12/18/2024
From Coach Ostle:
Warning this will be a long post.
They did it! Those boys(young men) did it! What. A. Game.
I would like to thank everyone who made the trip. This community is a big part of the team, so
from the bottom of my heart thank you for your support and for letting this Brit be part of the community.
Before I talk about the team, I would like to thank a few people.
I want to thank the fans you have been great and really loud in those stands. It was an amazing experience, and our players really appreciated it.
I want to thank my lovely assistant coach Brad Allred. I know it can’t be easy having to put up with me for so long. Thank you for being patient with me. You brought so much to the program, and I learned a lot from you. I would like to mention a few things however it most likely wouldn’t be appropriate for the community. I will say this: you poured your heart and soul
into this team, which is all anyone could ask for. Once it was all said and done, and we won,
thank you for what you said in the locker room. The players are lucky to have you. I wish you all
the best in the basketball season to come. I know you will do great!
I want to thank my father-in-law for helping me in the beginning, when this journey first
started. Without you, I most likely wouldn't be where I am today, so thank you, Sir!
Not everyone knows how much time and effort goes into a successful program. It takes long
days and long nights, and that's what I have done. But there was a cost which was time with my family, so to that, thank you to my beautiful wife, Taylor Ostle. I know when you met me you didn’t know I would fall in love with football, but without your support through this journey, I don’t think we would be state champs. Thank you for putting up with me through all of this, and I
promise we have some long-overdue family time.
I didn't realize this right away, but it is cool to say that I was these boys' coach for their first-ever
win in football back in 2019( vs. Bandon), and I am also their coach for their last win. There is no
better way to go out than with a state championship.
It has been amazing watching these boys grow. They deserve all the credit and rightly so lifting
weights at 6 am every day, sprinting around the pond in the snow, and going in the icy ocean.
They went through, what I believe, is a very time-consuming program, which is hard these days
with so many distractions. There was a reason why we were the most physical team in 6-man
football. I put these boys through hell and made them the most aggressive team in the state. It
showed in the final. I am just really happy that I could be a part of it.
During the course of the season, different news/media personnel reached out to me to ask me
questions about our team. One of the frequent questions was ‘Who is the unsung hero that
might not get much credit?’ I told them the scout team. For those who don’t know what or who
that it is, it is the players who are not in the starting lineup. The reason why they will be
successful next season when it's their turn is because they had to play the best team every day
in practice. Most people just think about the stars and forget that everyone is important to make
a successful program. For that, I’m grateful for the hard work and commitment it took to know
that you might not be a starter yet, but you are pushing the starters to be better. In which is
making yourself better for when your time to shine comes about.
The managers: A team is only as good as their managers. I think that's what they say.? I want to
thank the boys on the sidelines. This was Donny’s first year. It was a little rough at the start, but
he got it figured out. This was Teagan’s last year as manager. I’m looking forward to coaching
him next year. Trent, thank you for being our film guy. I know it’s tough because you don’t get to
watch the game. After all, if you forget to press record or move the camera I won't be best
pleased. You did a great job. Thank you and I will see you next season as a Cruiser. Hills will be
waiting. Sawyer and Tripp, thank you for helping, and I hope the two of you will take over as
full-time managers next year.
Starting with the freshman:
Ben Brooks
He joined a few weeks into the season with no football experience, but he was ready to
work on changing that. He was the only player on the team who ran extra hills at the
end of practice to get in better shape. He did that of his own accord, which was
awesome to see. I look forward to what he will bring to the team next year.
Landon Gardner
He did not realize how happy I was when he joined the team. We had 11 kids at the
start of the season which isn't enough to scrimmage and make a program tougher to
run. Then, he told me he was coming out for football which made my day. He works
hard and has a heart of gold. I am glad he is part of this team.
Dan Shorb
I thought I got rid of him in junior high, but he keeps following me. Jokes aside, he has
had an amazing freshman year. He is really going to help this program in the future. To
be a freshman and earn a starting spot on this team is a huge achievement.
One I know he doesn’t take lightly. One of my favorite things Dan did this season was
when we played Eddyville, and we put him on a swing pass right. He was one-on-one
with another freshman, and he leveled him for a touchdown. Just hearing that pop with pads was awesome. I am excited to see him grow through this program. I’m sure he wants
to outdo his brother, who has big cleats to fill.
Sophmores
Cole Lehnherr
One of my best moments with Cole was in the game against Crow. He had 2 tackles for
loss and 2 fumble recoveries. The only thing that stopped him from finishing that game
was that he blew his cleats out from rushing so hard! I am looking forward to him hitting
the weights this off-season and seeing what damage he can cause to another team with
another year under his belt. He has huge potential if he works at it. I have no doubt he
will be a 1st team all-league player next season.
