Keizertimes., May 22, 2015, Image 8

PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 22, 2015
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Childresses take
district tennis title
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
For the past two years, McNary senior Sandy Childress has
been fi rst runner-up in the district tennis tournament. From the
start of this season, she’s been out to become something more.
She succeeded Saturday, May 16, taking the district title in
doubles alongside her freshman sister, Hannah.
“I’m so thrilled, I’ve been working toward this my whole
high school career,” Sandy said. “It’s a bonus to be able to do it
with Hannah. Being able to share a victory at such a high level
is really cool.”
Sandy placed second in doubles as a sophomore and second
in singles as a junior.
Hannah said the fi nals match ended up being a totally differ-
ent experience than what the pair had envisioned.
“We really expected to be taking on the West Albany (High
School) No. 1 team, but their No. 2 team beat them and I think
we had an easier match because of it,” Hannah said. “Our tough-
est match ended up being against McMinnville (High School).
We won 6-2, 6-1, but the score didn’t refl ect how close the
match was.”
The two Lady Celts lost only six games the entire tourna-
ment. The girls were set to enter the state tournament as the
sixth seed in all of Oregon, but they’ll have a tough road ahead.
“It’s going to be pretty diffi cult for us because we haven’t
played these teams before. We got a bye the fi rst round, but that
means we have to win our fi rst match or we’re done,” Sandy
said.
The elder Childress is headed to the Division 2 Sonoma State
University in California next fall where she’s already been ac-
cepted to the school and made the tennis team.
With three years of high school still ahead of her, Hannah
has set a high bar for herself with a district title, but she’s busy
relishing the moment.
“I think it’s awesome. Not a lot of freshman are able to do
something like this, but Sandy and I helped each other,” Han-
nah said.
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
McNary High School senior Kyle Torres took two individual dis-
trict titles alongside a pair of team titles in relay events.
Torres takes pair of
individual, relay titles
By ERIC A. HOWALD
pearance in state races as a
Of the Keizertimes
Celt.
McNary High School se-
Wilder was thrown into
nior Kyle Torres claimed two the mix of the 4x400 after Van
individual district titles at the Voorhis suffered a cramp and
Greater Valley Conference was essential to the win, said
district meet last week, but Frank Gauntz, McNary head
he’s more excited about the coach.
two
additional
“It
was
ones he claimed
nice to know
as part of the “ The kids we
we had the
4x100 and 4x400 are taking to
depth to come
relay teams.
through be-
“The
relays state are in a
cause we had
went well and good position high expecta-
I was really im-
tions for those
pressed
with to do well.”
two teams,” he
how
Antoine
said.
— Frank Gauntz,
(Wilder) and Aus-
The
girls
Head coach
tin (Stone) re-
will send two
ally stepped up in
runners on to
those races,” Torres said.
the state tournament in Eu-
Torres claimed individual gene. Junior Danielle Duran
titles in the 200 meter and took second in the 400 me-
400 meter races with times of ter in 1:00.67. Kailey Doutt, a
22.10 and 49.04 seconds, re- freshman, took second in the
spectively. In the 4x100, Tor- 800 meter in 2:19.65.
res, Brown, Brendan Van Voo-
Doutt was in third going
rhis and Riley Moore took into the last 200 meters of the
fi rst in 42.38. In the 4x400, 800, but hit the afterburners
Wilder, Moore, Stone and to pass the second-place run-
Torres took fi rst in 3:25.45. ner and earn the state berth.
Van Voorhis took second in
“I feel really happy, and I
the 200 and 400. Moore took want to go and do this every
third in the 200, making for a year. I also dropped my time
sweep of the event.
by fi ve seconds. My goal was
“This week we need to to break 2:20 this season,”
work on the handoffs in both Doutt said.
races,” Stone, a junior said.
For the fi rst year in a newly
This will be Stone’s third ap-
Please see TRACK, Page A9
Submitted
The Lady Celt varsity softball team gathers for a photo after winning the fi rst-ever Greater Valley Conference title by beating
Sprague High School 5-4.
Lady Celts top league
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary High School girls varsity
softball team fi nished the Greater Valley
Conference season with an eight-game
win streak and the fi rst GVC league title.
“We knew where this team was at the
beginning of the season and where they
could be. It took them a little longer than
we expected, but (the upswing) is hap-
pening at a good time,” said Kevin Wise,
McNary head coach.
The league title hung in the balance
until the Lady Celts’ fi nal game with
Sprague High School Friday, May 15.
