BAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 10, 2017
KEIZERTIMES.COM
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly athletes Kolby Balkel, left, and Kayla Evans celeblated theil oppoltunities to play in college with signing celemonies at the high school on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Signed, sealed, delivered
Balkel picks
Ail Folce
Academy
Evans going
to Webstel
Univelsity
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary senior Kolby
Barker considered cancel-
ing his visit to the Air Force
Academy and committing to
the University of Wyoming.
He’s glad he didn’t as
Barker signed a national let-
ter of intent to play football
with the military academy on
Wednesday, Feb. 1 in the Mc-
Nary library.
The visit was different than
Barker expected.
“It wasn’t my plan,” Barker
said. “I fi gured I’d go to a reg-
ular university and play col-
lege football. But when I got
on to that campus, all of my
assumptions on what a mili-
tary academy would be like, it
was just so much nicer than
I expected. You expect drill
sergeants and stuff but the
coaches were nicer than any-
where else. They were fantas-
tic guys.”
But what really set Air
Force apart is what the acad-
emy would do for Barker af-
ter football.
“What really sealed it for
me is the future,” Barker said.
“My future is set now. You
get paid throughout going to
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary senior Kayla Ev-
ans was at work when she got
a life-changing email from an
university she’d never heard
of located 10 miles west of St.
Louis, Mo.
“I read it and I literally
started crying,” said Evans of
the letter from Webster Uni-
versity offering her the oppor-
tunity to join the girls soccer
program. “I was so excited.”
Before the email, Evans
had spoken to a junior college
in Washington and another
school in Florida but had
nearly given up on her dream
of playing at the next level.
Evans visited Webster’s
campus on December 1. She
had never been that far away
from home and hadn’t been
on an airplane since she was
too young to remember.
“I was so scared because
I’m scared of heights,” Evans
said.
But the campus visit, where
she was able to have lunch
with current players, eased her
fears of going to a school more
than 2,000 miles from home.
“They were all so nice,”
Evans said. “They told me
File
McNaly seniol Kolby Balkel was an unanimous all-league de-
fensive lineman in 2016.
the academy and then after
that you get a guaranteed job.
There I know that my life af-
ter football is going to be set.”
Barker plans to get a busi-
ness management degree and
then either go to pilot school
or become an acquisitions of-
fi cer.
“Back
in
elementary
school and middle school,
we’d do these tests where
you take a survey and it says
what career path you might
like,” Barker said. “I always
got pilot and it just worked
out. I always thought it would
be kind of fun but I never
planned on it.”
Blease see BARKER, Bage 11
File
Kayla Evans scoled fi ve goals and added two assists duling hel
seniol season at McNaly.
how life is there and how the
program works. It was really
nice to be able to talk to them
because I don’t know what
it’s like to live that far away
from home. One girl grew up
in California so it was nice to
hear how they deal with it.”
And on Wednesday, Feb. 1,
Evans made it offi cial, signing
a letter of intent with Webster.
“It doesn’t even feel real
right now,” said Evans, who
has played soccer since she was
six years old.
Blease see EVANS, Bage 11
Lady Celts even the score with West Albany
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
Baige Downel had nine points in McNaly’s come-flom-behind
win ovel West Albany on Fliday, Feb. 3.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary
head
coach
Derick Handley told his girls
basketball team to keep playing
hard even when shots weren’t
falling or things weren’t going
their way.
They listened as the Lady
Celts came from behind to
defeat West Albany 35-29 on
Friday, Feb. 3.
“Tonight was a great
example that they (West
Albany) had a lead and we
still played hard and if you do
that long enough good things
will start to happen for you,”
Handley said.
The Lady Celts trailed 27-
24 when the game turned with
2:10 remaining as McNary
senior Sydney Hunter, playing
with four fouls, stole the
basketball, made a layup on
the other end and was fouled.
“I was just trying to make
contact because I knew we got the offensive rebound and
were down three,” Hunter the ball to Paige Downer, who
was fouled.
said.
Downer, who fi nished with
After Hunter knocked
down the free throw to com- nine points, then made four
plete the 3-point play and tie free throws in the fi nal 41
the game 27-27, the McNary seconds to seal the victory.
“I just told myself to relax,”
defense got a stop and Kailey
Doutt passed the ball to Abi- Downer said. “Free throws
win games.
gail Hawley,
We’ve been
whose jump
focusing
shot gave the
on that in
Lady Celts a
practice.”
29-27 lead
Downer
with 1:34 re-
led
the
maining.
SEE BAGE 12
McNar y
A f t e r
offense
in
West Albany
the fi rst half,
senior Saylor
Siegner made two free throws scoring fi ve points at the start
to even the score, Hunter of the second quarter to tie
missed the front end of a the game at 9-9.
“We really all just played
1-and-1 but got a defensive
rebound and went back to the confi dent,” Downer said.
“We’ve
been
working
line.
Hunter made the fi rst free together all week to push each
throw, missed the second but other and hold each other
McNary
boys blow
out Bulldogs
accountable. We’ve been going
so hard in practice. It all really
paid off tonight.”
Kailey Doutt, who added
seven points and eight
rebounds in the win, then
scored on a putback to give
the Lady Celts their fi rst lead,
11-9, with 4:58 remaining in
the fi rst half.
But West Albany responded
and led 16-14 at halftime and
25-22 entering the fourth
quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs made
just one fi eld goal and scored
only four points in the fi nal
period.
Hunter, who didn’t score
her fi rst basket until a layup
with 1:03 remaining in the
fi rst half but added 11 in
the second to fi nish with 13
points, 12 rebounds and seven
steals, said the key to the win
was having a short memory.
Blease see EVEN, Bage 12