PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 12, 2017
Keizer
3555 River Road N, Keizer
(503) 463 - 4853
www.skylineforddirect.com
LONGEST
GAME OF
FOLLOW
THE LEADER.
EVER.
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Gilbert to pitch at
Pacifi c University
LIFE
OF
W iley
Everyone
can’t run
the 100
Everyone in high school
thinks they’re fast.
If you don’t believe me, go
to a track and fi eld meet and
watch the 100-meter run.
On Wednesday, May 3, in
McNary’s last dual meet of the
season, over 100 kids, 70 boys
and 34 girls, in heat after heat
after heat took their shot at be-
ing the fastest athlete on the
track at South Salem.
The problem with this gi-
normous and unnecessary
amount of kids running the 100
is track and fi eld meets are al-
ready long enough and I write
this as someone who loves the
sport (see page 14)and believes
it doesn’t get near the attention
it deserves. Last summer, I paid
way too much money to attend
the Olympic Trials at Hayward
Field in Eugene.
But let’s be real.
Each 3000 run (speaking
of events that don’t get the re-
spect they deserve) takes at least
10 minutes. Add the 1500, the
relays, the time it takes to put
the hurdles on and off the track
and all the different fi eld events
and even the most well-run
dual meet takes 3-4 hours.
A district and state meet
takes place over multiple days,
which is fi ne when the best
kids are competing.
I understand why coaches
allow so many kids to run the
100. Track isn’t as popular as
football, basketball or baseball
so get every athlete you can
in the program, let them start
with the 100 and if the kid is
slow, hope that they fall in love
with another event.
I’ve covered several athletes
who started in other events be-
fore fi nding their true gift, even
a former pole vaulter who tried
hurdles for the fi rst time his se-
nior year, fi nished top eight in
the state and then competed in
college.
I also get why so many kids
want to run the 100. Who
doesn’t desire to be Usain Bolt?
It’s also the shortest and to run
it poorly probably takes very
little practice.
All I’m asking for is a cutoff
time.
At McNary, Brendan Van
Voorhis is the gold standard.
He’s going to run at DePaul
University next year and his
personal record is 10.92 sec-
onds. To compare, last week, I
watched 11 boys run the 100 in
more than 14 seconds. Another
23 couldn’t fi nish in under 13
seconds.
I’m sorry but if a high school
boy can’t run 100 meters in
under 13 seconds, he’s not a
sprinter. He’s possibly a long
distance runner or a thrower.
He may even be a jumper. But
he’s not a sprinter.
A cutoff of 13 seconds
would’ve still allowed nearly
30 runners in the fi eld and
Van Voorhis didn’t even run at
South Salem.
There’s room in other races.
Only 17 girls and boys com-
bined signed up for the 400 and
26 for the 100 and 110-meter
hurdles.
So 13 and 14-second
100-meter runners, grab a jav-
elin, discus or pole because not
everyone in high school is fast
and there’s nothing wrong with
that.
Derek Wiley is the associate
editor of the Keizertimes.
File
Josiah Gilbert, a three-year varsity pitcher for McNary, will con-
tinue his baseball career at Pacifi c University in Forest Grove.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary senior Josiah Gil-
bert has wanted to play college
baseball for as long as he can
remember.
But when making the de-
cision to go to the next level,
Gilbert looked beyond the
sport.
“Baseball is a dream and
you have to realize that some-
times the odds aren’t really
in your favor,” Gilbert said of
playing after college.
“I knew that and that’s why
I picked a school that was
academically exactly what I
wanted.”
Gilbert signed with Pacifi c
University on Thursday, May 4
in the McNary library.
“Pacifi c held my attention
the whole time,” Gilbert said.
“It was my No. 1 from the get
go. They are one of the top
physical therapy schools in the
nation, which is what I want
to do. It was pretty much a
no brainer for me. I’ve played
there before in a tournament.
It’s a gorgeous facility, a gor-
geous fi eld and I’m just glad to
be a part of it.”
Pacifi c is a Division-III pro-
gram located in Forest Grove,
less than 50 miles from Mc-
Nary.
“It’s close to home and my
family,” Gilbert said. “It’s ex-
actly what I wanted.”
Gilbert, a First Team all-
league pitcher last season, will
also have the opportunity to
play right away.
“If I put in the work and I
do what they think I can do, I
have the opportunity to be an
impact freshman, which is big,”
Gilbert said. “That doesn’t re-
ally happen very often. It felt
pretty good to have somebody
think that highly of me.”
