Mark Ylen / The (Albany) Democrat-HeraldOregon State’s Noke Tago helps Cres Merrill, of Corvallis, reel in one of the 12 fish the duo caught before the halfway point of their morning drift on the McKenzie River on Wednesday.

WALTERVILLE — A river ran through the Civil War rivalry this week.

Members of the Oregon and Oregon State football teams, only days away from the start of grueling preseason training camps, spent a tranquil Wednesday morning floating and fishing the McKenzie River together for a worthy cause.

“The Civil War and stuff, we’re not into that right now,” said massive Oregon State defensive tackle Noke Tago. “Everything is based on the kids.”

The Ducks and Beavers (along with other Oregon athletes) were able to bond with a group of 15 children who are either battling cancer, in remission, or mourning the loss of a sibling to the unrelenting disease.

“It’s special to get these longtime rivals together for a common cause,” said Jim Martin, a veteran river guide who has been organizing the event for the past three years.

“All of these guides could be out working for money today, but they want to be a part of this. There has been an outpouring of people who want to help with this event. That tells me a lot,” Martin said.

Thomas Nuss, a 13-year-old from Medford, was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2011. He underwent intense chemotherapy and then had a stem cell transplant after a 2013 relapse.

“At first, it was kind of like, ‘What did I do? Why me?’ ” Jennifer Nuss, Thomas’ mom, said of experiencing a parent’s worst nightmare. “But he has fought hard through everything and made it.”

Thomas once played a Pop Warner football game at the Ducks’ Autzen Stadium, and his dad is from Houston. So it was not surprising when he was drawn to UO sophomore linebacker Torrodney Prevot, a star recruit out of Houston’s Alief Taylor High.

Before getting into a drift boat together, Thomas and Prevot talked about action movies and how they were both raised to say ‘Yes, sir’ and ‘Yes ma’am’ when speaking to elders.

“At first he wasn’t an Oregon fan, so we didn’t hit it off. Now we’re good, he’s a Duck fan,” Prevot said with a smile. “That was interesting. We have such a different background, but he’s also from the South and he moved down to Medford so he could have better treatment. It has been good talking to him.”

Tago used to fish with his dad growing up in Pago Pago on the remote South Pacific island of American Samoa.

“Over here I do it in my free time, but most of the time I hang out in the weight room,” the 6-foot-1, 305-pound Tago said.

Tago spoke Samoan and only a smattering of broken English when he arrived in Corvallis two years ago. The now well-spoken redshirt sophomore, who is majoring in human development and family sciences, was a kid magnet on the river.

“To me, it’s a great pleasure to come and hang out with these kids and talk to them about our experiences on and off the field, especially educationwise,” Tago said. “I like to share with them so they can think (about) what they want to do in life.”

Cres Merrill, 5, caught 12 fish while casting with Tago.

“It’s really awesome to see him hang out and instantly bond with people like that,” said Cres’ father, Cressey Merrill, an instructor in Oregon State’s College of Public Health and Human Services.

Cres and his twin sister, Keylin, were both on the trip. Their younger brother Cameron died from complications of leukemia in January 2013 when he was 20 months old.

“Cameron beat his leukemia and it was a secondary infection that jumped on and ultimately took him,” Cressey said. “This definitely is therapeutic for them. They definitely miss their younger brother. It’s great seeing them out here enjoying themselves.”

The Merrill family attended some bereavement events sponsored by Candlelighters, a nonprofit organization for children with cancer.

“The highlight for me is when I see the excitement on the kids’ faces,” said Mary Lou Bradley, co-chair of the Mid-Willamette Valley Candlelighters.

Martin and Bradley work together to put the fishing trip on. They describe Don Adams as the “brainchild” of the event. Doug Craven, a past president of the McKenzie River Guides Association, organizes the volunteer guide boats and the post-float lunch.

Before the athletes and kids piled into 20 boats with their guides, they watched as a State of Oregon Game & Wildlife truck released a load of hatchery fish into the river.

“I’m surprised every day,” Ducks redshirt freshman Elijah George, a 6-5, 272-pound offensive lineman from Las Vegas, said of his Oregon experience. “I knew it was different than where I’m from with no trees, but every time I go out to nature it’s pretty beautiful.”

While the kids were enjoying the company of their new big brothers, the Ducks and Beavers exhaled in the fresh air before starting the football grind.

Oregon visits Oregon State on Nov. 29 to end the 2014 regular season.

“I just needed to get away and this is good to go fishing, hang out and talk to the kids,” Prevot said. “It’s amazing seeing the impact you have on their life just by asking them, ‘How’s your day?’

“It’s interesting getting to know these kids who are so smart because they’ve already experienced so much. They’re the real heroes.”