Elliott Bruce proud to represent Reynolds Raiders at The Chosen 1Hundred football event

Bruce was an honorable mention all-Mt. Hood Conference receiver last fall

Reynolds junior receiver/defensive back Elliott Bruce makes a catch at Saturday’s The Chosen 1Hundred event at Jesuit High School. / Dan Brood

PORTLAND — Star players from big-time high school programs from around the state were present.

Many players from traditional state powers such as Lake Oswego, Tualatin and Wilsonville, just to name a few, were on the football field at Jesuit High School.

And then there was Elliott Bruce.

Bruce, while not a player for an Oregon high school powerhouse, was still savoring absolutely every second of being part of The Chosen 1Hundred, an invite-only event which served as a showcase for some of the top high school football players in Oregon and Southwest Washington to not only show their skills for college coaches in attendance, but also to learn from some of the top coaches from around the state, including Nelson’s Aaron Hazel and Tualatin’s Dominic Ferraro, who will serve as head coaches at this summer’s Les Schwab Bowl.

Bruce, a 6-foot, 182-pound junior receiver/defensive back, was talking with many other players at the event. He sought out and attentively listened to all the advice he could get from the coaches on the turf at Jesuit High School that Saturday afternoon.

Bruce was smiling throughout, happy to be part of the activities.

He also was happy about one other thing — getting to represent Reynolds High School.

“My school is really overlooked. I go to Reynolds High School, and we don’t win a lot,” Bruce said. “So, for me to come out here and feel that I can compete is one of the best feelings. It’s a blessing.”

While Bruce was looking to learn, compete and impress at Saturday’s showcase, he also wanted to pass on a message:

Don’t look past the Raiders.

“I want to represent Reynolds out here,” Bruce said. “I feel like there are a lot of kids that are overlooked because of our school, our history and stuff like that. And I feel like anyone can come out and compete like this if they set their mind to it.”

Reynolds was 2-7 last season, including a 2-5 mark in Mt. Hood Conference play.

As a junior, Bruce did a bit of everything for the Raiders. In eight games, he had 17 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 99 yards on four carries. He completed all three of his pass attempts for 32 yards and a touchdown. He even handled kickoffs and extra-point kicks.

Bruce earned honorable mention all-Mt. Hood Conference at receiver.

As a senior, Bruce, who also is a photographer at Reynolds, wants to help the Raiders take the next step.

“I want to go to the playoffs, do that at least one time,” he said. “I want more than nine games. I just want to make a name for myself.”

Bruce is hoping the experience and knowledge he gained at The Chosen 1Hundred will help with all of that.

“I learned that anything’s possible,” he said. “Going to a school like that, you don’t really get a lot of (college) coaches to come out there and meet with us, so to be here in this environment is a blessing. I’m going to hold this forever.”

While the day was a special one for the players from the state-power high school football programs, it might have meant the most to the one player from Reynolds on the field.

“I had a great time today,” Bruce said. “It was exciting. I got to meet a whole lot of people, I made a lot of new connections, and I got to compete.”

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