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KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly juniol Blayden Ebbs won his fi nal dual of the legulal
season befole he attempts to win back-to-back distlict titles.
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly lecognized seniol stat gills, flont, flom left, Malina Maltin, Emily Bhelps, Kaili Townsend and Mellisa Jimenez and wles-
tlels, back, flom left, Killian Dato, Callos Vincent, Wyatt Keslel, Sean Bullows, Callos Floles and Isaiah Rhodes befole the Celtics
dual with Splague on Thulsday, Feb. 9.
Senior wrestlers honored
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Jason Ebbs wasn’t just McNary seniors
Wyatt Kessler, Sean Burrows and Carlos
Vincent’s coach for four years. He also
knew them as young children on the
Celtic Mat Club and as friends to his son,
Brayden and daughter, Taylor.
“That’s just a different deal right there,”
Ebbs said.
“That’s the product of being a coach
in the community for 14 years. I’m no
longer (just) a coach. There’s some friend-
ships there. There’s some relationships
there and just trying to help kids make
the next step into the world and be great.
They’re good people. I’m happy to be by
their side, for sure.”
Kessler, Burrows, Vincent were recog-
nized on Thursday, Feb. 9 before a duel
with Sprague, along with fi rst-year senior
wrestlers Carlos Flores and Isaiah Rhodes,
who Ebbs has enjoyed getting to know.
“I love the fi rst-year seniors that come
out,” he said. “We usually end up with
one or two of those. That’s awesome and
it’s nice to have that opportunity to build
a relationship with them.”
At 132 pounds, Burrows used a take
down in the fi rst round and a reversal in
the second to win his fi nal home match at
McNary 4-2 over Jordan Short in a battle
of two district placers last season.
“I’ve been wrestling here for 10 years.
I had to come out here and leave every-
thing,” Burrows said. “I wrestled really
hard and I feel like he broke fi rst and I
was able to keep pressuring him.”
The win wasn’t enough for the Celtics
to knock off one of the best teams in the
state as Sprague came away with a 56-12
victory.
“We knew that Sprague was a tough
team and winning this dual was a pretty
daunting task but I was extremely proud
of every kid going out, standing tall and
fi ghting until the end,” Ebbs said.
“They usually bring a little bit of the
best out of us and a good competitive
spirit. Our kids seem to step up and work
hard to perform, win or lose, and they do
the same to us. One thing I can always
count on Sprague for is a good old-fash-
ion rivalry and we love it. It helps keep
our sport alive. Kids are excited. Moms
and dads are excited and you can’t lose
when that’s happening.”
McNary’s other points came from
Enrique Vincent, who at 120 pounds, re-
turned from injury after missing much of
the season with an injury to edge Luke
Merzenich 10-7, and Brayden Ebbs, who
at 145 pounds pinned Dalton Lethco-
Willis in the second period.
Sprague won four matches by pin fall
and two via forfeit.
Celtics prep
for districts
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary went 2-6 in the
Greater Valley Conference
this season but head coach
Jason Ebbs expects a stronger
fi nish at the district meet on
Feb. 17-18 at West Salem.
The biggest reason is the
Celtics are fi nally getting
healthy.
“We’re trying to slowly but
surely put the puzzle pieces
back together,” Ebbs said.
“I’ve never had a season like
this season. We haven’t put
our best guns out on a mat
one time.”
Led by Brayden Ebbs, who
was the GVC champion at
138 pounds last season as a
sophomore, McNary expects
to fi ll 24 of 28 spots at the dis-
trict tournament, only miss-
ing 195 and 220 pounds.
Winning a second GVC ti-
tle won’t be easy for Brayden,
who has jumped to 145 this
season, where he’s lost two
matches, once to Ian Carlos
of North Salem and then to
Michael Abeyta of McMin-
nville.
“Both guys were good
tough matches,” Brayden
said. “I can compete with
both of them. I feel pretty
strongly going into districts. I
always compete well there. I
just want to wrestle my best.
145 is probably the toughest
bracket in the state of Oregon
right now and I’m glad to be
a part of it and making it one
of the toughest brackets in the
state.”
Senior Wyatt Kesler (152)
and junior Isaiah Putnam
(170) are both looking to re-
turn to the state tournament
as well after both placed third
in the GVC last season.
Kesler missed the fi nal two
weeks of the season after in-
juring his knee in practice.
“Every season there’s all
these things you can’t predict
and plan for and we’re taking
our turn,” coach Ebbs said.
