As reported last month in this sports column, five Philomath High football players were named to the Class 4A all-state team with Hudson Raab, CD Nuno, Rocco De La Rosa (at two positions), Caleb Russell and Warwick Bushnell all earning recognition.
A few evenings ago during a home basketball game, one of the team’s assistant coaches mentioned to me the very rare feat of a team’s quarterback and starting receivers all earning all-state status. It hadn’t occurred to me but he’s right — it’s a safe bet that not a lot of teams, if any, had accomplished that level of recognition in the past.
Russell, quarterback, was honorable mention and his three primary targets over the course of the season were Nuno (first team), Raab (first team), De La Rosa (honorable mention) and Bushnell (honorable mention). Raab was on the first team at tight end. De La Rosa was a second-team pick on defense.
Philomath will lose Russell, Raab and Bushnell to graduation but Nuno and De La Rosa will be back from a team that went 8-3 and reached the 4A quarterfinals.
A renewed call for umpires
The Oregon School Activities Association and Oregon Athletic Officials Association sent out a joint news release earlier this week with an “urgent need for high school baseball and softball umpires.”
The organizations have been attempting to attract more individuals to get into officiating and it seems to be a recurring theme year after year. For those interested, the payouts average about $80 per game.
Registration for new officials is now open.
“Oregon has an urgent need for officials in all sports,” OAOA executive director Jack Folliard said through the news release. “Officials provide valuable service to high schools and students, make a positive impact in the community and build relationships.”
New umpires can start the registration process at this link.
Jags release schedule
The Willamette Valley Jaguars basketball team released its 2025 schedule with games at the University of Oregon, Corvallis High School and Crescent Valley High School. Attempts to play games at Philomath High did not materialize.
Team owner Marion Clark tried to secure PHS as a possible game venue but in the end, the school was not ready to commit to giving up the gym space, especially with a new boys volleyball program starting up this spring. The league that the Jags play in features a schedule with games in March, April and May.
Home dates for the Jaguars include four at MacArthur Court in Eugene (March 16, March 22, April 12 and April 13), four at Corvallis High (March 29, March 30, April 5 and April 6) and two at Crescent Valley High (May 4 and May 24).
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
