Eight Lebanon High School athletes, who have signed letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level were honored at a reception held Thursday, May 7, in the school’s Main Gym.
They are track sprinter Bodhi Brown, softball pitcher Tatum Cole, football quarterback Brison Edwards, football wide receiver Logan Large, cheer and tumbling specialist Addy Pickles, soccer player Landon Savri, cheer and tumbling specialist Bailey Sim, and basketball player Peyton Vorderstrasse.
Several signed actual letters of intent, and coaches and Athletic Director Kraig Hoene introduced each athlete.
Athletic Secretary Jenny Pickles said including all the signees in one celebration event was a first for the school.
Bodhi Brown
Brown has signed to compete for Oregon Institute of Technology, where he plans to study biology-health sciences and pre-optometry as he works toward a future in the medical field.
“I chose Oregon Tech because it had a blend of athletics and academics for me, he said. “I just wanted that small-college kind of vibe, and I really like how that looks.
Brown has developed into one of the state’s top sprinters and long jumpers, though he has not competed much in the latter due to an injury.
During his time at Lebanon, Brown was twice named track and field’s Most Improved Athlete and was a state qualifier last season, helping to lead the 400-meter and 1600-meter relay teams to breaking school records. He has cleared a 40½ inch vertical jump.
Brown has also excelled in the classroom, making the Honor Roll all four years, and will serve as a Class of 2026 valedictorian. for Lebanon High School.
He said one of his biggest challenges as a track athlete has been staying on target with nutrition “because I’m really picky. I don’t like eating a lot. That was probably the hardest part for me. But it made the biggest difference.”
Brown credited his parents – his dad got him started in track as an elementary school student – for “blessing me with life, genetics and determination,” and for influencing him.
“I doubt if I would have ever done a sport without them,” he said.
He also thanked coaches Kyle Saulmon and Troy Walker for providing him opportunity and “investing in me, as well as his teammates and friends.
Brown also attributes his success to off-season training, “doing a lot of heavy lifting.”
“During the summer, I was probably training two or three times a week on the track, and then two or three times a week while in the gym.”
Tatum Cole
Cole has signed to pitch for Odessa College softball program, a junior college in Odessa Texas.
She has been on Lebanon’s varsity softball roster for all four years and played a key role in the Warriors’ two appearances in the state championship finals, in 2023 and 2024.
Cole was named the state MVP as a sophomore, which, she said, is her favorite memory from her high school career.
Cole said she got interested in Odessa after getting injured in the fall of 2024 – “we couldn’t figure out what it was,” undergoing surgery and falling off the radar of the Division I schools that had been interested.
She said she had help from a recruiting coach, who suggested Odessa to her, telling her that the Wranglers were “a really good juco team” that sends players to the D-1 schools.
Odessa competes in the NJCAA Division I.
“I talked to them and they really liked all my videos,” Cole said. “They reached out and said, ‘We really like you and we’re willing to take a chance on you.’” She said Odessa offered her a full-ride scholarship after she took an official visit.
“I really loved it,” she said. “It felt like a second home.”
She plans to pursue a career as a sports physical therapist.
She said Odessa coaches Doug Eastman and Alexis Hamilton have given her a lot of support, which helped her make the decision.
In four years as a pitcher for Lebanon, Cole has been named First Team All-State, First Team All-League, Second Team All-League as both a pitcher and infielder.
She’s been on the Honor Roll throughout high school and is a member of this year’s Strawberry Festival Court.
“I would like to thank my parents for always being there and believing in me,” Cole said. “It means more than you know. You guys believed in me when no one else did. If I didn’t have you guys, I don’t know where I would be today. Your support and encouragement have shaped me into the player and person I am today.”
Brison Edwards
Edwards has signed a letter of intent to play football for Western Oregon.
He played four years for the Warriors, although he attends East Linn Christian, which does not have a football program. At ELCA he was named to the All-League First Team in basketball, leading the Eagles this year to fourth place in the 2A state championships.
Football Head Coach Troy Walker told the crowd at the event that in 29 years of coaching at the high school level, he’s never seen a quarterback with a higher football IQ than Edwards.
“He’s literally another coach on the field,” Walker said. “He knows what every single person is doing on the field at all times, whether it’s alignment, a skill guy, he will know exactly what they’re supposed to do on every single play. You will not find a more competitive person, anywhere, in any sport, at any given time.
“He’s tough, physical, and has an outstanding will to be great. I truly believe that he was the best dual-threat quarterback in the state of Oregon last year.”
In three years quarterbacking the Warriors’ varsity, Edwards scored 79 total touchdowns, which, Walker observed, “there’s a reason why you would be 5A Player of the Year.”
