PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 10, 2017
EXCLUSIVE HOLIDAY OFFERS
STARTING AT
2017 F-150
0 % APR
FOR
72 MONTHS
PLUS $1,000
FORD CREDIT
BONUS CASH 1
2017 ESCAPE
2017 FUSION
Keizer
3555 River Road N, Keizer
(503) 463- 4853
www.skylineforddirect.com
*
Offels available on 2017 model yeal vehicles only. $1,000 Fold Cledit Bonus Cash lequiles Fold Cledit fi nancing. Not all buyels will qualify fol Fold Cledit fi nancing.
0% APR fi nancing fol 72 months at $13.89 pel month pel $1,000 fi nanced legaldless of down payment. Not available on Focus RS, Fiesta, Mustang Shelby GT350/
GT350R, Fold GT, Supel Duty and F-150 Raptol. Fol all offels, take new letail delively flom dealel stock by 11/30/17. See dealel fol qualifi cations and complete details.
YEAR
END
SALES EVENT
KEIZERTIMES.COM
McNary not
content with
fi rst round
playoff win
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly lineman Alex Hallison celeblates with defensive back Alex McGlath, No. 19, aftel McGlath’s intelception sealed a 22-20
fi lst lound playoff victoly fol the Celtics on Fliday, Nov. 3.
Celtics fi ght on
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
During every pre-game,
halftime and post-game, Mc-
Nary head coach Jeff Auvinen
has challenged his team to
respond to adversity and play
the next play.
In the fi rst round of the
state playoffs, the message fi -
nally sunk in as the Celtics
came from behind to defeat
Grants Pass 22-20 on Friday,
Nov. 3.
“We responded well to-
night,” Auvinen said.
McNary trailed 20-10 late
in the third quarter when
quarterback Erik Barker con-
nected with Junior Walling on
a wheel route for a 30-yard
gain to get the Celtics inside
the Cavemen 20-yard line.
Barker then found Jakoby
Doke for a 12-yard touch-
down to cut the defi cit to 20-
16.
After both teams exchanged
fumbles, Grants Pass, aided by
a personal foul penalty, drove
inside the McNary 15-yard
line but the Celtics defense
got a stop when the Cavemen
decided on fourth-and-1 from
the 14-yard line to go for the
touchdown and throw an in-
complete pass in the end zone.
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
McNaly seniol Noah Bach luns aftel the catch against Glants Pass in the fi lst lound of the state
playoffs on Fliday, Nov. 3.
McNary then drove 76
yards on 11 plays, including
a 22-yard run by Walling on
fourth-and-inches, to get to
the Grants Pass 10-yard line.
However, the Celtics weren’t
able to add any points to the
scoreboard, turning the ball
over on downs with 5:40 left
to play.
Forcing just its second
three-and-out of the game,
McNary’s defense got the ball
back to its offense and Barker
needed only one play to throw
the winning touchdown, fi nd-
ing senior Kyle McCallister
for a 48-yard score with 3:21
remaining.
“I just extended that route
because I knew there was
nothing,” McCallister said.
“Jonny (Williams) had a great
block on the outside for me to
get to the end zone. I’ve only
had one other touchdown this
year. That felt amazing.”
Barker, who had to step
up in the pocket waiting for
someone to get open, said he
didn’t actually see McCallister
catch it.
Please see FIGHT, Page 13
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary head football
coach Jeff Auvinen looked
out at the Celtics fi ve league
and two state championship
banners and told his team
how much fun it is to prac-
tice on Thanksgiving.
McNary had just won its
fi rst playoff game since 2013
but the Celtics aren’t satis-
fi ed.
In order to continue its
postseason run and get to
Thanksgiving, McNary must
fi rst knock off defending
state champion and No. 3
West Linn on the road Fri-
day, Nov. 10.
“I think we’ve got a great
game plan,” Auvinen said. “I
think the kids are excited. I
think it’s a quality opponent
we’re playing. We’re going
to have to play a really, re-
ally good game but it can be
done.”
Auvinen compared West
Linn to Sprague and West
Salem, two teams that com-
bined to outscore the Celt-
ics 119-12 during the regular
season.
“Hopefully we’ve learned
from those two outings that
weren’t very good efforts,”
Auvinen said. “We didn’t
keep our mentality about us
and hopefully we’ve learned
from that.”
While West Linn cruised
to a state championship last
season, the Lions lost back-
to-back games to Tigard and
Lake Oswego this season.
