All-state senior receiver makes Taft a formidable foe
By Jim Fossum, sportslincolncounty.com;
posted Oct. 8, 2015
Majalise Tolan flashes back to early
September last fall and the unsightly trash
that cluttered the school parking lot. It was
not exactly the way Taft High’s principal
wanted to greet students and their parents
on the first day of school.
“I asked Rylan if he would help pick
it up and he did it right away,” she said. “At
the end of the day, I decided to announce
Rylan Fisher as ‘Tiger of the Day.’ We have
had one every day since.”
Forever entrenched as an answer to a
Tigers trivia question, 17-year-old senior
Rylan Fisher is not only a part of tradition
at Taft, but promises to leave a lasting
imprint in more ways than one upon his
graduation this spring.
“Rylan is a great student, athlete and
person,” Tolan said. “He is kind, respectful
and what we want to see in all of our Tigers.”
Santiam Christian is likely to get an
eyeful of Fisher – but not an armful – at
7 p.m. Thursday at Voris Field, where the
returning first-team all-state receiver and
the rest of the upstart Tigers will take on
the third-ranked Eagles for first place in
the Class 3A West Valley League.
“He’s not only a great kid, but he
catches the ball well, is always where he
needs to be and is willing to do whatever
it takes to help the team win,” Taft football
coach James Mick said. “He goes 100
percent whenever he’s on the field, so he’s
pretty invaluable. He just makes us better.”
With unique skills, Fisher is counted
on to handle the ball from the slot because
of his quickness, soft hands and intellect
on where to be and how to get there –
with or without a caravan of defenders
in pursuit.
“It puts me in a very challenging
position and it gives me a lot of options to
make plays for my team,” he said.
“He keeps the offense going in times
we really need it. He’s there when we need
him,” Mick said.
Unassuming, Fisher has gained 590
yards in receiving through five games
this season, but considers his stats to be
team stats. With just under 2,000 (1,918)
yards and 20 TDs in 15 varsity games
throughout his career, he is the target
of great recruiting interest after gaining
1,246 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns
Courtesy photo
First-team all-state receiver Rylan Fisher has earned the respect of his teammates
and classmates. “I want to be a student-athlete at a university that will help prepare
me for life ahead. After that, I’m not sure where life will take me.” - Taft senior star
receiver Rylan Fisher
last season while helping lead the Tigers
to the state playoffs.
“That led the state in all classifica-
tions, so I’m very proud of that team
accomplishment,” he said. “But the only
statistic I am focused on is helping my
team win and getting into the state play-
offs. League wins are the only stat we are
focused on. It’s all about the team.”
For another few weeks, anyway. After
that, it will be off to playing on Saturdays.
“I’m very fortunate to be recruited by
some great collegiate football programs,”
he said, having made visits to several
schools, both in Oregon and out of state,
and attended a few college camps, includ-
ing the NW Elite Camp, where more than
25 colleges were represented.
“Coach Mick has really got me in
contact with a number of great programs
across the country,” he said. “With his
help and a recruiting service we use, there
are about 50 colleges that are recruiting
me and following my progress, so that’s
very humbling.”
Art of Excellence 2015 contest invites student
submissions on variety of topics
The Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Arts Commission call
all student artists to participate in the Art of Excellence 2015 contest.
Students can enter one artwork that is designed around a theme. Themes include
natural landscapes, symbols, history, students in action and STEAM (science,
technology, engineering, arts, math) topics. All two-dimensional media, including
paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and mixed media artworks, will be allowed.
All contest information can be found at sites.google.com/a/oregonlearning.
org/art-of-excellence/. Online submissions are due Nov. 30 and winners will be
announced by Jan. 31, 2016.
A statewide panel of experts including OAC and ODE staff members, profes-
sional artists and teachers will judge submissions based on originality, technical
skill and personal vision.
Winning selections will become the property of ODE and be displayed at the
Capitol as well as other locations around Salem. Classrooms of winning students
will receive supplies to pursue creativity and expression.
For questions, contact artofexcellence@oregonlearning.org.
Fisher keeps in contact with the
schools to share his progress and “team
stats.” He said he hopes to develop a short
list after the season and make a decision
sometime after signing day in February
about where his family can find him.
A Siletz Tribal member, Fisher has
three brothers, Kollbei and Keaton, both
19 and Taft High graduates, and Trenton,
13. He also has a younger sister, Lakaya, 9.
Fisher’s mother, Becky, works at a
local bookstore and has been a fixture for
years among the legion of volunteers who
assist local youth in North County. Fisher’s
father, Randy, is director of technology at
Chinook Winds Casino Resort.
Rylan, who was born in Lincoln City,
excels not only in football, but basketball
and baseball. His favorite sport, without
hesitation, is football. The math and sci-
ence enthusiast started in the sport by
watching his older brother, Keaton, play
when he was younger.
“The first time he helped me put on
the pads and snap the helmet on I just
knew it was for me,” he said.
Fisher doesn’t stop there. He credits
his older brothers for his success.
“They taught me how to compete and
give it everything I have,” he said. “And
they work just as hard in life as they did
in sports.”
Meanwhile, his father’s professional
background has influenced his youngest son
enough to spur a keen interest in technology.
“I want to be a student-athlete at a
university that will help prepare me for
life ahead,” Fisher said. “After that, I’m
not sure where life will take me.”
“Rylan is a unique kid,” Taft baseball
coach Dustin Hankins said. “He has a
heavy family influence. He is a fast and
smart player. He’s battled injuries most
of his career, but he never seems to give
up or quit.”
“And I really like helping out younger
kids,” Rylan said, “whether it’s being a
referee or umpire, a tutor or just hanging
out and trying to be a positive influence.”
It’s a message he hopes to spread.
“I would like to encourage all the
young kids to get out there and enjoy
sports, all of them,” he said. “Don’t worry
about your athletic ability. Get out there
and have fun with your friends. Youth
sports are about teamwork, working
together and most of all, having fun.”
Having grown up together, Fisher has
special ties to former Taft quarterback
Pete Lahti, the Class 3A Offensive Player
of the Year last season and now playing
football at Lewis & Clark College in
Portland. The Lahti-Fisher tandem was
the most feared in small-school Oregon
football last fall and statistically among
the most threatening in all of the state.
Lahti said Fisher could turn a 10-yard
catch into a 70-yard touchdown with his
athleticism, sacrifice his body for the
good of another couple of yards and a
first down for a back, or share his intu-
ition and knowledge with teammates and
classmates so that they, too, could excel in
sports and life, in general.
“Student-athletes can learn a lot from
him,” Lahti, the school’s Class of 2015
valedictorian, said. “The way he carries
himself and takes care of business in the
classroom, on the field and in the com-
munity is truly something special.”
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Oregon state test guide available for parents
From Education Update, Oregon Department of Education, October 2015
Districts across Oregon will release reports with test results that explain their
child’s progress in math and English based on the Oregon Smarter Balanced
assessments taken earlier this year.
Complementary to these reports, parents now have access to the GreatKids
Oregon State Test Guide for Parents to inform how they can use these test results
to collaborate with teachers and help their children learn.
The online tool is free and available in English and Spanish.
The guide content was informed by best practices in parenting for education
success and has been carefully vetted by education experts.
To use and/or share the guide, visit oregontestguide.org.
November 2015
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Siletz News
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