PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 28, 2817
KEIZERTIMES.COM
GVC adds Bend high schools
Salem-Keizer expects $788,888
per year in additonal travel costs
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
WILSONVILLE—Emo-
tional parents, booster club
presidents and athletic direc-
tors from West Salem, South
Salem, Sprague and McKay
as well as Salem-Keizer Su-
perintendent Christy Perry all
pleaded with the OSAA not
to place three Bend schools in
the Greater Valley Conference.
But in the end it didn’t
matter as the executive board
voted 10-1 on Monday, Oct.
16 to approve the classifi cation
and districting committee’s fi -
nal recommendation.
Mary Lou Boderman, co-
ordinator of Music and Drama
in the Salem-Keizer School
District and former band di-
rector at South Salem, gave
the only no vote.
Nine passionate Salem-
Keizer parents, fi ve from
McKay, three from West Salem
and one from Sprague, testi-
fi ed at the meeting held at the
Holiday Inn in Wilsonville.
Their biggest concern was
safety, citing the new student
drivers and bus drivers who
aren’t used to traveling in the
winter conditions of the San-
tiam Pass to Bend. One parent
noted the 10 inches of snow
that fell on the pass last week.
Perry spoke to the execu-
tive board about the costs of
traveling, which initial esti-
mates call for an increase of
$700,000 per year for trans-
portation, lodging and certi-
fi ed substitute teachers. This
does not take into account the
additional costs to families.
“We travel already, almost
all around the world in miles
traveled by our buses,” Perry
said. “We have a large geo-
graphical area, very different
than Portland public and Bea-
verton, who have lots of kids
but a lot less geography. We al-
ready carry a really big burden
for transportation of our kids,
much like a rural district, only
we have 42,000 students.”
Salem-Keizer also has a bus
driver shortage with 7-10 bus
driver positions vacant.
“To add this level of trans-
portation, our only option will
be to do charter buses,” Perry
said. “Ideally, we wouldn’t take
charter buses but I don’t know
if the bus driver shortage
turns around in this amount
of time.”
While schools in other
classifi cations asked to be
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Salem-Keizer Superintendent Christy Perry told the OSAA Executive Board the school district
already doesn’t have enough bus drivers before its athletic teams will have to travel to Bend.
moved down or refused to
move up, when requesting a
geographical exception, be-
cause of competitive imbal-
ance, Perry said that wasn’t
the case with Salem-Keizer.
McKay even met the criteria
to move down but decided to
remain in 6A.
“We aren’t opposed to
Celtics ‘dominate’ West Albany
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
ALBANY—McNary (5-2)
earned a much-needed league
win, defeating West Albany
16-8 on Thursday, Oct. 12.
“I think we dominated this
game,” Celtics head coach
Jeff Auvinen said. “The score
doesn’t refl ect it at all.”
McNary was less than three
minutes away from getting its
fi rst shutout of the season as a
West Albany receiver got be-
hind the Celtic defense for a
52-yard touchdown with just
2:22 remaining.
“We just had a break down
one play and they made a
good play,” Auvinen said.
The Bulldogs then con-
verted the two-point try to
get within one score. Howev-
er, McNary junior Noah Bach
recovered an on-side kick and
Junior Walling was able to run
out the clock on three runs
for 13 yards.
The Celtics got the ball fi rst
at West Albany and marched
down to the Bulldog 6-yard
line. But an illegal procedure
penalty and sack forced a
fourth-and-long and a missed
34-yard fi eld goal.
West Albany got into Mc-
Nary territory but the drive
ended when defensive back
Jose Solorio intercepted Bull-
dogs quarterback Nick Fleet-
wood and the Celtics took
Bend,” she said. “In fact we
think they will add nice com-
petition to the 6A schedule.
They’re very good teams, very
competitive teams but from a
dollars and cents, student safe-
ty and geography standpoint,
Salem-Keizer shouldn’t carry
the burden for all.”
While the OSAA placed
the Bend schools in the GVC
because they are closer to
Salem-Keizer than the South-
west Conference and east
Portland schools, West Salem
athletic director Bill Wittman
argued that wasn’t the case
if you factor in non-league
games.