“They lost a load of se-
niors,” Auvinen said. “But
they’re a quality team.
They’re well coached. They
have good players. They’re
good offensively, defensively
and special teams. They do
things well.”
One of those seniors was
quarterback Tim Tawa, who
after being named the state
Gatorade player of the year
in football three straight years
signed a baseball scholarship
with Stanford University.
While this season’s quar-
terback, junior Ethan Long,
doesn’t have near the acco-
lades, Auvinen sees another
good player on fi lm.
“He’s athletic. He throws
the ball well, especially on
timing routes,” Auvinen said.
West Linn also gradu-
ated defensive back Elijah
Molden, who signed with
Washington, and offensive
lineman Alex Forsyth, who
signed with Oregon.
West Linn’s biggest 2018
prospect is Keishon Dawkins,
a 6-foot-6, 240 pound tight
end who has committed to
Oregon State.
“He’s big and physical
and uses his body real well,”
Auvinen said. “They also
have a good little receiver
(senior Qawi Ntsasa) and a
couple nice running backs
(seniors Tyler Good and Ah-
mir McGee).”
McNary last played a
Three Rivers League oppo-
nent in the fi rst round of the
playoffs last season, losing at
Tigard 58-28.
“Tigard was a much more
physical team,” Auvinen
said. “They were bigger and
stronger. This team is not
that team. I think they (West
Linn) throw the ball a little
better. They have a different
brand of defense. They’re not
as big but they do run hard
and play hard. It’s different
than that (Tigard) team. It’s a
different challenge.”
But McNary will have to
play it best game of the sea-
son to pull off the upset.
“We’ve got to combine
that game we’ve been look-
ing for with all three aspects,
special teams, offense, de-
fense, all coming together,”
Auvinen said. “We’re getting
closer all the time, I think.
If we combine all three of
those and play really well,
keep them off balance offen-
sively and defensively, we’ll
be fi ne.”
Montoya the hero in win over Whiteaker
KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley
Claggett Cleek eighth gladel Alon Montoya, #32, scoled a 60-yald touchdown as time expiled
to beat lival Whiteakel on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Claggett Creek football got
its storybook ending.
All tied with nine seconds
remaining, running back Aron
Montoya found a hole and
out-ran the Whiteaker defense
for a 60-yard touchdown as
the Panthers won the battle of
Keizer middle schools 44-38
on Wednesday, Nov. 1 under
the lights at McNary High
School.
“You can’t really ask for a
better ending for all the hard
work,” CCMS head coach
Aaron Carr said.
Before the fi nal play of the
game, Carr asked Montoya if
he could take it to the house
and the eighth grader in his
fi rst season ever playing foot-
ball replied “yes.”
“I was running it and I saw
an open hole so I cut in and I
took it,” Montoya said. “It was
very exciting because every-
body is going to know me for
that now and I’m just happy
that we won against our other
school in Keizer.”
Trailing 38-22 with 33 sec-
onds remaining in the third
quarter, Whiteaker had to
score two touchdowns and
convert two 2-point conver-
sions to even tie the game.
Axel Zapien, in his fi rst
game back after suffering an
injury at the start of the sea-
son, broke free for a 59-yard
touchdown run and then also
ran in the 2-point attempt to
get the Wolverines within 38-
30.
After getting a stop on de-
fense, Whiteaker then went
on an 11-play, 58-yard drive,
capped off by a Carson Long
1-yard touchdown run to
make the score 38-36 with
18 seconds remaining in the
game. Zapien then added an-
other 2-point conversion to
tie it.
“I told the boys I’m not
going to remember the last
play because that kid (Mon-
toya) deserved it and we got
beat by a kid who was beating
us all night,” Whiteaker head
coach Tom Larimer said.
“I’m going to remember
coming back from two scores
in the last few minutes of the
game. I’m going to remem-
ber converting two 2-point
conversions and I’m going to
remember what it felt like to
take a bunch of kids that have
never played football before
and have that feeling that they
earned when they tied the
score with 18 seconds to go.”
When Whiteaker defen-
sive lineman Laz Chavez then
sacked CCMS quarterback
Nathan Allen, the game ap-
peared to be heading to over-
time.
However, Montoya had
other plans.
“He’s got the ability to put
it in the end zone from any-
where on the fi eld,” Carr said.
Please see BUZZER, Page 13