PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 22, 2016
FREEDOM TO SAVE
FREEDOM FROM INTEREST
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
$1,000 SMART
BONUS CASH PLUS
0% FOR 72 MONTHS *
Keizer
ON SELECT
CMAX,
EDGE,
ESCAPE,
FOCUS,
& FUSION
GAS
www.skylineforddirect.com
3555 River Road N, Keizer
(503) 463 - 4853
*Must fi nance through Ford Credit, Tier 0-1 on approval of credit.
37 SMART
BONUS VEHICLES
2016 FUSION
IN STOCK INCLUDING
14 2016 F-150S
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Submitted
McNary’s Division I summer baseball team began play in the state tournament Thursday, July 21 at Western Oregon University and Crescent Valley High School.
Celtics ready for state tournament
By TIM HAYS
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary summer baseball
program is off to the state playoffs.
On Thursday, July 21 they played
against top seed Churchill.
This summer the team has four
players from the spring returning,
and just like most years, a lot of new
faces. Key returners have been two-
time fi rst league second baseman
Matthew Ismay, ‘rubber band man’
Riley Hays, and infi elders, Josh Ben-
son and Jonah Gei st.
“This group happens to be anoth-
er good group,” Head Coach Larry
Keeker said. “They are kids I can
count on. They are reliable in terms
of coming to the park ready to com-
pete. Summer time is always diffi cult
because everyone is coming and go-
ing. To their credit we have been able
to compete with every guy we have.”
Because multiple players play vari-
ous sports, and unforeseen injuries,
Keeker has played 20 different players
this summer. This opened the door
for players like incoming sophomore
Jacob Jackson to get his name in the
lineup.
“There are a lot of good coaches,
and the players are fun to be around,”
Jackson said. “It has been a great
summer so far, and I am still learn-
ing new things on the go. It’s a step,
and I’m liking the challenge that is
presenting me.”
The leaders on the fi eld this sum-
mer have been two incoming se-
niors, Ismay and Hays. Ismay, who has
found a lot of success in the program,
is transitioning from second base to
fi rst base.
“I like the transition to fi rst base,”
Ismay said. “It took a while to get
used to, and there are still small things
to work on. I think I’m doing well,
and it is really good to get experi-
ence now because that is where I will
be playing next season.”
Hays is a different story, dominat-
ing the opposition in his return this
summer, not allowing a run.
“It is fantastic being back on the
fi eld,” Hays said. “I missed it so much
in the spring time. Being on the
mound now is really special. I want
it to be the way it was before, and it
has been my area of expertise since I
was 7 years old.”
With the summer winding down,
each player is seeing their own indi-
vidual growth.
“This summer was all about de-
veloping the program, developing as
individuals, and trying to get better as
a team,” Keeker said. “I am extremely
proud of this particular group be-
cause we’ve done all those things. We
are excited, and our goal is to play on
the last day of the summer.”
As much as it is about develop-
ment, the competitive nature will be
what gets them to Sunday.
“We want to win the whole
thing,” Hays said. “We started the
journey at the beginning of May to
go out and achieve our goals. A great
way to do that is by winning it all in
the summer.”
Brody keeps dream alive
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Paris Boyd, of Northwood, swam the breaststroke leg of the winning 11-12-year-old medley relay
Thursday, July 14. She also set a new pool record in the butterfl y, fi nishing in 10.78.
Keizer swimmers
breaking records
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer swim clubs Holiday
and Northwood defeated Sa-
lem teams Cambridge and Jan
Ree, respectively, Thursday,
July 14, while Northview Ter-
race came up just short against
Madrona.
Kian Gonzales and Ka-
meron Splonski paced the
Holiday boys who edged
Cambridge 108-91. Gonzales
won the 13-14-year-old but-
terfl y, backstroke and freestyle
while Splonski fi nished fi rst
in the 9-10 individual medley,
backstroke and freestyle. The
two also joined Tony Gonza-
les and Jack McCarty to set
new club records in the 13-
14 free (1:38.22) and medley
(1:55.81) relays.