Please see BEND, Page 14
McNary Varsity Football (5-2)
SEASON STATS
PASSING
Erik Barker
RUSHING
Junior Walling
Lucas Garvey
Freddy Jimna
Robert Benson
RECEIVING
Jacob Jackson
Junior Walling
Brayden Ebbs
Jonathan Williams
Kyle McCallister
C/ATT
115/185
YARDS
1329
TD
12
CARRIES
123
66
28
31
YARDS
555
293
172
153
TD
6
3
1
8
REC
31
11
18
7
17
YARDS
399
158
146
134
181
TD
4
2
8
2
1
INT
12
McNary traveling
to North Medford
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
McNary junior Noah Bach, who recovered an on-side kick and had a sack, tackles a West Albany
ball carrier during the Celtics 16-8 win on Thursday, Oct. 12
over at their own 17.
After three consecutive
punts, two by McNary and
one from West Albany, the
Celtics got on the scoreboard
when the Bulldogs fumbled
and jumped on the ball in the
end zone for a safety.
Facing a third-and-long
after a holding penalty, Erik
Barker connected with Wall-
ing on a wheel route down
the McNary sideline for a 19-
yard touchdown to put the
Celtics on top 9-0 with 7:37
remaining in the fi rst half.
“I was reading the corner
to see what he did and threw
it where he wasn’t,” Barker
said. “Junior was wide open
down the sideline.”
Looking to answer, West Al-
bany got to McNary’s 13-yard
line. However, a holding pen-
alty and sack by Bach forced
a punt. Barker then completed
six consecutive passes for 60
yards on the following drive
before getting sacked and then
throwing an interception with
just 16 seconds to go in the
fi rst half.
Please see CELTICS, Page 13
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary head football
coach Jeff Auvinen wanted
the Celtics to remember last
season’s opening drive against
North Medford as they began
preparing for the Black Torna-
does on Monday.
“They went down the fi eld
on eight or 10 runs, no passes,
and really came off the ball
and backed us off the ball and
stood us up,” Auvinen said.
“They took it to us pretty
good last year.”
While North Medford
won last year’s game at Mc-
Nary 38-17, the score was
tied 14-14 early in the second
quarter before the Black Tor-
nadoes really took control.
Auvinen wants the Celt-
ics to set the tone this time
around.
“I’d like to see us go down
and step right up and match
their physicality and maybe be
the physical team, maybe be
the team that comes off and
sets the tempo,” Auvinen said.
“We’re going to really try and
stress that this week.”
North Medford is 2-5
overall but plays in the South-
west Conference with Shel-
don and South Medford, two
Please see TRIP, Page 14
Lady Celts win big on senior night
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary’s honored its three
seniors, Jessy Shore, Natalie
Ito and Iris Rodriguez, with
a dominating 9-0 victory over
North Salem on Tuesday, Oct.
17.
Shore scored two goals in
the rout with assists from fresh-
men Ashlyn Lyda and Kenne-
dy Buss.
“It was a lot of fun,” Shore
said after the match. “It was
defi nitely my favorite season
because everybody got along
so well. Our chemistry was
fantastic. We all really lived up
to our motto of grit this sea-
son.”
Rodriguez, a defender
who transferred from Western
Mennonite for her senior year,
scored the Lady Celts fi nal goal
of the night and her fi rst of the
season on a header from a cor-
ner kick by Gina Munguia.
“That was crazy,” Ito said.
“I didn’t think that would
ever happen. I was so amazed.”
Rodriguez, a captain on the
JV 2 team, got her fi rst varsity
start, and played for most of the
game.
“Iris has been in the pro-
gram for three years and is just
a joy to be around,” McNary
head coach A.J. Nash said. “It
takes a special person to take
on that role on the JV 2 team
and go out there with a great
attitude and show up day in
and day out and be a captain
and a leader.”
All three seniors have
played an important role in the
growth of the girls soccer pro-
gram at McNary.
Shore started as a freshman
and led the Lady Celts with 10
goals as a sophomore.
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Please see SENIORS, Page 14
McNary seniors Jessy Shore, Natalie Ito and Iris Rodriguez were honored before the Lady Celts
9-8 win over North Salem on Tuesday, Oct. 17.