Team Columbia makes it four in a row with win over Team Willamette in 2025 Les Schwab Bowl

Team Columbia lineman Brett Ronson (right), from West Linn, pulls down Team Willamette quarterback Zeke Thomas, from Willamette, by the jersey in Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.

Sometimes, it seems like nothing ever changes.

Well, at least the Les Schwab Bowl seems to be that way.

In the fourth year of the game’s Team Columbia vs. Team Willamette format, Team Columbia came out the victor for the fourth straight time, topping Team Willamette 34-21 in the 2025 Les Schwab Bowl, played Friday at Lewis & Clark College’s Griswold Stadium.

Sandy’s James Richardson (33) is hosted into the air by Sandy’s Zachery Bridges after scoring a touchdown for Team Willamette during Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.

“Honestly, the reason we wanted to win this game the most is because one of our coaches (former Central Catholic head coach Steve Pyne, a Team Columbia assistant who now coaches at Union in Vancouver) was 17-2 in this game, and he wants to be 18-2, and we got the job done,” said Team Columbia receiver Hunter Vaughn, a Willamette rising senior who had a pair of touchdown catches in the win.

Jefferson’s EJ Cozart, a receiver for Team Columbia, pulls in a 41-yard touchdown pass during Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl contest.

“We knew we had to keep that up. That was 100 percent motivation. We knew that Coach Pyne was 17-2 in the Les Schwab Bowl,” said Team Columbia linebacker Leonardo Correani, a rising junior at Lincoln, who came up with a pair of turnovers in the victory. “Dude, this means the world. We were just together for just five days, but I think we built a culture. We could have played whoever we needed to.”

“I’d say the coaches do a great job,” said Team Columbia quarterback Cade Mitchell, a Mountainside senior-to-be who was named the game’s MVP. “Like (Team Columbia head) Coach (Aaron) Hazel says, ‘honor the honor.’ It’s an honor being here, and you’ve got to honor, respect and cherish that, and you’ll never forget it — and I’ll never forget this place.”

Mountainside’s Cade Mitchell, who threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns for Team Columbia, was given the Les Schwab Bowl Most Valuable Player honor.

Friday’s game, the 77th in the all-star series and the 27th as the Les Schwab Bowl, marked the fourth straight win for Team Columbia, which bested Team Willamette 39-26 in last year’s game, giving the team a 4-0 series lead since the contest has been under the Team Columbia vs. Team Willamette format.

Team Willamette receiver Elliott Bruce (left), from Reynolds High School, goes up high to pull in a touchdown pass during Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl game.

Kenya Johnson, a 2025 Sprague grad, and Brady Holland, a Lincoln grad, both know all about Team Columbia’s winning ways, as they were each part of victorious squad for the second straight year.

“That’s pretty cool. You get two experiences with two different groups of people,” said Johnson, a running back who scored a touchdown in Friday’s game. “Oh, it’s great. It’s great to come together with Oregon’s best and compete together and become a mini family for a little bit. It’s awesome.”

“It’s great. It’s fantastic,” Holland, a lineman for Team Columbia, said of being to back-to-back winning teams. “This game brings together a group of guys from around the state, and even Washington. It’s a special kind of brotherhood that is brought together with this game. There’s nothing like it.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound strong-armed Mitchell, who committed to the University of New Mexico right before the start of the Les Schwab Bowl week, seemed to step up in a big way in the all-star tilt, unofficially completing seven of 12 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns on his way to claiming MVP honors.

Players on the Team Columbia squad celebrate following their 34-21 win over Team Willamette in Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl all-star football contest.

“I just wanted to come out here and show what I could do. I just wanted to be me,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t have my eyes on any prize besides winning. That’s all I really cared about, just getting out here and help keep the streak going and keep winning. The solo prizes don’t really mean anything to me, it’s just about winning. Being MVP is an honor, and I’ll always remember that.”

