Former Timberline athlete dies in crash

Former Timberline High three-sport athlete Aaron Edwards was killed Friday when the car he was driving collided with the back of semitruck near Spokane heading to Hoopfest, an annual 3-on-3 street basketball tournament.

He was 26.

According to the Washington State Patrol, Edwards was eastbound on Interstate 90 late Friday night when he struck the semitruck, driven by 56-year-old Vladamir Ogay, who had slowed his speed because of traffic congestion in a construction area. Edwards was the only person in his car, a four-door sedan.

Edwards graduated in 2005 from Timberline, where he played football, basketball and track and field. As a senior, he ran the third leg of the Blazers’ all-senior Class 3A state champion 4x100 relay team (42.82 seconds), which included current Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, Jaron Taylor and Steve Bacon. The state title relay team came after a runner-up state finish in 2004 (42.91).

Timberline track and field coach Todd Taylor said Edwards showed “amazing growth” his final three years, focusing on the triple jump, long jump, and high jump as well as the 4x100 relay.

“As he matured, he really found himself and was a good fit with those guys,” Taylor aid. “All four who ended up on the relay were Division I-caliber guys.”

Edwards spent a year as a track and field student-athlete at Saint Martin’s University before transferring to Eastern Washington.

This story was originally published July 3, 2013 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Former Timberline athlete dies in crash."