Ted Shoenlein

If there was ever a small town All-American type student-athlete in Astoria, we are quite sure Ted Schoenlein would have nicely filled the bill. In the mid-1970’s Schoenlein mixed athletics and school activities in a way that has not been equaled by many since.

Schoenlein’s first taste of varsity action came late in his freshman year, when baseball coach Ross Putman called up the youngster from the junior varsity unit to start on the mound against St. Helens. He responded by striking out 10 Lions and registering an 8-1 victory over Astoria’s Coast-Valley League opponent. As a senior he was selected by his teammates to serve as team captain. Later that same season, he was placed on the All-Valley Coast League first unit as a pitcher.

Football coach Al Jacobson brought Schoenlein to the varsity as a sophomore to direct his offense as a quarterback. In Astoria’s first game of the year, against Hood River High School, Schoenlein and the Fishermen gridders were en route to a 40-0 win over the Eagles, when the young signal-caller went down with a collarbone injury, which would keep him on the sideline for the remainder of the season. He returned the following two years to guide the Fishermen on the gridiron, earning All-League acclaim as a defensive back.

On the basketball court Shoenlein strung together 835 career points, which ranked is eleventh on the Astoria High School all-time career scoring list at the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame. As a sophomore he led the 16-10 Fishermen in scoring with 314 points, including a single-game high of 21 points against Newberg. His junior year saw him pour in 242 points and earn All-Coast League acclaim, as the Fishermen registered a 20-5 mark. During his senior campaign, Astoria’s record slipped to 13-12, but not before the steady Schoenlein dumped in 279 scores.

Away from the athletic fields of Astoria High School, Schoenlein would also merit Hall of Fame status. He was selected to Boy’s State, the National Honor Society and was inducted into Mu Alpha Theta. No wonder he was voted Most Talented by his senior class peers. Oh, yes! He also played a mean trumpet in the Astoria High School stage band.