Taking on any given Challenge

The Portland Lutheran senior holds eight school records in running and basketball

By David Ball

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 17, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Portland Lutheran Abel Araya excelled at four sports in his senior year, taking part in cross country, football, basketball and track.

Jim Clark / the Outlook

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The best way to get Abel Araya to do something is to tell him he can’t. The Portland Lutheran senior has been proving people wrong throughout his high school career combining his passion for basketball with a mix of unlikely sports ventures. Araya even took an unconventional approach to winning our inaugural three-sport award – he actually competed on four varsity teams in 2008-09.

Araya’s senior season took a surprising start when the state contender in cross country, also turned up on the football field to join the sport that the school had reinstated last fall. The final push to put on the pads was some friendly teasing from his classmates, who wanted to see this distance runner try to dodge tackles and catch footballs.

Araya handled a double load throughout the fall, running with the cross-country team after school then joining the football practice later in the afternoon.

“Most people go run a 5K and they don’t have much energy left, but he would go out on the football field and run for four touchdowns,” Blue Jays’ track coach Tom Stein said. “He really thrives on a challenge. He’s always trying to accomplish something different, and he has the stamina to just keep going.”

Araya found as much success on the football field, as he had over the years on the cross country trails. He quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and saw action on both sides of the ball. Blue Jays’ coach Jeremy Nichols used him as his wildcard, spreading him all across the field in hopes of breaking some big plays.

Araya didn’t disappoint picking up 18.8 yards per play whenever he touched the ball, and that doesn’t include kick returns. He took his first return the distance for six points.

“He has speed and speed kills in eight-man football. We’d find him some open space and he could do a lot of damage,” Nichols said. “Plus, he could catch the football in traffic and had a knack for being around the ball and making plays.”

He also had four interceptions on defense.

Meanwhile, his cross country season didn’t suffer a bit, as he took fifth at state meet and set the school 5K record earlier in year.

The highlights only got bigger in the winter when he led the Blue Jays’ basketball team to the Valley 10 title with a 27-5 (.844) season. His senior season was in jeopardy during the playoffs when he took an elbow to the face in the first half of a road game against Dufur. His shots weren’t falling, and the Blue Jays were chasing from behind all night.

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