Vote! Who is The Register-Guard boys freshman athlete of the year?

The Eugene-Springfield area featured some of the top freshman athletes in the state during the 2025-26 OSAA sports season.

Now, it's time for you to decide which local ninth-grader stood above the rest this year.

Vote for who you think should be The Register-Guard 2025-26 freshman boys athlete of the year, sponsored by Active Chiropractic.

Nominees for the 2025-26 Register-Guard Boys Freshman of the Year are:

• Jonny Jenkins, Willamette football
• Brayden Rauschert, Junction City baseball
• Jose Rivera, Willamette wrestling
• Kaden Seaton, Pleasant Hill cross-country, track and field
• Coda Skinner, North Eugene baseball
• Keanan Weber, Thurston track and field
• Jarron Weed, Junction City baseball

Vote for your favorite at registerguard.com/sports. The poll closes at noon Sunday, July 19.

Jonny Jenkins, Willamette football

It isn't often that a freshman impacts a postseason game for a top Class 6A team, but Willamette standout Jonny Jenkins was arguably the Wolverines' most impactful player in their quarterfinal showdown with Central Catholic.

Jenkins erupted for three touchdowns and 93 yards on 18 carries and kept Willamette afloat in a close-fought loss.

Brayden Rauschert, Junction City baseball

Brayden Rauschert was the starting shortstop for Junction City, which went 20-7 and ended the year at No. 4 in the Class 4A rankings.

Rauschert earned third-team all-state honors for the Tigers.

Jose Rivera, Willamette wrestling

Willamette's Jose Rivera took sixth place at 215 pounds at the Class 6A state championships.

Kaden Seaton, Pleasant Hill track and cross-country

Pleasant Hill's Kaden Seaton was the fastest freshman in Lane County on the cross-country course in 2025, regardless of classification. His 5,000-meter personal best of 17 minutes, 11.9 seconds was the 33rd-fastest in the state among ninth-graders.

Coda Skinner, North Eugene baseball

As a freshman, North Eugene's Coda Skinner carved out a starting role on North Eugene's Midwestern League title team.

Skinner earned Class 5A third-team all-state honors.

Keanan Weber, Thurston track and field

Thurston's Keanan Weber took sixth place in the triple jump at the Class 5A state championships with a personal-best mark of 43 feet, 1 inch.

Jarron Weed, Junction City baseball

A starting outfielder and a key piece of Junction City's pitching rotation, Jarron Weed earned Class 4A second-team all-state honors as a freshman after helping the Tigers to a 20-7 record.

Jarrid Denney is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. He can be reached at jdenney@registerguard.com or on X @jarrid_denney

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Vote! Who is The Register-Guard boys freshman athlete of the year?