Dufur mourns Cameron Bostick, 21, after Highway 197 crash

The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 25, 2026 — Cameron Bostick loved sports.

He played them. He studied them. He remembered the statistics, followed the trades and could spend hours talking about football and basketball.

And on Friday nights, the 21-year-old Dufur High School graduate helped bring Dufur Ranger football to listeners across the country as a radio announcer for Gorge Country Y-102.

Bostick died Saturday, Aug. 22, in a head-on crash on Highway 197 north of Dufur, leaving behind a community now mourning a young man whose passion for Ranger athletics continued long after he walked off the field as a player.

“It’s still hard enough,” said Shannon Milburn, Bostick’s broadcasting partner at Y-102, describing the loss.

Milburn said Bostick had become like one of his own kids during their years traveling together to cover Dufur football.

“He just loved life,” Milburn said. “And sports was his thing.”

Crash occurred Saturday afternoon

Oregon State Police said troopers responded at about 4:11 p.m. Saturday to a two-vehicle crash near milepost 8 on Highway 197.

According to the preliminary investigation, Bostick was driving a gray Ford Fusion south when the vehicle entered the northbound lane for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a Ram 2500 pickup driven by Breann Alyse Young, 35, of The Dalles.

Bostick was pronounced dead at the scene.

Young was flown by Life Flight to an area hospital with serious injuries, according to OSP. A 4-year-old girl riding in the pickup was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

The highway was affected for about three hours during the investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Dufur Volunteer Fire and EMS, U.S. Forest Service law enforcement and wildland fire personnel, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

From Ranger player to broadcaster

Bostick graduated from Dufur High School in 2023, where he played football and basketball. On the football field, he played on the defensive line.

But graduation did not end his connection with the Rangers.

Soon afterward, Bostick joined Milburn in the broadcast booth, calling Dufur football games for Y-102 and traveling with the team around Oregon.

“He just absolutely loves sports,” Milburn said, speaking about his friend in the present tense as he recalled their time together. “He can talk about sports for hours.”

Milburn said Bostick had a way of making the person he was talking with feel important.

“He was always happy, always just ready to go,” he said.

The Dufur School District remembered Bostick for an extraordinary knowledge of Ranger football, saying he could recall statistics, plays and team history and often seemed to know what was going to happen before it unfolded on the field.

“He would call plays before they happened, anticipate moves by both teams seconds before they were made, and predict scores to within mere points,” the district wrote in announcing his death.

Rain or shine, heat or cold, Bostick followed the Rangers around the state.

“Ranger Nation will not be the same without #25, but we celebrate his memory and impact on Ranger Football,” the district said.

‘He was a good kid’

Ty Wenzel, Bostick’s former math teacher at Dufur, remembered him as a hardworking student with a great sense of humor who was kind, respectful and always willing to help.

“He was a good kid,” Wenzel said. “Spent a lot of time with me.”

Bostick spent considerable time in Wenzel’s classroom working on math, and Wenzel also remembered how deeply interested he was in sports.

Wenzel said Bostick’s connection to Dufur sports did not end when he graduated, pointing to his work announcing Ranger football games as something special he continued to do for the school and community.

Wenzel also expressed concern for Young and the others affected by the crash.

“It is very sad,” Wenzel said. “Sounds like the other person is in bad shape too. I feel bad for them too.”

‘Cam’s Picks’

Bostick's knowledge eventually became more than Friday night commentary.

Milburn and Bostick created a feature called “Cam’s Picks,” with Bostick predicting the winners of college and professional football and basketball games. The feature continued on Milburn’s Friday afternoon radio show even after Dufur's football season ended.

And Bostick wasn't simply guessing.

“I swear he got at least 75% right all the time,” Milburn said.

Sports remained part of their friendship away from the microphone. Bostick would text Milburn when a player was traded or a team made a significant move, often launching another conversation between the two.

“Every time I’d see him at the grocery store or something, you know, ‘By the way, did you hear about this?’” Milburn said. “Sometimes he’d just send me a text — ‘Did you see they finally got rid of this person?’”

“It was fun,” he said.

Bostick had been preparing for another football season and was planning to attend school this year, Milburn said. The two had talked only last week about the coming season and the long road trips ahead.

Even with Bostick going to school, Milburn planned to pick him up for games he could still make.

“That was the plan,” Milburn said.

Now, with the football season just beginning in September, Milburn will return to the broadcasts without the young man who had sat beside him for the past several years.

“He was looking forward to it,” Milburn said. “It’s going to make it tough, but we’ll do him proud.”

A celebration of Bostick’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Dufur High School.

In lieu of flowers, Bostick’s family is asking that donations be made in his name to Dufur School ASB Football.