With proud families watching and coaches beaming nearby, 13 Woodburn High School athletes made their college dreams official during this year’s Signing Day celebration.

It was a moment years in the making — forged through early-morning practices, late night bus rides and countless hours of work behind the scenes. Now, these student athletes are headed to the next level, representing Woodburn in colleges across the region.

“I’m looking forward to growing for myself and being able to mature more, and just playing at the next level,” said Daniel McNeal, who will play football at the College of the Siskiyous.

His teammate, Daniel Basargin, is headed to Pacific University.

“I’m really looking forward to the pride and brotherhood that comes with football, and I feel like I have unfinished business, so hopefully we can go get something done over there,” he said.

Woodburn High football coach Rob Kassebaum took a moment to reflect on the senior class and especially on Cruz Veliz, who was named the high school’s Male Athlete of the Year.

“Probably not much of a doubt…this candidate from his freshman year was making an impact,” said Kassebaum. “I’m just going to say that the school is going to miss the leadership by example and the ability to be able to encourage kids in a positive way, and also get after ’em a little bit when needed.”

Veliz, who signed to play basketball at Western Washington University, leaves behind a legacy at Woodburn High. All-state in both football and basketball, he holds the school’s single-game scoring record and career assist record in basketball.

“Pretty excited just because of all the hard work he has put in,” said his father and coach, Raul Veliz. “A lot of people might not see that, but all the hours before school, after school, weekends…he had to miss a lot of family things to get work in.”

On the soccer field, three Woodburn standouts will continue their journeys at Chemeketa Community College.

Yasmin Perez Martinez, Amy Hernandez and Yahir Guzman all signed to join the Storm.

“Yasmin is one of those people that just leads by example,” said Woodburn soccer coach Andrea Fox. “We are so excited for her to continue to shine.”

Coach Juan Flores shared a heartfelt goodbye for Guzman: “We’re gonna miss him as part of the team. I’m happy that he’s joined the Chemeketa team and will make us proud and be a good ambassador for us.”

On the track, Joaquin Parsons, Hannah Peterson, Sergio Bravo, and Lola Heide each earned a spot at the next level.

Parsons signed with Clackamas Community College. As a freshman, he ran the 100-meter dash in 12.96 seconds. Now, he owns the school record at 10.96.

Peterson, the Woodburn High Female Athlete of the Year, will also compete for Clackamas. Peterson was a four-year varsity athlete in volleyball and track, and she holds the school record in javelin at 133 feet, 1 inch.

“I just love competing in javelin. Because it’s individual, I get to challenge myself and push myself,” Peterson said.

Bravo is another four-year Woodburn track athlete heading to Clackamas. His transformation in throwing events is staggering. From 27 feet, 5 inches in shot put as a freshman, to nearly 50 feet this year.

Heide, bound for George Fox University, has made her mark in the hurdles. She holds personal records of 16.2 in the 100-meter hurdles and 47.96 in the 300, placing her among the top competitors in the league.

On the swim side, Mark Seledkov stood alone as Woodburn’s sole swimmer. He signed with George Fox University after finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke at state.

“I’m excited to be on a new team and train with new people, hopefully people that are better and faster than me,” Seledkov said.

Woodburn Athletic Trainer Matt Bowman summed up the mood best.

“I’m so excited,” he said. “I know that I’m going to miss these seniors. There are those classes that come around and are really special, and this just happens to be one of those classes.”

Many students shared plans to study business, nursing or kinesiology, but regardless of their major, each of them carries the pride of representing Woodburn.