Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2016)
PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 KEIZERTIMES.COM McNary seniors lead All-GVC teams By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes McNary seniors Kolby Barker and Brendan Van Voo- rhis hardly left the fi eld this football season and Greater Valley Conference coaches noticed. Barker was unanimously voted fi rst team all-league on the defensive line and second team offensive tackle, a posi- tion he hadn’t played much of since he was a freshman. “I would have liked defen- sive player of the year but you play as hard as you can and you get what they vote on,” Barker said. McNary head coach Jeff Auvinen agreed. “Kolby should have been defensive player of the year, I thought,” he said. “He’d draw double teams constantly, sometimes three guys would come after him so that would free up other guys and really did a good job of working with our young defense and leading them by example and stepping up. He was huge for us both sides of the ball but most importantly as a leader for us and having this group gel and come together.” Barker said his senior sea- son was his favorite with the Celtics. “The team atmosphere was something I’d never had at McNary. It was something really special. We were just a tight knit group and we all bonded. It was everybody. We were all in for the whole sea- son.” File McNary seniors Brendan Van Voorhis, left, and Kolby Barker were voted to the All-Greater Valley Conference First Team. And no game was more en- joyable then West Salem. “Every part of that was just fantastic,” Barker said. “The ri- valry, we hadn’t beaten them in 11 years, it was their senior night, we ruined their unde- feated (league) season and all that but also we always talk about how you’ve got to come out strong and we did, we put 13 points up before they could answer. It was a battle. It would have felt weird if we had just crushed them. They played hard. They’re a great team.” Van Voorhis was selected fi rst team receiver and special teams return man as well as honorable mention at cor- nerback. On offense, he had 32 re- ceptions for 943 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games. Van Voorhis’ best performance came against McKay when he caught eight passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns to go along with a 90-yard kick- off return for a fi fth score. On defense, he had two interceptions at McMinnville, one late in the fi rst half to set Please see ALL-GVC, Page 11 Hunter makes college hoops decision offi cial By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes Sydney Hunter couldn’t wait to fulfi ll her dream of playing college basketball so on the fi rst day of the early signing period, Wednesday, Nov. 9, she put pen to paper. The McNary senior, who averaged 10.8 points, six re- bounds, two assists and two steals per game for the Lady Celts last season, signed with the University of San Diego. “I made my decision pretty early,” Hunter said. “I didn’t want to wait any longer to of- fi cially sign. I wanted to get it over with. Knowing that I’m going to San Diego makes it less stressful. I can play stress free and that makes it way easier.” Hunter began playing bas- ketball in kindergarten but the game has been in her life even longer. Her older sister, by fi ve years, Devin, was also a star at McNary before signing with Oregon State. “Growing up watching Devin, I wanted to be just like her,” Hunter said. “I just remember this (signing day) was so cool, all her friends and teachers were there. I wanted to do this so bad. She’s a great player. I’ve always been com- pared to her, growing up. I wanted to show people that I’m not just Devin Hunter’s sister. I’m Sydney Hunter. I’ve got my own name. I want to make my own story for my- self. It pushed me to work harder than usual.” While Hunter admit- ted Devin is “way stronger” thanks to four years in the Oregon State weight room, Sydney claimed she’s the bet- ter shooter. “We just have different things that we’re better at than each other,” Hunter said. “She (Devin) was pretty scrawny before college. I am pretty small so I’m excited to get some weight on me.” San Diego fi rst got in con- tact with Hunter early in her high school career. Coaches then came to McNary to watch her play volleyball dur- ing her junior season. Hunter visited the campus and com- mitted to the Lady Toreros program last summer. “I just fell in love with San KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley McNary senior Sydney Hunter signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball at the University of San Diego on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Diego after I went there,” Hunter said. “It was amaz- ing. The fi rst thing I wanted to see was the teammates be- cause coming from where I’ve grown up with all the girls I’ve played with I wanted to feel that chemistry and the girls that go to San Diego were amazing. They made me feel welcome and I love the coaching staff.” According to McNary head coach Derick Handley, what makes Hunter special is the combination of being a great athlete and a hard worker. Please see HUNTER, Page 11 Coburn gets 400th win KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley Whiteaker Middle School head volleyball coach Scott Coburn won his 400th career game on Monday, Oct. 24. By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes More than 25 years ago, Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel was looking for a vol- leyball coach. Scott Coburn, who was coaching the boys basketball team at the time, said if the school could get him in con- tact with Chemeketa volley- ball coach Terry McLaughlin, he would give it a try. More than 400 wins later, the rest is history. “I learned a lot from Terry,” Coburn said. “He helped me the fi rst few years and came out and did some clinics with my kids and I learned more and more.” In 1991, Coburn’s volley- ball team made it to the state championship game, falling to Vale. “We weren’t even rated going into the state tourna- ment and we upset several teams along the way,” Coburn said. “To get to the fi nals was an amazing accomplishment. That’s one of the game I’ll al- ways remember.” After four seasons at Ken- nedy, Coburn began coaching at Whiteaker Middle School in 1993 and he’s been there ever since. “My kids were at the age where I was always gone coaching and I was missing some of their lives,” Coburn said. “They were young kids and my wife and I made the decision if I move to middle school, I can be more a part of what they’re doing and then I just decided I enjoyed the middle school level. The kids can learn and grow so much that it’s fun to watch them. You can take them and really develop some skills that I can pass on to the high school.” Coburn won his 400th game on Monday, Oct. 24, de- feating Walker 3-2 at home. “When I retire sometime, it’s nice to know what I did,” Coburn said. “It feels good for me but it’s really fun that I’ve had the opportunity over the past 20-something years to do this and work with such great kids. I see it as an accomplishment for them also. There’s kids all over town, that aren’t kids any more, that are a part of it. To me it’s a bigger thing than just me winning games.” Please see COBURN, Page 11
