Keizertimes., January 01, 2016, Image 8

PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 1, 2016
KEIZERTIMES.COM
2015: A year in Keizer sports
2015 was fi lled with ups and down for many McNary High School
teams, but along the way a few rose to new peaks and a number of
individual athletes made waves with top fi nishes in their sports of
choice. Here is a round-up of some of the biggest stories of the year.
New turf at MHS
After months of work by volunteers and
contractors alike, McNary High School un-
veiled its new turf fi eld during the annual Blue
Day celebration in August.
The process of installing the turf involved a
three-month timetable that included excavat-
ing the old fi eld, upgrading drainage systems,
fi lling in with new foundation material, lev-
eling it off, laying down new turf, stitching it
together with a sewing gun, clipping out sec-
tions for logos and numbers, gluing the pre-
made numerals and letters down, adding sand
and plastic infi ll, and laying down asphalt on
the areas the turf didn’t cover. Three large I-
beams were also added to reposition the old
scoreboard.
The project was paid for through about
$500,000 in in-kind donations and another
$500,000 in cash. The McNary Athletic Boost-
er Club is still raising money to help cover ex-
penses.
The new artifi cial turf fi eld is expected to be
able to handle tenfold the amount of traffi c the
old natural grass fi eld could.
Wolverines go undefeated
The Whiteaker Middle
School heavyweight football
team capped an undefeated
romp over, around and through
opponents with a win over
cross-town rival Claggett Creek
Middle School in November.
Under the wing of a new
head coach, Tom Larimer, the
team rebounded from several
tough seasons to win most of
its games by large margins.
Eleven of the team’s 25
players had never played foot-
ball before and, coupled with
a handful of seasoned athletes,
turned in the performances of
their young lives.
“Before the game (with
Boys ignite on hardwood
Claggett Creek) I asked my
kids if they cared enough about
their teammates to give their
very best on the biggest stage—
and that’s exactly what they
did,” said Larimer.
Parker out,
Auvinen in
In early January, McNary’s
head football coach, Isaac
Parker, announced he would
be leaving to take a new job
with Lewis and Clark College.
Within a matter of days and
a few brief conversations dur-
ing McNary’s winter break,
there was an offer to become
the Pioneers’ new offensive
coach and recruiter on the
table and Parker had a day to
accept or decline. Parker ac-
cepted.
On March 2, longtime Mc-
Nary teacher and coach Jeff
Auvinen was announced as
the new leader of the program.
In his fi rst year on the job,
Auvinen’s Celtics fi nished
fourth in the Greater Valley
Conference. The team had its
share of ups and downs along
the way to an appearance in
the playoffs. Unfortunately for
McNary, the team drew the
state’s defending champs and
ended their season with a 42-
21 loss.
When it came to team
sports at Keizer’s only high
school there was no bigger
story than the boys basketball
team.
The year began with a
spectacular 67-60 win over
South Salem High School that
put the Celtics at the top of
the Greater Valley Conference.
What followed were a number
of close games and a rematch
with the Saxons that ended
in a loss for the Celtics. That
loss meant sharing the GVC
title with South, but it was the
fi rst time since 2009 the team
reached such heights.
The boys barely beat New-
berg High School in the fi rst
round of the playoffs and end-
ed up succumbing to North
Medford in the second round.
In the midst of their wild
ride to the top, Celt Tregg
Peterson, a senior, was named
GVC Player of the Year while
teammate Mathew Ismay, a
sophomore at the time, picked
up Defensive Player of the
Year honors.
With the new season just
getting underway, the Celts
have already knocked off some
big names in Oregon and
Washington. To date, the only
loss was dealt to the team by
Central Catholic High School
last week. All of it should leave
the Keizer community with
high hopes for what comes
next.
Childress sisters 4th in doubles
Venegas 2nd in state
When McNary senior Alvaro Venegas entered the state wres-
tling tournament he was the fi rst seed in the 195-pound weight
class and had only been beaten once the entire season.
Unfortunately, a state title wasn’t in the cards. He ended up
losing in the fi nal match of the tourney with a 3-2 decision.
Regardless of the outcome, Venegas had a storied history
with the program, dropping more than 60 pounds since his
freshman year en route to becoming a powerhouse in the sport.
He even overcame a dislocated shoulder in the district tourna-
ment to win the title there.
What carried him through the ups and down was a deep
respect for the sport and all those who put on the singlet.
“Anyone who wrestles … I don’t care if you win a single
match, but if you can survive the wrestling room, the workouts,
the cutting weight, the getting beat up, I have respect for you,”
Venegas said.
Sibling rivalry can be a good thing, espe-
cially when the siblings in question are Sandy
and Hannah Childress and the pair join forces
on the tennis court.
The Childresses made it all the way to the
semifi nals of the state doubles tennis tourna-
ment and took fourth in the state.
Sandy and Hannah beat McMinnville (6-
3, 6-1) and went on to beat the No. 2-seeded
team in the state with scores of 6-1 and 6-0,
earning themselves a berth in the semifi nals.
The Lady Celts fell to a Jesuit High School
team in the semis, and battled to three sets in
the third place match before settling for fourth
place.
While Sandy, a senior, is now off to greener
pastures at California’s Sonoma State Univer-
sity, Hannah is expected to return this year for
her sophomore season.
For both girls, getting to the highest ranks in
the state had a cherry on top in terms of doing
it together.
“We’ve played together since Hannah
started and getting to be partners was re-
ally cool,” Sandy said.
Freshman wins 4 district swim titles
When it came to making
waves in McNary swimming
it was a freshman who led
the pack.
Lady Celt Marissa Kuch
exploded on the scene in a
big way in 2015 by chasing
school records. By the end of
the season, Kuch earned two
individual district titles in the
100 and 200 freestyle and
was part of the relay teams
that won the 200 and 400
races.
She capped her fi rst year
by fi nishing fi fth in the state
in the 100 freestyle.
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