Mitchell started the scoring in the contest when, on Team Columbia’s second possession, he connected with Vaughn for a 64-yard touchdown pass play down the right sideline, giving his team a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes and 52 seconds left to play in the first quarter.

“I came out slow in that first drive, we went three-and-out, so I was like, ‘I’ve got to turn it up,’” Mitchell said. “So, I calmed down a little bit, I saw that press coverage, and me and Hunter have been working all week, so we already knew.”

For Vaughn, who played eight-man football at North Douglas High School last year, the touchdown, as well as one he had later in the game, were a little extra special.

“It feels really good. This is my first time playing 11-man, so, two touchdowns, I’m really happy with my performance,” Vaughn said.

Team Columbia upped the margin to 10-0 when Canaan Moore, a 2025 Union grad, connected on a 31-yard field goal with 33 seconds left in the opening period.

Both of those scores were set up by Correani, who had an interception and a fumble recovery on back-to-back possessions.

“That was a great way to start the game,” Correani said with a smile. “We got a turnover and got the momentum. I think that helped us get that score and get things rolling.”Team Willamette would answer back. Quarterback Zeke Thomas, a Willamette sophomore-to-be, after scrambling to his left, connected with Elliott Bruce, a Reynolds senior-to-be, on a 31-yard TD pass play, making the score 10-7 with 10:38 left in the second quarter.

Springfield lineman Kai Brusasco yells out following Team Columbia’s 34-21 win over Team Willamette in Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.

But Team Willamette wouldn’t be able to get any closer the rest of the way.

Mitchell threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to EJ Cozart, a Jefferson senior-to-be, on a fourth-and-7 play, and Moore converted another field goal, this one from 27 yards out, giving Team Columbia a 20-7 halftime advantage.

Team Columbia kept rolling in the third quarter. Mitchell and Vaughn connected again, this time on a 12-yard touchdown pass, and Johnson was able to score on a 1-yard run, upping the lead to 34-7 with 3:22 left in the period.

The touchdown run had a little extra meaning for Johnson, as he was supposed to play at running back last year, but he got switched over to defense.

Redmond’s Parker Gibson, from Team Willamette, emerges from the smoke prior to Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.

“That was a lot of fun. I have to give credit to our offensive coordinator, (Sprague head coach) AJ Robinson. “He made sure I got one. That was pretty cool,” Johnson said. “That’s what I originally was going to do last year, but they changed me to defense. And I was supposed to play some defense tonight, but our guys were getting good work, so that wasn’t needed. I’m glad I got the experience on both sides.”

Team Columbia linebacker Makhi Miller, from Evergreen, Wash., lets out a yell after coming up with a sack during Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.

Despite the daunting deficit, Team Willamette, and Thomas tried to battle back.

“I noticed that we were down by a bunch, but I said, ‘let’s just go score some touchdowns and have fun. Let’s just go play some football.’ And, at the end of the day, that’s what we did,” Thomas said.

Team Columbia quarterback Cade Mitchell, from Mountainside, signals over toward the Team Willamette sideline after completing a long pass to Malachi Garlington, from Nelson.

Thomas threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to James Richards, a Sandy junior-to-be and then, with Team Willamette getting the ball back right away under Les Schwab Bowl rules, he hooked up with Aaron Bickwell, a Marist Catholic grad, on a 15-yard touchdown pass play, with Bickwell coming up with a spectacular catch deep in the end zone, making the final score 34-21.

“It means a lot,” Vaughn said of the victory. “We’ve been working hard all week, staying disciplined, getting to bed early and really bonding. That’s what won us this game – we were one whole family.”

“This was huge for us. That why we were grinding all week. But it was the little things that won this game for us. It was the discipline, the leadership, it was the friendships we made in the dorms. I think we were a team from Day 1,” Mitchell said. “I’d say we did a great job. We all pushed together, and we had a lot of fun times. It showed on the field, who was more disciplined, and more together team.”

