Tim Tawa of West Linn High School has been named as the 2014-15 Gatorade Oregon Football Player of the Year.
Tawa is the first Gatorade Oregon Football Player of the Year to be chosen from West Linn High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Tawa as Oregon’s best high school football player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December,Tawa joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05), Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS,Mich.).
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound sophomore quarterback passed for 2,943 yards and 38 touchdowns on 187-of-264 passing (71 percent) and just six interceptions this past season, leading the Lions (9-3) to the Class 6A quarterfinals. The 2014 Three Rivers League Offensive Player of the Year, Tawa completed 77 percent of his passes and averaged 15.8 yards per attempt in three playoff games, amassing 823 yards through the air along with 10 touchdown passes.
Tawa has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a part of a fundraising effort to benefit West Linn recreational fields and as a motivational guest speaker at youth sports camps.
“Tim Tawa is one heck of a football player, especially for being just a sophomore,” said Greg Lawrence, head coach at Sherwood High. “He has a maturity that is way past any other player his age that I know.”
Tawa has verbally committed to play baseball on scholarship at Stanford University beginning in the fall of 2017.
