just practice and having fun with the team. It was just nice to come in and win. That’s what we wanted to do all week.”
“It means a lot,” said Team Columbia receiver Dylan Munley, a Tualatin graduate who had a touchdown catch. “We wanted to come out and dominate them, and we did. It was 42-13, and that’s a special win.”
Saturday’s game, the 75th in the all-star series and the 25th as the Les Schwab Bowl, marked the second consecutive win for Team Columbia, which defeated Team Willamette 28-9 in last year’s game, which was the first under the Team Columbia vs. Team Willamette format.
Newman, a Central Catholic senior-to-be, had three touchdown passes, a touchdown run and a touchdown catch Saturday.
“I did it earlier in the season one time, but this was special,” Newman said of having a touchdown run, pass and catch in the same game. “It was super cool to do it in this atmosphere, with this group of guys. It was awesome.”
That performance helped earn Newman the game overall MVP honor for the second year in a row.
“It’s hard to single out one person. Everyone had their role,” Newman said. “The line doesn’t get enough credit. It’s more of a team award. It’s cool; it’s awesome. I got the belt, but it really goes back and reflects on (Team Columbia) Coach (Steve) Pyne and the team.”
Maybe so, but Newman’s Team Columbia teammates seem to know what a special player he is.
“Cru, he’s one of the best leaders around,” Munley said. “I met the guy a couple of years ago, and he’s a great guy. He’s charismatic. He leads the team. If he messes up, he’ll admit it and then he comes back and does his best. He’s a great guy and he’s going to have a lot of success.”
“Me and Cru, we go way back,” Dihn said. “Sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade, we played with each other. Throughout high school, obviously we didn’t go to the same high school, but we always kept in touch and had that love for each other. Seeing him score, being on the same field with him, and being his center and snapping the ball to him, we just had special connection. It’s a brotherhood. I’ve got so much love for him.”
Team Willamette, while it didn’t get to celebrate a win in Saturday’s game, still got to revel in the Les Schwab Bowl week and the contest itself.
“It was a dream come true,” said Team Willamette receiver Niko May, a Central Catholic senior-to-be. “I came here last year, watching my buddies play, and I was like, ‘I want to be out there.’ For that to come true, to get the playing time I did and to show out and show my skills on the field was definitely a dream come true.”
“It meant a lot, just getting to come out here and play my last game of high school football and to spend it with new people,” said Team Willamette receiver Jace Swygard, a Lakeridge graduate. “Making so many new relationships just means a lot.”
The game got off to an exhilarating start as, on the opening kickoff, Rasean Jones, coming off his freshman year at Baker, made a loud, thunderous tackle on Team Willamette’s Esteban Mendez.
“It was cool,” said Jones, who opened plenty of eyes not only during Saturday’s game, but throughout the week. “I didn’t expect it, but when it happened, I just embraced it.”
The first time Team Columbia got the ball, it wasted little time in marching down the field. Behind the starting offensive line of Dihn, Redmond junior-to-be Jace Eveland, Central Catholic junior-to-be Zac Stascausky, North Medford graduate David Fuiava and Liberty senior-to-be Zac Stascausky, the squad moved 56 yards in 10 plays, capping the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Newman. Kadyn Butcher, a Jesuit senior-to-be, added the first of his six extra-point kicks, giving Team Columbia a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes and 55 seconds left in the first quarter.
Soon after, Cade Gehlen, a Central Catholic senior-to-be, intercepted a Team Willamette pass, giving the ball back to Team Columbia. Two plays later, Newman handed off to Jones on what looked to be a jet sweep to the right. Instead, Jones stopped and threw the ball back to Newman for an 18-yard touchdown pass, making it 14-0 with 8:32 left in the second quarter.
“I didn’t expect it, but it was definitely fun,” Jones said. “We worked on it all week. I was definitely nervous. I didn’t throw a great ball in practice, but in the game it went pretty well.”
“Catching the touchdown was really fun,” Newman said. “I love Ray Ray — that’s what I call him.”
Team Columbia struck again with seven seconds left in the first half, when Newman connected with Munley on a 16-yard touchdown pass, making the score 21-0 going to the intermission.
“I expected to come in and dominate, and I did,” said Munley, who mainly played linebacker during his senior year at Tualatin. “I worked with Cru all week, and I’ve known him for a while, and that helped. We just played a great game together.”
Team Willamette got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter when quarterback Deacon Edgar, a South Medford graduate, capped a 15-play, 61-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon graduate Zach McEwen, making the score 21-6 with 1:34 remaining in the period.
Team Columbia responded with three consecutive fourth-quarter scores. Newman had touchdown passes of three and 55 yards to Central Catholic junior-to-be Zhaiel Smith, and Emmett Togni, a Lincoln senior-to-be, scored on a 5-yard run, coming behind a block by Dihn, to push the lead to 42-6 with 5:53 to play.
