Oregon’s breakout performer of the year was none other then Tanner Shipley of Wilsonville. The 6-2 195 pound junior athlete took the Northwest Oregon Conference by storm earning all league honors on both sides of the ball. The first half of 2011 season saw Shipley miss time with an injury and not be able to fully get going. The second half of the season saw Shipley break the school record for rushing yards twice in three weeks and completely run wild.
Shipley accounted for 1287 yards of offense and 16 Tds averaging 10.3 yards per carry. The last 6 games of the season Shipley took over the starting roll from an injured Ryan Walsh and never looked back. He totaled 1106 yards in 6 games and 12 of the 16 Tds. It was a very impressive run where he averaged 184.3 yards and 2 Tds per game. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that he was one of the state leaders in interceptions (5) from his safety position and there’s more. Tanner earned all state honors on the baseball field as a sophomore, something very difficult to do at a young age.
With all this said its not about the awards, its about how he plays. When you watch his film you see why he jumped up the rankings as high as he did. He is listed as a wide receiver but he ran the ball like a veteran back. Hes a big body and his legs never stop. His video is a must see.
Both his uncle and grandfather played in the NFL, and he’s distant cousins with Jordan Shipley so he’s got the right genes. “Im in the gym training everyday trying to put on muscle and work on my speed”, Shipley says. “My ultimate goal is to play D1 ball and win a title with my teammates”. Wilsonville has a solid perimeter returning, but lose a lot up front so it will be interesting to see how they go about that. Highly respected head coach Adam Guenther has done a good job building the program from the youth programs on up. Everybody in the community seems to be on the same page.
Shipley will team with three other highly ranked athletes that have played together since the 3rd grade (Nick Highberger 6-2 185 QB/S, Ryan Walsh RB/DB, and Johhny Ragin FB/LB). They have all been good friends since they were young, and this next season will be very important. “Were a real close knit group and we all have the same team goals, we just want to win”.
We will continue to follow Tanner’s progress and look forward to seeing him compete on the NEI/Barton camp and combine tour, that will take place over the spring and summer. He projects as a D1- D1aa athlete and comes in ranked #15 overall on our list of the top 140 juniors. He has the intangibles you can’t teach (speed/ size) including a 3.4 GPA so expect Shipley to have monster 2012 campaign.
ttp://www.hudl.com/athlete/793714/tanner-shipley 2011 highlights