Theren Kendal
He has grown leaps and bounds this season. He is more aggressive and a harder
worker. He will play a crucial role in next season’s program with another year of growth
and weights. He had some impressive moments, from a rushing touchdown to a
receiving touchdown which are both firsts for him. When I told him, ‘’Go get that
quarterback.” He responded, ‘’I will try!” Me: ‘’You won't try. Go and do it’’ Him: ‘’Okay, I
will go do that!’’ He sacked the quarterback twice, caused a fumble, and recovered it.
He came back on the sideline with a smirk on his face as if to say, “Told you I would.”
It will be exciting to see what he does next year!
Tyler Fandel
I can't say anything bad about this young man. I knew last year how good he was going
to be, and I know I give him a hard time, but God does he play his heart out. I’m so
happy he is only a sophomore. Tyler played mostly defense this season, but when you
have 6 seniors to make the starting lineup is a huge achievement. Those sacks he
made against Harper Charter were huge! Next year, he will be in the backfield so you
will see more of him on offense. I’m sure his family are proud of him because I sure am.
He has a great attitude and the right level of humor that makes practice a little more
enjoyable, without getting anyone hills. He has the 2nd most tackles for loss on this
team and the most fumble recoveries. He received 1st team all-league D-Line award,
and rightly so! He has put a lot of time in the weight room, and it showed.
Juniors
Brody Harless
At the start of the season, he wasn't too sure if he wanted to play football. I am glad he
changed his mind. As soon as he joined, he made a huge impact on our scout team
while he had to wait for his nine practices to be able to play. In his first game, he did
great. With his first reception, he took it to the house for a 29-yard receiving touchdown.
He also had a crucial touchdown against South Wasco in the semi-final game. Next
year, he will be a top target as a receiver, and I know he will give it his all this
off-season. So make sure to look for number 17!
Tayton Allen
It can be tough being QB2 and having broken his wrist in the last 2 seasons. However, I
can see him being an all-league QB next year as a senior. He is surprisingly elusive,
and he will be great asset next season. Against Crow, he threw for 232 yards with 3
touchdowns. When he took over in the Eddyville game he completed two passes for two
touchdowns. I wish he would drink more milk for stronger bones, but I am not worried
about the quarterback position next season. I would also like to add that I was against
putting him in on defense while we were playing North Lake, who are a physical team.
However, he went in as a defensive end and got right to the running back for a tackle for
loss. All this while his wrist was fractured (which was not brought to my attention at the
time). So he is tough. That goes far in my book!
This is where it does get a little sad for me. These Seniors were in 7th grade when I first
coached them. They had never won a football game before. We went out and beat
Bandon the first game of the season. Talon Blanton asked me, “Are we supposed to
dump the water on you for winning?” I said, “No, it’s just for the first game.” But to them,
it was like winning the Super Bowl. I told them that all these coaches get lazy when they
hear they are playing Powers, but once we punch them in the mouth, they won't know
what hit them. And that's exactly what happened! I coached these boys for their first win
and I coached these boys for their last. It's bittersweet. It’s awesome that they are state
champs, but now I have to say goodbye after all these years. I am really proud of these
young men. They have always kept me on my toes. If it wasn’t them putting a player in
a tire and rolling him down the hill (no one was harmed), it was something else. It
wouldn’t be the Powers Team without something turning me grey.
Seniors
Henry Fandel
He had no prior experience as a center, but he did a great job! Center is no joke. If you
can't snap the ball, you won't get to play offense. It often gets overlooked. I won't forget
in the game against Elkton, he caught the ball on a scramble play, and his mouthpiece was out. He was running down the field trying to get it back in. I was waiting to see if the
referee was going to throw a flag, but they did not, and he ran it in for 59-yard touchdown. Henry was in the weight room every morning in the off-season, showing his
dedication to the team and program. He said, “Wherever you need me, I will do it.” That
says a lot about his character because in this day and age, there are a lot of kids who would spit their dummy out because you didn't make them quarterback or wide receiver.
For that I am grateful. He only got better as the season went on. For now, I wish him the best in basketball, and I will coach him again in track and field.
Braden Bushnell
He has come a long way in the quarterback position. It's not easy having some British coach who never played a day in his life tell you that you're doing it wrong. At first, he
did not win the job. When the QB1 got sick before our first jamboree, he had to step up. He wasn't perfect, but I saw a lot of good, which opened up the competition for the job.
Then, however, the other quarterback broke his wrist, so he won by default. As that season went on, he just got better, and I haven’t looked back since he worked hard in
the off-season in the weight room, Along with working with a quarterback coach in the off-season. He has had a phenomenal season this year. He earned 1st team all-league
quarterback with 85 passes, 1931 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. His best game was against the number 4 team in the state, North Lake. He was 10/14, with 357
passing yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 26-yard rushing touchdown. God, I am proud of him. He has done great for me. I know his family is proud, and they should. He was
the starting QB and now state champion! Great job Braden. You earned it, Bud!