He finished with 56 touchdown passes and 4,669 passing yards, and 23 touchdowns and 1,354 yards rushing.
Walker noted that Edwards also caught a pass on a trick play against Dallas that put Lebanon in position to win that game, 30-29.
“Western Oregon’s getting a competitor,” Walker said.
Edwards has maintained a 4.00 GPA during his final two years at East Linn and was Lebanon’s football team captain and received this year’s team MVP.
He was an All-League Honorable Mention quarterback as a sophomore and second-team All-League as a junior before being named 5A Offensive Player of the Year, League Player of the Year, First Team All-State Quarterback, First Team All-League Quarterback, Second Team All-League Defensive Back and Honorable Mention Punter as a senior.
Walker noted that Edwards, who’s listed at 6-0, 180 pounds, was invited to play in both the Shrine and the Les Schwab bowl games, and will participate in the latter.
Edwards said the decision to play at Western Oregon came down to the school’s program and its proximity to Lebanon.
“I think I had eight offers, I believe – quite a few of them local. and a couple further away,” he said.
“I think having that opportunity, being close with my family still, but also I’m getting the college experience and having that development with such a talented program – I think iwas an easy choice in terms of what I want to do.”
He said the Wolves’ success – they were 8-3 last year, 7-2 in the very competitive NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference, was one plus.
“With the coaches in the program and the success in the past, I think it was kind of a no-brainer for me, especially with it being 45 minutes away from my hometown,” he said.
He plans to pursue a degree in business.
He thanked his dad, high high school coaches and the seniors he played with for four years.
Edwards said his favorite memory from his high school career is praying over his team before every game in front of everyone, “displaying the faith within our program and giving glory to God always.”
Logan Large
Large, who has been a three-sport athlete at Lebanon throughout his career, will play football for Linfield College.
He said he considered “multiple schools, but when I went to Linfield, I really felt at home academically and athletically. I thought it was my best opportunity for life.”
Walker called Large “the most complete wide receiver I’ve ever coached in my high school career.”
He said Large could catch anything – long, short, mid-range passes, and “the 50-50 ball, which, with Logan, we call the ‘70-30 ball,’ meaning he’s got a 70% chance of getting that. If you watch any games, then you understand what we’re talking about.”
Large captained the Warriors in both his junior and senior seasons, being named First Team All-State Wide Receiver, Second Team All-State Defensive Back, and First Team All-League Returner. His favorite high school memory, he said, was helping to lead the Warriors to the league title last season.
On the basketball court, he also served as a captain while earning MVP honors, the team Defensive Award, and Honorable Mention All-League recognition.
In track and field, Large also was a team captain last year and was the field events MVP after placing fifth at state in the triple jump and was a member of the 4×400 relay team, along with Brown, Rowan Jones and Cade Weber, that finished in 3:28.86 to break the school record by three seconds.
Large has been awarded a $29,000 scholarship from Linfield, where he will play wide receiver and also compete for the Wildcats in track and field.
He plans to pursue studies in mathematics, psychology or business.
Large said his dad “has always pushed me” and helped him develop as an athlete.
He thanked coaches throughout his athletic career, his family, friends and teammates who’ve supported him in life.
Walker said a Linfield coach told him that he’d “never seen a guy more complete at the high school level than what you have here.”
“That’s a compliment to Coach Kyle (Saulmon) for teaching him the reins, that’s Bryce Edwards giving him an opportunity to do that, but it’s innate with Logan,” Walker said. “He’s a plug-and-play kid, an artist working on the field. His athleticism is off the charts, all of this football IQ, he’s tough, physical, relentless and competitive.”
In three years with the Warriors, Large finished with 109 catches, 1,959 yards, and 27 touchdowns, plus 190 more yards and one more TD rushing, plus eight more scores on kickoff and punt returns.
Large said he had interest from “five or six other schools” and it came down to two or three in the end.
“It was a really tough decision to decide between the two or three schools, but eventually I ended on Linfield and I think it was the best choice I could have made.
“I really felt at home and it was my best opportunity for football and track.”
Addy Pickles
Pickles has signed to cheer and compete in tumbling at Boise State.
Pickles has been a star athlete in both cheer and track over her four years at Lebanon, leading the Warriors to a state cheer title this year, following another state championship during her freshman season, with a second and a third in between.
Meanwhile, she was the first four-time All State Cheer Individual Champion in state history, winning four straight 5A Division titles against 50 to 70 other athletes.
In track, she has been one of the top performers in sprints and jumps for the Warriors, qualifying for state all three years thus far.
Pickles said she chose Boise “because I really like Idaho – I like the area, and I was looking to continue my cheer career.”
She said she can participate in cheer and compete in tumbling with the Broncos as she pursues nursing.
“I didn’t want something that was going to take away from my schooling because schooling is really important to me,” she said.
