The Central Catholic Rams completed the perfect season in Oregon’s 6A big high school division and in doing so they broke a 60 year drought. The victorious team held off the Jesuit Crusaders who were noble in defeat and who went down battling with a chance to tie or win going into the games final minutes. In the melee that followed on that field at Jeld-Wen stadium there were a lot of kids we wanted to talk to on both sides. There was however one young man we had to turn to first.
This young man Connor Humphreys will move on to ASU and be a factor; there is no doubt.
Connor Humphreys was that kid. The 6’4″-265 lb defensive linemen has brought a team oriented demeanor and focus to the Rams that has been lacking in some of the past years teams. This kid is so goal driven and such a hard worker that his example paved the way for this season to be truly excellent. A selfless kid who was the first one into the weight room and the last one out almost every day achieved an entire set of goals that be began expressing to us 18 months back.
He wanted to earn a College Scholarship for football. He did that generating 15 major offers.
He wanted to become a US Army All American like several others that have played for the Portland, Oregon Catholic School. He did that.
And among other things he wanted to help his team win the State Championship. That was the capper.
There was one thing he earned along the way that he did not know was coming. Something he could only earn by his actions and his work and something he did not really know about until it happened. Last week he was surprised by the announcement that he had won the Rotary Lombardi Trophy for the Western United States; one of the most prestigious honors given out in the Nation.
West winner: Conner Humphreys, DE, Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic
A motivator in the locker room as well as in the classroom, Humphreys maintains solid grades as well as stellar performance on the field. He completes over 20 hours of community service per semester and was called the most polite student in class by several of his teachers. He was asked to be part of an on-campus video with the school president to help raise money and awareness for several causes.
Last weekend as he finished the big game that we were there and had a chance to speak to him just moments after the game. We can not congratulate this guy enough.
National College Football Awards Association:
The Rotary Lombardi Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.NCFAA.org.
