Metro Area Lineman Challenge 2024: Oregon linemen revel in their day in the spotlight

Champions were crowned in several events at the annual competition in Hillsboro

Power.

There was plenty of it on display.

Strength — yeah, plenty of that to be seen, too.

Speed, agility and jumping were all part of the festivities as well.

But don’t forget brotherhood, camaraderie, bonding, teamwork and competition — wow, was there ever a lot of competition.

It was all to be found at the Metro Area Lineman Challenge, which was held Saturday, July 13, under sunny, warm skies at Hare Field in Hillsboro.

“This event, it’s a really good thing,” Sherwood senior-to-be Neal Steger said of the competition, which featured such events as the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, vertical jump, standing broad jump, bench press, farmer’s carry, tractor tire flip, two-man blocking sled relay and the team tug-of-war. “Not only do people get to show the work they’ve put in during the offseason, but it’s a really good team-builder. It’s good to build a team chemistry and team culture. I know our guys have been looking forward to this event.”

“I think this is great,” Sprague senior-to-be Aedan Saele said. “I know all of our guys here are having a lot of fun. They want to compete and show how much they’ve improved since last year.”

“It’s just a fun way to come out and compete against other guys,” Tigard junior-to-be Mason Gilliland said. “Also, it’s a way to prove yourself against everyone else. It’s fun to come out here and compete.”

This year’s event marked the 14th year for the Metro Area Lineman Challenge, which was started by, and is run by, Glencoe head coach Ian Reynoso. Like in previous years, this year’s competition seemed to be one of the highlights of the summer for many of the high school linemen who were at the event.

Glencoe head coach Ian Reynoso / Photo by Dan Brood

“This is awesome,” Sherwood junior-to-be Isaac Bean said. “It’s great to come out here, see what the competition is and test ourselves and see what we can do in a competitive setting — and have fun while doing it.”

“To me, it’s very special,” Sprague senior-to-be Trae Mackaravitz said. “We get to show off our skills and show where we’re at. It also shows what we need to work on.”

Sherwood, competing at the event for the second time, won its first Metro Area Lineman Challenge championship, claiming the title with 78 points.

“Our guys were very excited when coach (Reynoso) announced the winners,” Sherwood assistant coach David Balfour said. “I could just see guys who were wondering who they were going to be and what they were going to be — well, this answered a few questions for them.”

While the Bowmen definitely reveled in their victory, for them, it was about more than just winning the championship.

“It’s fun getting out here with your friends. It’s good to do this, and it makes us a closer group,” Sherwood senior-to-be Jack Richardson said. “It was really fun. It’s a really good experience. Everyone who has a chance to do it, should do it. Even if you feel you’re not strong enough, you should still do it, just to show how much you improve.”

While Sherwood reigned in the team competition, Gilliland shined as an individual for the Tigers, placing first in the overall standings in the lightweight division. He seemed to thrive under the competitive aspect of the event.

“It’s definitely spirited, especially in the tug-of-war. A lot of guys were getting pretty hyped about that,” Gilliland said. “But everyone are friends in the end. Obviously, there are rivalries, but everyone are friends and brothers.”

Gilliland, on his way to winning the lightweight individual crown, topped all lightweight competitors in the tire flip event, with 12 flips. That event proved to be a highlight for Tigard, as Tiger junior-to-be Braeden Krizan led all heavyweight competitors with 14 tire flips.

Sunset junior-to-be Anthony Semchuk, who finished second in the lightweight division final individual standings, had a big day for the Apollos, as he finished first in the lightweight division in the bench press with 26 reps at 185 pounds. He was first in the division in the farmer’s carry with 100 yards.

Also in the lightweight division, Hillsboro junior-to-be Kiyo Holland had the fastest 40-yard dash with his time of 4.74 seconds. Lake Oswego senior-to-be Noah Uecker had the best mark in the shuttle run at 4.34. Tualatin senior-to-be Luke Schwab had the best vertical jump with a leap of 32 inches, and Sunset junior-to-be Eli Hoffman won the standing broad jump with a mark of 109 inches.

Steger finished in third place in the lightweight overall individual standings. Saele was fourth, and Schwab placed fifth.

Aloha sophomore-to-be Scottland Telesa was the heavyweight individual champion. He triumphed in the bench press with a 33 lifts.

Scottland Telesa of Aloha / Photo by Dan Brood

Tualatin junior-to-be Treven Rollis took first place in the 40-yard dash for the heavyweights with his time of 5.16. He topped the field in the standing broad jump with a distance of 100.5 inches.

Lake Oswego had two individual winners in the heavyweight division in junior-to-be Jackson Graetz, who had a winning mark of 29.5 inches in the vertical jump, and sophomore-to-be Josh Christensen, who won the shuttle run in 4.54 seconds. Richardson had the top farmer’s carry with 100 yards.

Christensen finished in second place in the final heavyweight overall standings. Richardson finished in third place, Graetz was fourth, and Mackaravitz was fifth.

In the team events, Sherwood took first place in the two-man blocking sled relay race in 1:07. Sunset was second at 1:10. Lake Oswego turned in a dominant performance in winning the team tug-of-war crown. In the double-elimination bracketed event, the Lakers topped Jesuit in the winners bracket semifinals. They bested Sherwood in the bracket final and wrapped up first place with a win over Sandy.

Sunset finished second behind Sherwood in the final team standings with 64 points. Lake Oswego was third with 55, Sprague was fourth with 49, and defending champion Tualatin was fifth with 39. Rounding out the top 10, Tigard was sixth with 28 points, Sandy was seventh with 26, Jesuit was eighth with 18, Aloha was ninth with 14, and Hillsboro was 10th with eight points.

At the end, as the competitors were enjoying post-event hamburgers while sitting in the shaded grandstands at Hare Field, there were plenty of smiles and looks of accomplishment to be seen.

“This is my first time here, and I’m having a blast,” Saele said. “I think it’s a great event.”