Players from Phoenix, Ashland, and Japan All-Stars share experiences during PRB week; game Friday

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

Bunka.

The word is one of more than a dozen ways to say “culture” in Japanese. Charlie Hall, head coach of the South Valley Wolfpack with players from both Phoenix and Ashland, used the term to describe the meaning behind the Pacific Rim Bowl (PRB). 

The cultural exchange started in Ashland in 1988 between Ashland High School and the Japan All-Stars, made up of student athletes from multiple high schools in Japan. Today, the Japan All-Stars are made up of 47 players from 17 schools from Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, and 55 players from the Ashland and Phoenix high school football programs are on the South Valley Wolfpack squad.

“Culture is one of the pillars of the Pacific Rim Bowl,” Hall said Tuesday during the Third Pacific Rim Peace Ceremony in Lithia Park. “A lot of it has been about the Japanese culture and the American boys learning about that and, when (the Japanese team comes) here, there’s American culture. Can somebody here define American culture? So, our American culture is very diverse.

The PRB incorporates student-athletes from Phoenix High School for the first time this year The Phoenix district has 45% Hispanic students, according to Brent Barry, superintendent of Phoenix-Talent schools.

Given that there is a more diverse Southern Oregon team, the peace ceremony incorporated Ballet Folklorico in the peace ceremony this year, including one of Hall’s former students, who performed a Mexican dance at the bandshell.

“As we integrated the Phoenix community into the Pacific Rim Bowl, the Latin American and Latino community in that area is very strong, and so we want to expand some of that Latino influence into the PRB,” Hall said.

‘Ashland, Phoenix to take the field — not just as a team but as a brotherhood’

Players from Ashland and Phoenix as well as Japan all shared during the peace ceremony what the experience means for them.

Aaden Reyna represented Phoenix High School and the South Valley Wolfpack as he spoke to the crowd of attendees on Tuesday.

“We will always remember this game,” Reyna said. “Later in the future, we’ll be able to tell … our future kids and future family … how we got to experience it.”

Reyna played on the original Wolfpack youth football team at age of 7. 

He shared with Ashland.news following the program about becoming part of the PRB this year and how special it has been to reunite with former teammates.

“At first, we didn’t know each other when we came to Ashland,” he said. “We recognized each other, but we weren’t connected (anymore) … but now we all have that great relationship to where we trust each other.

“(Now) we all have a group chat,” he added.

Aven Staten, a defensive end for the South Valley Wolfpack and Ashland High School, also shared about his experience traveling to Japan for the most recent PRB.

“The Pacific Rim Bowl isn’t just another matchup,” Staten said. “It’s a rare chance for athletes from two different countries, two different cultures to come together, face off and walk away with with lifelong memories.”

In 2023, Staten traveled with the Ashland High School football team, led by coach Beau Lehnerz, a trip that he called “unforgettable.” 

“I got to ride a bullet train, visit an eight-story mall (with my mom’s credit card), and try new things like Takoyaki, a popular octopus dish that ended up being one of my favorites from the trip,” he said. “I want to thank the Japanese players for everything they brought to this experience, the effort, the heart, the sportsmanship and the culture they’ve shared with us. 

“Competing with them makes us better and we’re grateful for the bond that’s formed through this tradition.

“Friday, Ashland and Phoenix will take the field, not just as a team but as a brotherhood,” Staten added. “We’ll give it everything we have because that’s what it means to wear this jersey, to represent this community, and to be part of the Wolfpack.”

Japan All-Stars’ team captain and quarterback Kosei Kohara, who also helped translate for several speakers on Tuesday, told the crowd he was deeply moved by all of the speeches.

“History is not just something in textbooks, it’s something we carry forward with our actions,” Kohara said. “Being part of this exchange is more than just playing a football game. It’s about building friendship, trust and understanding between people from different cultures.”

Steve Mitzel, president of Ashland’s PRB board of directors, reiterated the meaning behind the PRB that has been the theme all week long.

“Today we are gathered in beautiful Lithia Park to celebrate friendship and peace through the shared language of football,” Mitzel said.

“This exchange is about so much more than a game. It’s young people showing the world how respect and teamwork and shared values can bridge oceans.”

Mitzel thanked host families, organizers, coaches and players for helping to make the PRB happen.

“Your commitment turns competition into community and builds lifelong relationships,” Mitzel said.

Phoenix-Talent has contributed transportation all week long for events, contributing about $5,000 to the program.

The week culminates with a private PRB Hall of Fame dinner on Thursday evening. The PRB pre-game starts at 6:30 p.m. and the game at 7 p.m. Friday, July 25, at Walter A. Phillips Field at Ashland High School.

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].

Related stories:

Phoenix teams up with Ashland as South Valley Wolfpack in first joint Pacific Rim Bowl (July 21, 2025)

Football: Japan All-Stars arrive in Ashland, start practice Monday at Walter A. Phillips Field (July 21, 2025)

Football: Ashland, Phoenix set to join forces for Pacific Rim Bowl in July (April 1, 2025)

Hiroshima survivor: ‘My mother had said, “Go to the river”’ (Aug. 14, 2023)

‘More than just a game’: Ashland High School football team to return to Japan after hiatus (July 27, 2023)