Talon Blanton
I wish I had 10 of him. He is a great young man to coach. He is 150lb and plays like a
lion. I don't need to worry about grades. The only thing that keeps him away is if he
working dogs. He has a great attitude, and I don't think he gets enough credit for
everything he has done on this football field. I have so many highlights of him playing
football. One of my favourites is when he blocked kids 20 yards down field, then
pancaked him. The kid had at least 30lbs on him. It is a great clip to use for teaching
how to block, with the right technique, that I can use forever. I also like to add how tough
he is. Football is a violent and aggressive sport, and he loves it. He doesn’t ask to come
out, in fact, sometimes you have to force him out. He will put his body on the line for this
team. It has been great watching him grow up, and he deserves all the football awards coming his way.
Patrick Mahmoud
The tallest, smallest person I know. God, he is quick and shifty. We have all seen him
make those incredible catches, that I taught him, I might add. He really came into his
own last season when we were down with injuries he had to step up and step up he did.
He took everything from last season and got even better. I liked it when they would have
triple coverage on him. This is 6-man football, and they would take half of the team to
make sure he didn’t catch the ball. I saw a glimpse of what he has become in 7th grade
against Bandon at home. He caught the ball and was so shifty. I am so proud of what he
has achieved on that field, and I know all he wanted to do was make his dad proud. I tell
you what Patrick, he will be bragging about you to everyone up there. You are an
amazing football player, and I am so proud of, not only how far you have come, but how much you have achieved.
René Sears
Tiger has the best football mind on that field. We have been through a lot these last few years from injuries to English, but we have seen everything through. I knew in 7th grade
he was going to be a great football player. I think everyone will agree how good he is on that football field, It was horrible to see him get hurt last season, and later find out he
had torn his ACL and MCL. He still played on it. One of my favourite highlights was the Bandon game during his 8th-grade year. I called a play that worked. He ran it in for a
touchdown, and I was so excited I sprinted down the field, out of the coach’s box, and into the endzone to pick him up. Bear in mind, it was only the 2nd quarter. This young man has a lot of heart and has never given up on me, nor I on him. I recommend that if you haven't noticed in all the pictures when he is running the ball, look at his face, at the fight he has in his eyes. It is awesome to see. I look forward to watching him play at the
college level next. I just want to add how proud I am of him and how sad I am that I won’t get to coach him next year. My only regret is that I didn’t get to coach you for all 4
years that you were in high school. You did it, state champ, you did it!
Jayce Shorb
The bull. I am so happy with the amount of recognition he has received in these last 2
years. Everyone may credit me for the weight program I brought to the team, however, it
was Jayce who asked if we could start lifting at the end of his sophomore football
season. Then, it developed from there. Now as a player, we have all seen what Jayce
can do. If you don’t take out his legs, he will drag you to the endzone with him. In the
first game of the season against South Wasco he was running the ball, then all you see
is white jerseys, no orange. It was like he disappeared, but the pile was still moving.
Well of course, the refs blew the whistle. Leave it to Jayce to be annoyed, “I was about
to break out of that!” I do not doubt that he would have. Also this season, Jayce has not
just been an animal on offense and defense, but also quite the chef. In Christmas Valley
the night before our game, there were not many options for food. There was a tavern, which was questionable( but had some good lookers, I might add). Jayce didn't want to see his teammates go hungry, so he went to the gas station and grabbed some frozen
hamburgers and a couple of tins of beans. With no pots or pans, how can you cook said food? Well, Jayce thought outside the box, cheesecake pans! 3 Michelin-star chef Jayce cooked hamburgers and beans on the stove in the room on cheesecake pans. Enough to feed everyone. I was a little nervous about how that might affect our game, but it must have given everyone a boost. We beat North Lake 66-19. Jayce has been a
great athlete to coach. Watching him mature and become a leader over the years has been amazing. Most people just see what is put on that field, but the hard work done in
the months prior, the weights, the running, the camps. This young man worked his butt off this season and in the off-season. With college teams trying to grab him, I’m sure he
make another team highly successful. Thank you Jayce Shorb. I am proud of you and so happy for all of the awards you have received. You earned them.
Again, I am sorry this post is long. It's tough to sum up a season. I know I missed a lot, but I am not a big fan of typing. Thank you for believing in this team and myself. I know I am not a great coach, but what I do know is I have a great team. Right down to
the studs (heart). No one worked harder, I am so proud of these young athletes.
To the seniors, it has been an honor and privilege to be your coach. You made this old Brit happy.
To everyone else, weights are at 6 am. We have another state championship to win!
Who Are The Cruisers?
We Are The Cruisers!
Don’t you forget!