Blease see DISTRICT, Bage 10
Farr signs with Linfi eld
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary senior Sam Farr
only had to look 28 miles
northwest to McMinnville to
fulfi ll his goal of playing col-
lege football.
The offensive lineman
signed with Linfi eld College
on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in the
McNary library.
“It was defi nitely a goal of
mine and has been ever since
I started playing football,”
Farr said. “It felt like all the
hard work that I’d put in ever
since I started playing football
started to pay off. It’s really
humbling and I’m so excited
as well. It’s a huge opportu-
nity and a huge compliment
to me.”
Farr fi rst heard from Lin-
fi eld the spring after his ju-
nior football season when the
Wildcats Offensive Line and
Associate Head Coach Doug
Hire visited McNary. The
two met in the library.
“We ended up talking
about everything, what my
senior year was going to look
like, how the recruiting pro-
cess was going to go and he
just kind of introduced me
to the entire football pro-
gram as well as the school,”
said Farr, who then went to
a skills clinic at Linfi eld over
the summer, followed by the
Wildcats fi rst home game of
the season, a 27-10 win over
Pacifi c Lutheran on Nov. 12.
Farr also spent his sum-
mer going to clinics at Willa-
mette University and George
Fox, Division-III programs
that also play in the North-
west Conference and suffered
crushing losses to Linfi eld as
the Wildcats went 9-2 in their
61st consecutive winning sea-
son and eighth straight con-
ference title.
While Farr is looking for-
ward to joining a successful
football program, he also felt
comfortable on campus.
“On all my visits there I
just felt at home,” Farr said.
“It felt like a place that I
could really fi t into. I love the
coaching staff. I met a couple
of the teachers there and they
seemed pretty cool. My uncle
went there and he had noth-
ing but good things to say.”
Farr, who started at guard
his junior season at McNary
and then split time between
center and guard as a senior,
said he should also have a
shot at early playing time as
the Wildcats graduated 22 se-
niors.
“They have more of
a need,” Farr said. “They
haven’t had a lot of depth on
the offensive line.”
Farr also believes Lin-
fi eld will help him continue
to build character and make
himself a better person.
“The whole program is
Submitted
McNaly seniol Sam Fall, accompanied by Celtics head coach Jeff Auvinen, signed with Linfi eld
College on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
about developing young men
into successful people and
that’s why their program is so
good,” he said.
With the motto, “The
Power of a Small College,”
Linfi eld’s main campus has
just 1,700 students and an 11
to 1 student to faculty ratio,
which also interested Farr,
who plans to major in foren-
sic psychology.
Eckelt paces Celtics at GVC meet
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly juniol Salah Eckelt placed fi fth in the 500-yald flee
style and eighth in the 100 buttelfl y at the distlict meet.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary junior Sarah
Eckert led the Celtics at the
Greater Valley Conference
Championships,
fi nishing
fi fth in the 500-yard free in
5:42.21 and eighth in the 100
butterfl y in 1:06.70.
Swimming on Feb. 10-11
at the McMinnville Aquatic
Center, Eckert also helped the
McNary girls 200 free relay
with Emily Alger, Alyssa Gar-
vey and Haley Debban place
fourth in 1:48.39.
Debban advanced to A Fi-
nals in the 100 breaststroke as
well, where she took eighth in
1:19.32.
Lizzie Bryant tied for sev-
enth in the 100 backstroke,
fi nishing in 1:09.07. Bryant,
Alger, Emma Garland and
Kyle McCarty also placed
sixth in the 400 free relay in
4:12.85.
The Lady Celts, who fi n-
ished seventh in the GVC
with 143.5 points, were with-
out reigning district cham-
pion and Female Swimmer of
the Year Marissa Kuch, who
missed the meet with an in-
jury.
The McNary boys also
placed seventh in the district
with 150 points.
Individually, freshman Kyle
Hooper took sixth in the 500
free in 5:15.52.
The Celtics also had three
relays fi nish in the top eight in
the district.
Brock Wyer, Harrison
Vaughn, Jake Wyer and Grant
Biondi placed fi fth in the
200 medley relay in 1:53.41.
Biondi, Wyatt Sherwood, Ja-
bez Rhoades and Jake Wyer
took sixth in the 200 free re-
lay in 1:37.37.
In the fi nal event of the
meet, Sherwood, Vaughn,
Hooper and Parker Dean
then fi nished seventh in the
400 free relay in 3:44.21.
West Salem was the girls
GVC champion. McMin-
nville won the boys.