Landon Fay of McMinnville looking to pull off a Les Schwab Bowl rarity — 2 years, 2 teams, 2 wins

The Grizzlies senior-to-be helped Team Columbia defeat Team Willamette a year ago; now, he’s on the other side

Landon Fay of McMinnville / Photo by Dan Brood

Landon Fay knows just how much fun Les Schwab Bowl week can be.

The McMinnville senior-to-be also knows just how it feels to win the Les Schwab Bowl.

Fay, who was on the Team Columbia team which topped Team Willamette 42-13 in the 2023 Les Schwab Bowl, is back this year, and he’s already having fun.

If he’s going to get another win, it will be for Team Willamette, as he’s on that squad for the 2024 Les Schwab Bowl, a high school football all-star game featuring many of the top players from around the state, which will be played Friday at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Fay will be playing defensive end as he’s looking to get his second consecutive win and help Team Willamette get its first victory in the series.

“I think it would be a big thing, especially with (Wilsonville) Coach (Adam) Guenther (who is the Team Willamette head coach), too,” Fay said after a Team Willamette practice. “He was also on Team Columbia (last year, as an assistant coach). So, if we win this year, it would be huge. It would be fun.”

Fun.

That seems to be a big thing for Fay during the Les Schwab Bowl week.

“Oh, yeah. I have fun all the time. Guenther put in a thing this year where we have fun games at the end of every practice. We do random things. It’s lots of fun,” Fay said. “We all just try to have fun and get after each other, especially since we all become friends after the first couple of days.”

Landon Fay of McMinnville / Photo by Dan Brood

It’s all part of a fun experience Fay had last year and is thankful he gets to do again this year.

“Last year was a ton of fun,” he said. “It was probably one of the greatest football experiences that I’ve ever had. I was excited that I got selected this year, too.”

In addition to having fun, the seemingly always-smiling Fay is looking to make plenty of noise for Team Willamette in Friday’s clash.

“I’m looking to get sacks and get after getting those tackles,” he said.

One thing that could make things even more fun for Fay in Friday’s game is that he could find himself at times facing off with a McMinnville teammate, senior-to-be Jacob Fairbank (6-7, 290), who will be playing offensive tackle for Team Columbia.

“I could line up against him because he plays tackle,” Fay said. “He’s one of my buddies. I’ve been talking crap to him since Day 1, when we both got selected. I said, ‘I’m getting after you — don’t worry!’”

Landon Fay of McMinnville / Photo by Dan Brood

As for his upcoming senior season at McMinnville, Fay, who earned first-team all-Pacific Conference honors on the defensive line as a junior, when he had six sacks, sees promising things for the Grizzlies.

“It looks good. I’m hoping we get a winning season this year, and it’s looking like we should,” he said. “We went 4-6 last year. I guess that’s good for us, but it’s not what we wanted. That’s motivation for this year. We’ve got a lot of younger kids this year, and they’re looking pretty good.”

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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