With no shortage of standout achievements, it was another banner season for high school sports in the state of Oregon this fall. To honor these accomplishments, the Oregon Sports Awards once again recognize the top student-athletes across the state.

In partnership with the sports staff at The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregonian Media Group, Sport Oregon joins in the celebration of six high school athletes from the recently concluded fall sports of cross country, football, soccer and volleyball in 2024.

With so many athletes and classifications to consider across the state, it’s never easy to choose the winners. But that’s what makes it fun.

Starting off with cross country, this year’s Oregon Sports Awards winners are Chloe Huyler (girls) and Tayvon Kitchen (boys).

Following a breakthrough junior season in the sport after moving to Oregon from Reno, Nevada, Huyler won every race she entered for Lakeridge this season. Her list of wins included The Mook XC Invite, the Rose City Championship, the Three Rivers League championship and the OSAA Class 6A state championship.

While competition was fierce for this year’s girls cross country honors, Huyler went on to beat four-time OSAA Class 5A state champion and last year’s Oregon Sports Awards winner in the sport, Emily Wisniewski, three times over the course of the season, including at the recent Nike Cross Regional Championships in Idaho.

On the boys side, Kitchen won his second straight OSAA Class 5A state championship while leading Crater to its fourth straight team championship. He finished the state championship in 14 minutes, 43.3 seconds and kept the momentum going at the Nike Cross Regionals in Idaho on Nov. 16, winning the boys varsity race in 14:53.30. In 2023, Kitchen was named the Oregon Sports Awards co-winner in boys cross country.

Last weekend, Kitchen finished as the top Oregon runner at the Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, finishing 11th in 15 minutes, 36.4 seconds after leading or sharing the lead for most of the race.

LaMarcus Bell. Photo Courtesy: Howard Lao

An anchor for the Lake Oswego football team, which finished this past season with an 11-1 record before falling to West Linn in the OSAA 6A championship game, LaMarcus Bell once again displayed a penchant for big performances that helped propel the Lakers to another great season.

Bell rushed for 1,630 yards and 26 touchdowns, helping to lead the Lakers to regular-season wins over West Linn, Lakeridge, Tualatin, South Medford, Silverton, Mountainside and Central Catholic. As a result of his standout season, he has elevated in the rankings for Oregon’s 2026 senior class, ranking as the No. 2 junior in the state and as the state’s No. 1 running back in the class.

In boys soccer, La Salle Prep’s Vance Sheffield capped his prolific high school career by finishing with 101 career goals, which ranks second all-time in the state. During his senior year he scored 29 goals and led the Falcons to the OSAA Class 5A state title.

For his efforts, Sheffield was named the Northwest Oregon Conference Player of the Year in 2024 and the Class 5A all-state Player of the Year for a second straight season. He also was selected as one of two Oregon high school players to participate in the high school All-American game, which will be played in South Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The competition was fierce on the girls soccer side, but defense rose to the forefront when it came down to determining this year’s winner, Paige Nakada, a defensive midfielder at Grant. While there was no shortage of offense generated by the Generals this season, on the defensive side the team allowed just two goals all season on its way to a 17-0-1 record during the regular season.

Paige Thies. Photo Courtesy: Aaron Brewer

The Generals did not allow a goal in league play, going 6-0 in the Portland Interscholastic League. At season’s end, Nakada was a first-team all-PIL selection while also leading Grant and finishing second in OSAA Class 6A with 13 assists. Nakada scored Grant’s lone goal in a loss to Jesuit in the state championship game, the team’s only loss of the season.

In the sport of volleyball, Paige Thies helped lead Oregon City to back-to-back championship game appearances her final two seasons, the Pioneers’ only appearances in the title game in the school’s history.

Thies, who also was last year’s Oregon Sports Awards winner in volleyball, ranked among the state’s best in kills during the season and was named The Oregonian/OregonLive Class 6A Player of the Year for a second consecutive year in 2024. Further, she is listed as the No. 1 volleyball recruit in the state for the class of 2025 by Prep Dig.

In 2021-22, the Oregon Sports Awards began following a seasonal schedule with fall, winter and spring awards given after each season, finishing in an end-of-year Celebration of Champions, recognizing every winner in every sport and overall Athlete of the Year Awards. This shift allowed the Oregon Sports Awards to shine the spotlight on the student-athletes when their season has recently completed while celebrating all winners equally including collegiate, professional and team awards.

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