Another Les Schwab Bowl, another Wusstig — West Salem’s Evan Wusstig follows in brother Zach’s footsteps

Evan Wusstig was a first-team all-conference receiver and defensive back as a sophomore for the Titans last fall

Evan Wusstig of West Salem / Photo by Dan Brood

If there’s anything Evan Wusstig wanted to know about the Les Schwab Bowl experience, he didn’t have to look far to find an answer.

All he had to do was ask his older brother.

The younger Wusstig is following his older brother’s footsteps as he’ll play in the 2024 Les Schwab Bowl, a high school football all-star game which will feature many of the top players from around the state, set to be played at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Wusstig, a West Salem junior-to-be, will be playing receiver for Team Willamette in Friday’s game.

“It means a lot to me, especially being from the class of 2026, being younger,” he said before a Team Willamette practice Tuesday. “I’m definitely grateful for being chosen. I just want to come here and ball out.”

His older brother played defensive back for Team Willamette in the 2022 all-star tilt.

“His name is Zach Wusstig, and he played here two years ago, before his senior year,” Evan Wusstig said. “He said he enjoyed it a lot, and he made a lot of new friends here.”

Zach Wusstig encouraged his younger sibling to take advantage of the opportunity to play in the all-star contest.

“He said it was a great experience, so I wanted to experience it, too,” Evan Wusstig said. “Yeah, I guess it’s a family tradition now.”

Evan Wusstig of West Salem / Photo by Dan Brood

Zach Wusstig represented Jefferson (2A) in the 2022 Les Schwab Bowl before transferring to South Salem for his senior season. His Team Willamette squad fell 28-9 to Team Willamette in the 2022 game.

So, Evan Wusstig has a chance to get redemption for his brother, or maybe gain bragging rights on his brother — either way, he just wants to help Team Willamette get a victory in this year’s game.

“That’s why we’re here,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for a week, practicing twice every day, getting ready to win the game.”

Evan Wusstig is coming off a big sophomore season with the Titans, earning first-team all-South-Central Football Conference honors at receiver and defensive back, helping West Salem reach the Class 6A state playoffs.

He’s hoping for more success with the Titans this fall.

“We just lost our quarterback (Kaden Martirano, who transferred to West Albany), but I think we’re still going to be strong,” Wusstig said. “We have an underclassman quarterback coming up, and I think he’s going to be pretty good.”

But first, Wusstig is ready to make some noise in Friday’s game while enjoying the entire experience.

“I’m looking to make a lot of new friends and to show what I can do. I want to show what I’m about,” he said.

“This week has been awesome. It’s super great. The practices have been fun, the dorms have been fun, the events have been fun. Everything’s been great.”

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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 76th game in the series, but just the third that won’t be North vs. South. Instead, players were drafted by the Team Columbia coaching staff, with head coach Steve Pyne, who led Central Catholic to the 2023 Class 6A state title, and by the Team Willamette coaching staff, with head coach Adam Guenther, who guided Wilsonville to the Class 5A state crown.

In last year’s game, the second under this format, Team Columbia posted a 42-13 win over Team Willamette, giving Team Columbia a 2-0 lead in the brief series under the current format.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. Saturday, with food carts and a beer/wine garden on site. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Tickets for the game, starting at $15, can be purchased online at lesschwabbowl.com/tickets.

— Dan Brood