McCarty won the 13-
14 IM and Tony Gonzales
touched the wall fi rst in the
breaststroke.
Vinny Arnold had the fast-
est times in the 7-8 IM, fl y
and breaststroke. He also swam
with Jared Toland, Cole Steele
and Brody Hollis to win the
free relay.
Xavier Grantham won the
9-10 breaststroke and Carter
Hollis placed fi rst in the 11-12
IM. The two also joined Jack-
son Collyer and Ryan Bethers
to have the fastest time in the
11-12 free relay.
Holiday’s girls had an easier
time with Cambridge, out-
scoring their opponent 143-
23.
Bella Beard placed fi rst in
the 13-14 IM, back and free.
She also swam on the win-
ning 15-18 free and medley
relays with Alex Beard, Kylie
McCarty and Antonia Gon-
zales. Alex had the fastest time
in the IM and Antonia in the
butterfl y.
Bella Grantham, Hannah
Williams, Kassy Winters and
Jayla Toland won the 13-14
free relay. Grantham, Williams,
Winters and Ashlynn Hughes
took fi rst in the medley relay.
Alex Willcoxen had the
fastest times in the 9-10 IM,
fl y and free. Kyra Norstrom
won the backstroke and Er-
ika Robinett touched the
wall fi rst in the breaststroke.
The three girls joined Maya
Privratsky to win both the
free and medley relays.
Please see RECORDS, Page 11
By TIM HAYS
Of the Keizertimes
Imagine being told that
you will never be able to do
something you love. Just in the
blink of an eye the passion in
your life is ripped away from
you.
This is what happened to
Greg Brody.
In his junior season at Bel-
mont College, Brody went
diving for a ground ball at
third base. Little did he know
it would cost him more than
just a couple of games.
Brody continued to play
through the pain for about
two weeks. He fi nally went
to the doctor and was told
the unpleasant news. With fi ve
stress fractures in his lower
back, Brody was told he was
never to play baseball or he
would risk permanent injury.
“I was told I was never
going to play again,” Brody
said. “It shut me down, and I
turned the page on baseball.”
After weeks and months
of rehab, Brody decided he
couldn’t just give up.
“I prayed about it a lot, and
I realized that I can’t give up
on this dream,” he said. “I be-
gan pitching and that led to
a different journey. It wasn’t
what I wanted at fi rst. Pitch-
ing was weird to me, and I still
haven’t fi gured it all out.”
Brody began pitching. It
was easier on his back, and
allowed him to take days off
in between starts. His college
career was resurrected. Brody
was then drafted. His dream,
after much heartache (and
back ache), had fi nally come
true.
“It is everybody’s dream
to get drafted, but once it
becomes a reality, it becomes
surreal,” Brody said. “It’s crazy
Submitted
Greg Brody has returned from fi ve stress fractures in his lower
back and Tommy John surgery.
how competitive it is on a
daily basis, and how great you
have to be to get to the big
leagues.”
A year after getting drafted,
Brody faced more problems.
Due to his throwing program,
it became too much for his
arm to handle. He faced Tom-
my John surgery.
Brody since has returned
from injury. On June 23, he
pitched for the fi rst time since
2014.
“In high school I knew it
was tough, and when I got to
college I found out that it was
a daily grind,” Brody said. “Af-
ter college, when I got drafted
I realized it was another step.
The players that are in the
MLB have showed that they
can grind it out on a daily ba-
sis.”
The Volcanoes are slowly
getting Brody rotated in the
bullpen. With more than 200
days off, Brody is more than
excited to be fi nding his way
back on the fi eld.
“It’s everybody’s dream to
play pro ball,” he said. “It is a
real blessing whenever you
see your name come across
the screen on draft day. God
has something planned for
me, and I can’t wait to fi gure
it out.”