“We have a fantastic coaching staff,” said Holland, who will play college football at Central Washington University. “Coach Pyne is now 18-2 in this game, that’s fantastic. The coaches are fantastic guys”

In addition to Mitchell’s big game at quarterback, Team Columbia’s other QB, Dukatti Witherspoon, a Sprague graduate, completed 12 of 14 passes for 115 yards.

Vaughn led a balanced Team Columbia receiving attack with three catches for 83 yards. Max Makarenko, a Sprague junior-to-be, had three receptions for 54 yards and Cozart had three catches for 49 yards. Bobby Blanchet, an Aloha senior-to-be, Johnson, Corinthian Littleton, a Parkrose senior-to-be, Malachi Garlington, a Nelson junior-to-be and Luke Carli, a Wilsonville senior-to-be, each had a pair of catches.

Johnson led all rushers in the game with 45 yards on 15 carries. Mataio Olomua, a Sandy grad, ran for 24 yards on 10 carries.

For the Team Columbia defense, lineman Makhi Miller, an Evergreen, Wash., grad, created havoc in the Team Willamette backfield all night, having a pair of sacks and another tackle for a loss. Levi Klostreich, a Sherwood junior-to-be, had a sack and a pass deflection and Emmett Hunsacker, a Sprague junior-to-be, added a sack.

The impressive stats, and even the victory, may not have been the most important aspect of the week for the Team Columbia players, or the Team Willamette players.

“A great part is the beginning,” Holland said. “There are 35 guys that I’ve never met, just getting to know them, and then facing all of these challenges. There’s so many things that bring us together, and then getting to celebrate this win together is amazing.”

“Building the relationships was the best thing,” Thomas said. “I came here and got a bunch of dudes’ numbers. I’m building relationships with these people. That’s the best part, making new friends and building relationships.”

Thomas, one of the youngest players in the game, surely turned some heads, as he completed 15 of 21 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns.

“Yeah, there are stats, but this is just football. I just do what I do. I prepare for games like these and moments like this,” said Thomas, who also ran for a team-high 33 yards. “It was fun. It definitely sucked being down most of the game. But I’m definitely glad I came and I really enjoyed the experience. I had a lot of fun, and I’m definitely glad I did it. I’ll be back next year, too.”

Zayden Anderson, a Seaside grad playing at quarterback in the Les Schwab Bowl for the second straight year, completed three of nine passes for 16 yards for Team Willamette.

Bidwell was the team’s top receiver with five catches for 57 yards. Tight end Charlie Dexter, a Churchill senior-to-be, had three catches for 30 yards and Jake White, a Seaside grad, had three catches for 19 yards. Bruce had two grabs for 36 yards and Nixon Nippert, a Gresham senior-to-be had two catches for 13 yards.

Richards had 25 rushing yards for Team Willamette and White rushed for 21 yards. For the Team Willamette defense, Matthew Hinkle, a Cascade senior-to-be, had a sack and another tackle for a loss. Evan Brenner, a Central Catholic grad, added a sack and Tau Takau, a Roosevelt grad, had a tackle for a loss.

Following the game, the celebration, all the family photos and the goodbyes to teammates, players got set to take their separate paths.

For Johnson, who also was a standout wrestler at Sprague, he’s getting ready for a church mission which will take him to Brazil in about a month. For Holland, the game was a good way to get ready for college football.

“I’m just excited. This is kind of a preview what it’s going to like for me coming up,” Holland said. “This has been a great experience. It was my first time playing football in a couple of months. My goal was to have fun, meet a bunch of guys. It was a great time with a great group of guys.”

For Thomas and Mitchell – and many of the other players – it’s time to start looking ahead to this fall’s high school senior.

“I’m really excited for this upcoming football season,” Thomas said.

“Tonight was fun, and the week was great, but I’m going to be happy to get home and celebrate with my family,” Mitchell said. “I can’t wait to be back with my team on Monday.”

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