PAGE B2, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 20, 2015
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
McNary senior Payton Williams is expected to return to the
boys tennis team after battling cancer for the past nine months.
Boys put young squad on court
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary High School boys varsity ten-
nis team lost a number of their power players to
graduation last year, but they won’t have to look
far for inspiration on the court.
At the end of the 2014 season, the team voted
then-junior Payton Williams as captain of this
year’s squad. Since that time, Williams was di-
agnosed with cancer and had been undergoing
chemotherapy treatment and surgeries to remove
the malignant tissue for the better part of nine
months. After all that, Lisa Reid, McNary head
coach, expects him to be back in the saddle this
season.
“I have no doubt that Payton will be a fully
participating team member earning his letter just
like the other guys. We really need him, he is a
true leader. Payton enjoys tennis so much that
you can’t tell if he is winning or losing by his on-
court demeanor,” Reid said.
This year’s squad will be one of the more in-
experienced ones in recent years, but Reid said
the new players are making up for lack of experi-
ence with enthusiasm and desire to improve.
“The new players bringing a lot of motivation
to the team, which we lacked last year. I think
that gives us a lot of potential,” said Celt Alfonso
Pacheco.
Sophomore Dante Garibay said the inexperi-
ence might pay off in ways unexpected.
“It gives us a lot of diversity in playing style,
and they bring new things to the court,” Garibay
said.
Control and serving are at the top of the agen-
da in the early weeks of the season, according to
Reid.
“They have to learn to control the ball and
not just hit it as hard as they can. If they make
good serve returns and choices in practice, they’ll
be able to do it during matches as well,” she said.
An expanded conference with three new
teams is likely to add a different type of pressure
as the season unfolds, but the Celts’ biggest com-
petition will likely come from South Salem and
Sprague high schools.
“We have a lot to prove with all the new play-
ers, but we want to bring them something they
haven’t seen,” Garibay said. “It’ll make district
competition different with so many new teams.”
Reid said the variety will be a welcome
change even if it makes earning spots in the state
tournament tougher.
Despite all the change inside and outside the
Celtic program, Pacheco saw nothing but good
things ahead.
“Even though we lost some of our good play-
ers last year, I think we’ll be even better this year,”
he said.
Help send
wrestler
to Reno
Keizer’s Pacifi c Crest Ar-
chery is holding a raffl e to
help a Keizer 10-year-old at-
tend the Reno World Cham-
pionship wrestling competi-
tion this year.
Keizer Elementary School
student Destiny Rodriguez,
who has won multiple nation-
al and regional title, is hoping
to attend one of the premiere
events in the youth wrestling
world. Pacifi c Crest is holding
a raffl e for a Mission Craze
compound bow, a value of
about $300. The prize pack-
age includes several additional
accessories. Proceeds will help
fund Destiny’s trip to Reno,
Nev.
Tickets are $10 each or fi ve
for $40. The winner will be
drawn Tuesday, April 7. Tickets
can be purchased by calling
503-383-6518. Donations are
also appreciated.
Girls tennis eyeing
Greater Valley title
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
McNary High School se-
nior Sandy Childress has had
just about enough of second
place in district tournaments.
“I’m tired of being fi rst
place loser, I want to be fi rst
place for real,” Sandy said.
“I’m shooting for gold.”
Two years ago, Childress
took second place in the
doubles league tournament
as a sophomore with a for-
eign exchange student Alex
Henriques da Silva. She took
second place in singles as a
junior in 2014. Whether it’s
singles or doubles this sea-
son, Sandy might just end up
making that goal.
This year, Childress’s
younger sister, Hannah, is a
freshman and the pair plan on
competing as a doubles team
while Sandy may switch over
to singles from time to time.
Hannah’s already been
playing club tennis with San-
dy for several years, but said
she’s been enjoying the larger
team practices.
“It’s cool to have a bigger
group around you and sup-
porting you,” Hannah said.
“We have a lot of new girls
coming in that are really
good.”
In the bigger picture, the
Lady Celts are thinking this
season could be the one
when they compete for a
Greater Valley Conference
title.
“I think we have a deep
team with a lot of experience
and we may have a good
chance at a district title,”
Sandy said.
The Greater Valley Con-
ference includes three new
teams – Forest Grove, Mc-
Minnville and West Albany
high schools – but none of
them sent as many players
to the state tournament last
year as McNary. In the new
league, Salem’s Sprague had
more than the Celtics’ three
players in last year’s state
tournament, and the Olys
only had four. Still, Sandy
said an expanded conference
is going to make league play
tougher.
“All three schools are
pretty decent and we’ll have
to fi ght for it,” she said
In addition to Childress,
seniors Ariana Neads and
Sami Trowbridge went to
state as a doubles team their
junior year. This time around,
they’ll be expecting more of
themselves.
“We got to go to state
last year, but we had no idea
what we were getting into
and how great everyone was
going to be. We kind of got
our butts kicked, but we
know where we need to be
now,” Neads said. The duo
still managed three wins in
Connecting to Our Community
the state tournament.
At the very least, playing
the Childress sisters is go-
ing to make them tougher,
Trowbridge said.
“I think we’re already get-
ting better. Hannah is just
a little freshy, but she’s cool
– and good – and going to
make us better,” Trowbridge
said.
The two doubles teams
are expecting to swing be-
tween the No. 1 and No. 2
doubles spot, but Neads and
Trowbridge have no desire
to just roll over and let the
Childresses take it – even if
it’s taking a lot of hard work.
“Sandy has a killer serve
and, even in the past week,
we’ve improved on getting it
in bounds rather than shank-
ing it off some place,” Neads
said.
Supporting our community creates
healthier, more vibrant, and more
cooperative places to work and live.
That’s why every year Salem Electric provides
financial support to more than 50 non-profit
organizations and community-based events,
awards scholarships to our members, and
volunteers in our community. In addition,
Salem Electric employees contribute numerous
personal hours serving local organizations.
We’re your neighbors.
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KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Lady Celt Cambria Rushton returns a volley in competition
Tuesday, March 17.
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