Oregon 6A football awards: South Salem's Athan Palmateer named regular season offensive MVP

A look at the Oregon 6A high school football regular season awards

The Oregon high school football postseason has arrived, which means it's time to give out my regular season awards.

Offensive player of the year: Athan Palmateer, South Salem Saxons

You’d be hard-pressed to find a head coach in Oregon who wouldn’t take Central Catholic quarterback Cru Newman with the first pick in any draft of the state’s talent.

But, then again, Newman hasn’t had to play much in the second half of games, so his overall statistics have suffered.

Still, he’s on the Mount Rushmore of best Oregon high school quarterbacks in modern history.

But for a regular season award, South Salem quarterback Athan Palmateer has been undeniable.

He has thrown for 2,863 yards (73 percent completion percentage) with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions, adding 567 yards and 11 scores on the ground for good measure.

Undefeated South Salem hasn’t been tested much in the regular season and it will be fascinating to see how they perform against the state’s best in the playoffs.

Surely, Palmateer and his electric receiving corps will provide some fireworks. 

Check out the other awards:

- Overall MVP

- Defensive player of the year

- Newcomer of the year

- Best offense

- Best defense

- Offensive lineman of the year

- Defensive lineman of the year

- Breakout underclassman

- Freshman of the year