Team Willamette kept battling. Edgar completed passes of 11 and 18 yards to Swygard to help set up a 13-yard touchdown toss from Edgar to May with 1:55 remaining.
“It was like a hesitation on the line. I was supposed to act like I wasn’t really running a route, and then I gunned it across the field. It was meant to throw off the safeties, which it did. I saw the ball, got possession, and it felt great,” May said. “It was so sweet, at the end of the game — it was awesome.”
The touchdown made the final score 42-13, letting Team Columbia celebrate its second consecutive win.
“I think everyone was ready,” Colyer said. “Everyone felt ready.”
“For me, I’m a senior, so this is my last high school football game, and this is a great way to go out,” Dihn said. “Some of these guys, they don’t go to my school, but I’ve played with them in youth (football), so to play with them and practice with them felt just like the old times. To win this game means so much for us.”
“It was real fun, just going out there and competing with all of the guys,” Jones said. “We played hard and got the win.”
“We’ve been talking about it all week,” said Munley, who had four catches for 49 yards. “We’re like, ‘We’re going to kill Team Willamette, we’re going to want it, we’re going to come after it all game,’ and we did to the very end, and we had fun doing it.”
Newman completed 14 of 18 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He ran for 49 yards and a touchdown on six carries and had an 18-yard touchdown reception.
Team Columbia’s other quarterback, Sherwood senior-to-be Kasen Covert, competed 9 of 14 passes for 95 yards. He ran for 24 yards on five carries.
Jamahl Wilson, a McKay senior-to-be, led all rushers with 78 yards on 10 carries. Togni had six carries for 11 yards and three receptions for 25 yards.
Smith, who was tabbed Team Columbia’s Offensive MVP, had six catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones had four catches for 55 yards, an 18-yard touchdown pass and the thunderous special teams tackle, and he was the holder on place-kicks.
“I definitely learned a lot of new things in practice and playing with the best of the best. I hope to take this back,” Jones said. “It was a lot of fun — definitely more fun than I expected. I was a little nervous, but it turned out pretty well. I met a lot of new guys.”
Colyer had an interception, as he helped pace the Team Columbia defense, which gave up 248 yards on 69 plays.
“That means a lot,” Colyer said of earning the Team Columbia Defensive MVP honor. “Our coach had a great defense that I’d never played before. We had five safeties on the team. I’d never played DB before, but it was fun to play there. I love my DB group. It was awesome.”
Also for the Team Columbia defense, Reese Hare, a Tigard graduate, had a sack and a tackle for loss. Vaughn Croxton, another Tigard graduate, had two tackles for loss. Dexter Foster, a Central Catholic senior-to-be, had a sack, and Central Catholic junior-to-be Zach Davis, Lebanon senior-to-be Hayden George and Wilsonville graduate Ryder McElroy each had a tackle for loss.
Team Columbia also had a great experience to go with the victory.
“It was one of the greatest football weeks I’ve ever had, staying in the dorms and bonding with all of these guys and having a great time,” Munley said. “I’ve never met three-quarters of them before, and now they’re friends.”
“The game is nice, but so was just getting to come together with all of these guys,” Dihn said. “There are so many guys that I played against throughout the years, so to be able to now play with this great group of guys, it’s been so fun and so special. It’s the best football experience I’ve had in my entire life.”
For Team Willamette, Edgar, who was named the team’s Offensive MVP, completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 25 yards on four carries. The team’s other quarterback, Forest Grove senior-to-be Kaden Hale, completed 5 of 11 passes for 26 yards, and he ran for a team-high 34 yards on seven carries.
Tyler Konold, a Canby senior-to-be, ran for 25 yards on four carries. Tigard graduate Konner Grant ran for 12 yards on five carries.
Swygard led the team in receiving with six catches for 59 yards.
“It was a lot of fun to catch the ball and get hit a little bit,” he said. “It was fun to get a little contact. It was a great experience.”
May had six catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. McEwen had four catches for 31 yards and a score. Noah Holub, a Valley Catholic senior-to-be, had two receptions.
For the Team Willamette defense, South Salem junior-to-be Romyl Luster, Jefferson senior-to-be Montral Brazile Jr. and South Albany senior-to-be DeShawn Gilliam each had a tackle for loss. South Salem senior-to-be Parker Williams was named the Team Willamette Defensive MVP.
The Team Willamette players are also taking special memories from the week.
“Meeting new people was a big part of it,” May said. “Getting to see new people from around the state and see how they play — it’s just like another brotherhood.”
“It’s a really fun experience to see what it’s going to be like to be here the next four years,” said Swygard, who is going to play college football at Linfield. “This was a lot of fun, and I’d recommend to anyone who wants to come out here and do this.”
Gresham senior-to-be Andre Miller was named the Team Willamette Player of the Week and Jones was tabbed the Team Columbia Player of the Week. Pyne, from Central Catholic, was honored as Coach of the Game.
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