Sprague had a 3-0 lead going into the
top of the sixth frame.
“I think, in the early going, the girls
were trying to swing for the fences and it
kept us from putting up runs. But, in that
sixth inning, Kiana Villarreal shortened
up her swing and hit a three-run homer,”
Wise said.
Villarreal’s home run tied the game,
and she said that was the magic moment
for her as far as the team went.
“I knew we had a great group of
girls, and that last game it showed me
how when one of us got down our team
would be there to back us up,” Villarreal
said. “After that inning, we had a talk
about how much we wanted the title and
I think it came down to us wanting it
more. Our energy picked up.”
After knotting it up 3-3, McNary held
the Olys scoreless in the bottom of the
sixth. The Celts added two runs in the
seventh and Sprague put only one runner
across the dish in the bottom of the frame
to give the Celtics a 5-4 win.
Kelsi Christensen had the best day at
the plate going 3-for-5 with a double and
a run scored. Haley Ebner went 2-for-4
with an RBI. Hannah Carr went 2-for-4
with a home run.
Sprague had beaten the Celtics 4-2 in
the teams’ prior contest.
On paper, it’s diffi cult to understand
how the girls came to stand alone atop
a league with three teams fi nishing with
the same record, 12-4. It has to do with
how McNary, Sprague and West Salem
competed against each other. Within
those three teams’ contests, McNary had
a 3-1 record, Sprague was 2-2 and West
went 1-3.
A day prior to the Sprague game, Mc-
Nary beat another team, South Salem
High School, that they’d taken a loss to
earlier in the season. The Celts won 10-0
this time.
“We knew we had a streak going this
time and I think we decided we weren’t
going to let up.” said McNary pitcher
Megan Ulrey.
Wise said the difference from earlier
in the season came down to fewer errors
and Ulrey being able to work the cor-
ners of her strike zone effectively. Kinsey
McNaught and Christensen both went
3-for-4. Christensen’s day included a
double, a triple and a stolen base.
On Wednesday, May 13, the Celts
pounded McMinnville High School 16-
6. The game ended in the fi fth frame af-
ter an eight-run fourth for McNary.
Ulrey said part of the team’s strategy
this season was never to go out and win
state, and that’s what made it such a suc-
cess.
“We had to do the smaller things to
get there fi rst: hitting every game, scor-
ing every inning. Those small goals lead
up to the winning every game and going
to the post season,” she said. “We always
have the same expectations and try to be
realistic.”
Boys fi nish in second
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
After a loss to McMinnville
High School, the McNary
High School varsity baseball
team had to settle for second
place in the Greater Valley
Conference.
“We’re proud of where we
ended up, but it came down to
needing a win over one of the
better teams in the league on
their home fi eld and we didn’t
get the job done,” said Larry
Keeker, McNary head coach.
Despite some disappoint-
ment with taking second, se-
nior Jacob Vasas said the team
exceeded his early expecta-
tions.
“To be honest, after the
stomping we took in Ari-
zona (during spring break),
I thought we were going to
have to scrap a little bit, but
coming out in fi rst place after
the fi rst half of the season felt
good and like we earned it,”
Vasas said. “We did pretty well
from where we started.”
While they were denied
a league title, McNary gets
to host its fi rst game of the
playoffs Monday, May 25. The
Keizer team drew Lake Os-
wego in the fi rst round, and
the two teams have plenty of
recent history.
Two years ago, McNary
beat the Lakers in the post-
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Celt Cole Thomas turned a reaching hit into two-RBI triple in a game with Madison High School
Tuesday, May 19.
season. Last year, Lake Oswe-
go ousted McNary from the
playoff scene.
“Coming back with Lake
Oswego is going to be fun
since we have the history with
them,” said Connor Goff, a
Celt senior.
The big loss to McMin-
nville Wednesday, May 13, was
partly the result of missed op-
portunity.
“In the second inning, we
had two guys on with no-
body out and we didn’t ex-
ecute the sac bunt, then had
three strikeouts. In the bottom
of that inning, we had an er-
ror on the sac bunt. Another
bunt was popped up in the
air and Mickey (Walker) had
to dive for it and missed. If
he had made that catch, we
might have had a double play,
but they ended up with bases
loaded,” Keeker said.
The Grizzlies ended up
scoring three runs in the
frame. McMinnville pitcher
David Brosius barreled ahead
on the mound holding Mc-
Nary to three hits.
Please see BOYS, Page A10