NFF to honor area high school football players

Six senior high school football players will receive college scholarship money from the Clark County Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame during its annual banquet. The event will be held on Jan. 15 at Hudson’s Bay High School.

In addition to handing out scholarship money totalling $15,000, the event will recognize several people for service to the football community.

Camas head coach Jon Eagle will receive the Gary Boggs Award, which honors a coach who consistently demonstrates the ability to motivate high school players to maximize their football talent and to be good teammates and positive student leaders.

Stevenson assistant coach William La Combe, who has served the Bulldogs program for 25 years, will be given the John Hadley Award. The Hadley Award recognizes an assistant coach who has shown loyalty to a program and been a positive influence on young people.

Tickets cost $15 and can be reserved in advance by sending an e-mail to Rich Biggs at rich.biggs@biggsinsurance.com.

Radio personality Jason Scukanec, a Mountain View High graduate who played college football at Brigham Young and in the NFL, will be the featured speaker.

This is the 22nd year that the Clark County Chapter of the NFF has awarded scholarship money to area high school athletes. Prior to this year, the program has awarded $315,000 to 126 athletes.

Here are the players who have been nominated by their schools: Hayden Humphrey and Colston Vukanovich of Battle Ground, Mathew Danis and Zach Eagle of Camas, Nathan Jaskierny and James Niemela of Columbia River, Connor Finnegan and Justin Straup of Evergreen, Victor Duran and Antonio Pulido of Heritage, Nick Barclay and Jess Krahn of Hockinson, Bryan Hopster and Aneterea Sipaia of Hudson’s Bay, Jay Becker and Brad Benton of King’s Way Christian, Matt Braaten and Connor Wonderly of La Center, Kade Burns and Austin Mace of Mountain View, Jason Bracken and Scott Keyser of Prairie, Tyler Adams and Garrett Behrman of Ridgefield, Christopher O’Connor of Seton Catholic, Jacob Dennis and Garrett Lawler of Skyview, Brandon Van Pelt and Dennis Wiebe of Stevenson, Joshua Lee and Connor Wong of Union, Bobby Jacobs of Washougal, Nathan Bell and Mathew Bergstrom of Columbia in White Salmon, and Grant Booker and Vincent Nigro of Woodland.

A committee selects the winners of scholarships based on three criteria: contributions to their football teams, academics and community involvement.