She plans to focus on a career in pediatric nursing, with the goal of making a meaningful impact in the lives of children and their families.
While at Lebanon, Pickles has been a sophomore, junior and senior senator, as well as one of the student school board members. She will serve as a class salutatorian at graduation.
Boise, she added, will give her “that Division I experience without having to take all my time and put it into cheer. And they still have a very competitive program, so that was fine.”
She plans to compete with the co-ed stunt team in the winter, as well as participating in sideline cheer during football season.
“But it’s not, like, three hours a day, every day of the year,” she noted. “We practice three days a week, which is about what I’ve been doing here.”
She added: It’s gonna be a different level of cheerleading and stuff, because it’s college,
She thanked her parents and sisters for their support, as well as track coaches Troy Walker and Kyle Saulmon “for giving me a new sport to love and teaching me how to improve each meet,” along with her cheer teammates.
She said the championships she won with her senior year team is one of her favorite high school memories.
Landon Savri
Savri will continue his soccer career at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., playing as a midfielder for the 2026–27 season.
He has played the last two years for Lebanon, after transferring from Sweet Home in 2024.
He was a team captain last season and earned the Warrior Award in recognition of his commitment, also being named to All-League Honorable Mention honors.
Savri intends to major in kinesiology, with a goal of becoming a physical therapist.
He said he has always wanted to play for a Division I college, but realized that his best option might be to go the junior college route first. His goal is to play two years at Truckee Meadows, then move on to a D-1 program.
“Unless you’re an insane player, you know, you don’t usually start and play those first two years at four-year schools,” he said. “So by the time I get there, I will know college ball. I can compete physically. So I think that was an advantage for me.”
Coach Tyler Grove, who took the role this past season, said he knew within five minutes of meeting Savri “that we have a captain here.”
“He proved that throughout the season,” Grove said, noting that although Savri’s season was cut short by injury, he continued to be a team leader.
Savri said he had interest from a variety of schools, including Lane Community College, but narrowed his final choices down to a school in Oklahoma and Truckee Meadows, which, he noted, is located about 7½ hours from east Linn County.
“They were just a little too far,” he said of Oklahoma.
“It was somewhere that offered me the opportunity to grow enough to
become the player I need to be,” he said of Truckee. “It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it lays out the steps to reach my goals as an athlete and in my career.
“I also love the coach, environment, area, and how close to home it is,
especially, and overall, the college is somewhere I see myself for two years.”
He said he expects Reno to be a “big change” from “a small town” but it’ll be really fun to kind of experience that.”
He said he intends to learn to ski.
“I want to thankGod, my parents, friends and all three of my brothers for helping me get to this point.”
Bailey Sim
Sim has signed to cheer at San Jose State University, where she also will compete in tumbling.
Sim has been a member of the Warriors’ cheer squad throughout her high school career.
She was a member of both state championships Lebanon won during the past four years, along with second- and third-place finishers. She was a two-time All-State team member and competed with the Warriors at national competitions in Dallas, Texas, and Anaheim, Calif.
Sim also has been involved in FFA, excelling in national competitions and winning two district Milk Quality championships.
Sim said she was looking for an out-of-state school that had a competition cheer program, which the Spartans offer.
“They were the one,” she said. “I wanted something not super far away from home. So nine hours is not too bad. I went in the winter and met with their team and met their coaches, and I instantly fell in love with the program, the coaches, everything about it.”
She plans to study education and plans not only to participate in sideline cheer as a base and a flyer, but also make the competition team and compete nationally.
Peyton Vorderstrasse
Vorderstrasse has signed to play basketball at Bushnell University in Eugene.
A four-year varsity player for Lebanon, she has served as team captain and has won numerous awards and honors during her high school career, including team MVP and second team All-League honors as a junior.
As a senior, she was named first team All-League and honorable mention All-State.
Vorderstrasse has also played tennis in high school, as well as competing in track and field.
She said she chose Bushnell, formerly Northwest Christian College until it was renamed in 2020, because “the coaches were always very inclusive.”
“They came to so many of my games. It’s a very close-knit community there too, which is what I’m wanting. And I think that, all that just correlating with each other, just made me really excited about going to Bushnell.”
She will play shooting guard for the Beacons.
Vorderstrasse has done well in the classroom, consistently making the Honor Roll during her high school years.
She plans to major in graphic design and digital media at Bushnell.
She expressed thanks for the support she has received from her family and coaches for “helping me get to where I am today.”
Vorderstrasse said she heard from other smaller schools, but “I wasn’t really feeling like that was where I’m meant to be. And then I went to Bushnell and I got to know the people and I’m gonna get to know the people and I think it was just a great thing.
“I’m super excited.”
