PAGE 8, MCNARY FALL SPORTS PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 2016
BROADCASTERS,
continued from Page 7
graduation. It is great to have a talented player
such as Kolby Barker to build the defense
around, and Caleb Kiefl uk-Yates, an honorable
mention all-league performer, returns on the
offensive line. For McNary to match last year’s
4-4 league record a bunch of young players
with little or no varsity experience will need
to come through.
KT: What do the Celtics need to do in order
to compete for the conference championship?
Gilman: Mistakes have to be minimal
for McNary. Turnovers, broken coverages on
defense, special teams breakdowns are the
difference between being a contender and a
pretender. The new starters will have to learn
fast. They open the season against North
Salem, but face powerhouses South Salem and
Sprague in weeks two and three respectively.
Spivey: I know how competitive Jeff
Auvinen is; he is going to tell his players that
they will compete every Friday night with the
goal of winning the conference. Honestly, a
lot is stacked against the Celtics. As I said, a
lot of young players will need to grow up fast.
Nothing is impossible and high school football
is very unpredictable, but it is a tough hill the
Celtics have to climb.
KT: Where do you see McNary fi nishing
in the GVC?
Gilman: The Celts realistically look like
a strong No. 4 team. The Celtic program
continues to improve, but needs a few more
positive seasons to match the tradition
established at West, South and Sprague.
Spivey: I think it would be a successful
season for McNary to equal that 4-4
conference record from a year ago. You look at
Sprague, West Salem, and South Salem a step
or two ahead of McNary. But after that top
three, the fi eld becomes very crowded. Best
case scenario for McNary is to fi nish fourth,
worst case seventh.
KT: How will the GVC stack up to other
conferences in 6A?
Gilman: Usually, the Greater Valley is about
the third or fourth best league in Oregon—
behind the formidable Metro League and the
Southwest Conference, and sometimes the
Three Rivers League. I think that from top
to bottom, the GVC will be third overall in
power rankings this season.
Spivey: At the top of the league, Sprague
and West Salem, I think stack up very well
with the balance of the state and both have
the capability of going deep into the playoffs.
The balance of the league still has a ways to
go to be competitive. In the 10 years of the
6A classifi cation fi ve GVC teams rank in the
bottom 10 for wins, only one, West Salem,
ranks in the top 10.
GO BI
G
BLUE
We know this market
We are here to help!
Born, raised, and residing in Keizer, April and Brian McVay
have 25 combined years of experience with Coldwell Banker.
Keizer is their home, and your goals are their priority.
Ask about FREE Lifetime Handman Repair Service
APRIL
& BRIAN
McVAY
Please don’t hesitate to call.
Information is free & so are our
Comparative Market Analysis.
503.510.6827
mcvaythree@gmail.com
QUI
Q UI CKHITS
K HITS
ITS
A look at all the teams in the
Greater Valley Conference
By HERB SWETT Of the Keizertimes
South Salem Saxons
Many question marks follow a 10-1 season for
South Salem last year.
In 2015, the Saxons beat West Albany 35-19
in Greater Valley Conference playoffs and North
Medford 21-10 in the fi rst round of state play. Oregon
City whipped them 49-21 in the second round at state.
Twenty-eight of last year’s Saxons have graduated. Five
starters on offense and one on defense are returning.
Players lost to graduation include quarterback Gabe Matthews and running backs Francisco
Ramirez-Perez and Alex Sanchez.
Scott Dufault, the head coach, does not like to name fi rst-string names before the season
begins. However, he noted that four starters on last year’s offensive line and last year’s tailback are
expected to start again. One starting defensive lineman from 2015 is returning.
“So far,” Dufault said, “the strength of our team will be the offensive line.”
Inexperience on defense is what he sees as the weakest point.
Coordinators are Josh Vanlue for the offense and Chris Short for the defense.
We can change
the way you
look at life!
Cynthia Strawn, OD and Mallory MacRae, OD
VISION SOURCE
Offi ce: 4350 Cherry Avenue NE
Phone: 503 -393 - 6060
Website: www.keizervision.com