At the signing, McNary
head coach Larry Keeker told
a story from one of his fi rst
encounters with Gilbert as a
freshman.
“We held pitcher and
catcher workouts at 5:45 in
the morning and for freshmen
that’s sometimes a shocker but
Josiah would show up with a
big smile on his face and he
was ready to go,” Keeker said.
Gilbert also didn’t know the
level of his talent, asking Keek-
er at the end of the two weeks
of workouts if he’d made the
team, even though Gilbert was
the best pitcher in the class.
Please see GILBERT, Page 13
Lady Celts take down McMinnville
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary thought it was the
better team last time.
This time the Lady Celts
proved it, throttling McMin-
nville 14-4 in fi ve innings on
Tuesday, May 9.
The Grizzlies were unde-
feated in Greater Valley Con-
ference play and hadn’t al-
lowed more than six runs in a
game all season. McNary got
that in the fi rst inning.
“I think the girls were a
little fi red up because we felt
like we got up on these guys
3-0 last time and kind of let
off a little bit and squandered
it,” McNary head coach Kevin
Wise said. “They’re a great
team so to be a team like this
the way we did, it’s a great
thing this time of year. We’re
heading into playoffs with
good momentum.”
Nadia Witt reached on an
error to start the bottom of
the fi rst and advanced to sec-
ond on a sacrifi ce bunt by Al-
exa Cepeda. Haley Ebner then
drove Witt home with a line
drive single to right fi eld.
After Hannah Carr drew
a walk, Emma Kinler then
singled to left fi eld to bring
home Ebner and give the
Lady Celts a quick 2-0 lead.
McMinnville
decided
to make a pitching change,
bringing Ashley Rhoads in for
starter Payton Hudson.
The decision did not pay
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
McNary’s softball team celebrates with freshman Haley Bingenheimer after she hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fi rst
inning of a 14-4 win over McMinnville on Tuesday, May 9.
off, at least not for the Griz-
zlies.
With two outs, McNary
freshman Haley Bingen-
heimer busted the game open,
hitting an outside pitch over
the left fi eld fence to put the
Lady Celts ahead 5-0.
“When I was running
home I had to keep my head
down because I was smiling
so much,” Bingenheimer said.
“We really wanted to beat
these guys. The last game, we
shouldn’t have lost that one.”
Please see ROUT, Page 13
Celtics win four in a row
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Matthew Ismay slides safely into third after hitting a triple
against South Salem on Monday, May 8.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary baseball team
is heating up.
The Celtics cranked out
13 hits to defeat South Salem
10-5 on Monday, May 8 and
pick up their fourth league
win in a row.
“It’s been more of a team
effort now,” said senior Bren-
dan Frizelle, who was 1-for-4
with a run and two RBIs in
the win. “At the beginning of
the season we were struggling
because I think it was more of
an individual thing. Now we
came together as a team to
play for each other and to play
for the team.”
Senior Riley Hays agreed.
“A lot of it was just us com-
ing together and realizing that
our chemistry needed to be a
little bit better on the fi eld and
off the fi eld,” he said. “That’s
been really good for us.”
After allowing an unearned
run in the top of the fi rst, Mc-
Nary answered with two runs
on three hits in the bottom of
the inning.
Jonah Geist led off with a
single, Hays walked and Tyler
Covalt hit an infi eld single to
load the bases. With two strikes
and two outs, Benson singled
to drive in Geist and Hays to
give the Celtics a 2-1 lead.
McNary busted the game
open in the second with fi ve
runs.
With the bases loaded and
no outs, Frizelle singled to
score Daniel Johnson and Ja-
cob Jackson. Matthew Ismay
then drove in Geist with a base
hit and Frizelle scored on a
throwing error. Hays added a
sacrifi ce fl y to center fi eld to
bring home Ismay from third
and stretch the Celtics’ lead to
7-1.
“It’s just a contagious thing,
hitting is,” Hays said. “We re-
ally got into his (South Salem
pitcher Gavin Fredinburg)
head early jumping on him
with two quick (runs) and af-
ter one guy hits, it’s kind of a
cycle thing and we all just get
really hyped about it and we
all hit. We timed him up really
well and we put some good
swings on him.”
The Celtics were also ag-
gressive at the plate.
“We didn’t have a lot of
guys waiting around,” McNary
head coach Larry Keeker said.
“If the pitcher proves that he’s
around the strike zone on a
regular basis, we want to be
swinging.”
Please see STREAK, Page 13