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KEIZERTIMES.COM
LIFE
OF
W iley
Week one
tough for
local teams
The Keizertimes is expanding its high school
sports coverage this fall and that begins this week.
Inside this paper, you’ll not only fi nd a 16-page
high school football preview with stories on Mc-
Nary, McKay, North Salem, South Salem, Sprague
and West Salem, but also coverage of all fi ve Sa-
lem-Keizer cross country teams that participated
in the Wilsonville Night Meet last Friday.
As part of that extended coverage, I’ll also be
breaking down each week’s football slate with my
prediction for each game.
Here’s Week 1:
West Albany at McKay
The Royal Scots open the season in a new
league against a familiar opponent.
After struggling in the the 6A Greater Valley
Conference the past four years, both programs are
moving down to 5A, where the Bulldogs once
ruled, winning the 2008, 2008 and 2013 state
titles.
West Albany has won the past three matchups
between these teams, including a 46-14 blowout
last season. That’s all I really need to know. But
with both teams breaking in new quarterbacks, I
expect a lower score.
Prediction: Bulldogs 20, Royal Scots 14
North Salem at Crescent Valley
The Vikings are another program moving
down from 6A to 5A and start on the road against
a team that began last season 8-0 and reached
the state quarterfi nals. While North Salem brings
back experience at quarterback and along the line
and should fi nd 5A more competitive, the Raid-
ers are expected to once again be one of the top
teams in 5A.
Prediction: Raiders 31, Vikings 21
Newberg at South Salem
The Tigers went 2-7 last season but played in
the brutally tough Three Rivers League with the
likes of West Linn, Tigard, Tualatin and Lake Os-
wego. I could argue that Newberg was much bet-
ter than its record but most of the losses weren’t
even close. Led by senior Ashton Adams, I expect
the Saxons to win the line of scrimmage and the
game.
Prediction: Saxons 34, Tigers 27
Liberty at Sprague
The Olympians open the season with one of
its most inexperienced teams in years against an
up-and-coming Falcons squad that fi nished the
2017 regular season on a fi ve-game winning
streak before falling in the fi rst round of the state
playoffs. Liberty returns starting quarterback Brad
Norman as well as a collection of weapons head-
lined by senior receiver Aidan Maloney. I’m con-
fi dent Sprague will fi gure it out eventually but
the Olympians will take their lumps early.
Prediction: Falcons 30, Olympians 22
West Salem at Lake Oswego
This is a game fans from all over Oregon will
be watching as the Titans and Lakers are pro-
jected to be two of the top teams in the state.
In OSAAtoday’s preseason 6A football coaches
poll, Lake Oswego was voted No. 7, just one spot
ahead of No. 8 West Salem. And that’s not all they
have in common. Both squads were eliminated
by state runner-up South Medford in the 2017
playoffs, West Salem in the quarterfi nals and then
Lake Oswego in the semifi nals. Both are loaded
at the skill positions. Both have rebuilt lines and
both have talented senior quarterbacks, who have
waited their turn, making their fi rst start. Can the
Titans show that they’re not only the best team
in the new Mountain Valley Conference but also
one of the best in the state? I’m voting yes.
Prediction: Titans 48, Lakers 44
North Medford at McNary
Two years ago, the Black Tornado came to
Keizer and knocked around McNary 38-17.
North Medford was clearly more physical and
the Celtics couldn’t handle it. But last year Mc-
Nary responded with its own 40-20 whooping at
North Medford, racking up more than 500 yards
of offense. Although the Black Tornado bring a
much different challenge in a season opener than
what North Salem has given the Celtics the past
four years, a team that has preached toughness
and tenacity all off-season shouldn’t get pushed
around.
Prediction: Celtics 37, Black Tornado 34
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
McNary’s girls soccer team, coached by A.J. Nash, returns 18 varsity players, including 15 upperclassmen.
Great expectations
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary’s girls soccer team will
see its most diffi cult schedule in
years, maybe ever.
But with 18 returning varsity
players, including 15 of them up-
perclassmen, head coach A.J. Nash
believes he’s got the talent to face
those challenges.
“We’ve never had that (experi-
ence),” Nash said. “We’ve got high
expectations. We’ve got an ability
to compete with any team in the
state.”
Instead of just one 6A team on
its non-league schedule, which the
Lady Celts have seen the past two
seasons, McNary will face seven,
all playoff teams that advanced to
at least the second round of the
6A state tournament last season.
Lincoln, who the Lady Celts
will travel to on Sept. 18, reached
the semifi nals.
“The level of competition for
the non-league has went through
the roof,” Nash said.
McNary earned the tougher
schedule by qualifying for the
state playoffs the past two seasons.
“We’ve been fi ghting to get a
more diffi cult 6A schedule the last
four of fi ve years,” Nash said. “You
have to have a proven track re-
cord, which isn’t one year of suc-
cess, it’s multiple years’ success. It’s
hard to get those teams to come
play you. It’s an example of what
we’ve earned. That is not a gift or
a request. It has to be earned.”
Conference play will also be
tougher.
Gone are McMinnville, McK-
ay and North Salem, three of the
four bottom teams in the Greater
Valley Conference last season.
In is former 5A powerhouse
Summit, which last year won its
sixth state title since 2010 and
Bend, which reached the 5A state
quarterfi nals last season.
Mountain View is only one
of two opponents on McNary’s
schedule that didn’t play in the
postseason last year.
“There’s a lot on the line every
game,” Nash said. “One of the big
differences we’re going to see this
year is often in that fi rst six games
we can have a larger rotation of
players to get them looks on the
fi eld. Every single game this year
is meaningful. We don’t have any
easy wins on the schedule.”
Led by Sydney Snapp, a four-
year starter at goal keeper and
Sam Alfano, a three-year starter,
the strength of McNary’s team
should be its defense.
“Our defense, I feel solid with,”
Nash said. “I know we’re going to
compete in every game because
of our defense. We’re bringing
back a much more tenured de-
fense group that has both playoff
experience and age under their
belt now.”
While last season’s leading goal
scorer, Abbie Hawley returns, the
Lady Celts are less proven in the
attack.
Natalia Gonzalez and Izzy
Haselip, both seniors, enter the
year healthy after missing large
parts of last season with injuries.
“I need to be the person to also
push my teammates to think they
can score as well, not just me,”
Hawley said.
Seniors Gina Munguia and
Katy Wyatt will lead the midfi eld.
For the fi rst time in three years,
no freshmen made the varsity
team.
“It’s a sign of a good program,”
Nash said. “We don’t have any
rules against it. We want freshmen
to earn it but with 15 returning
upperclassmen there’s not a whole
lot of room.”
That experience has already
shown in tryouts when Nash said
the team was in midseason form.
“Our starting point, we feel
like is ahead of any year we’ve
had,” he said.
McNary opened the season on
Tuesday, Aug. 28 with a 2-1 win at
South Medford.
Haselip scored both goals with
assists from Munguia and Wyatt.
Lady Celts fall in fi ve
If McNary and Mountain
View’s fi rst match is a sign of
things to come, the two volley-
ball squads have quite the rivalry
ahead of them.
Both teams opened the sea-
son on Tuesday, Aug. 28 with the
Cougars coming from behind to
win 3-2 in fi ve games.
After splitting the fi rst two
games, with Mountain View tak-
ing the fi rst 25-18 and McNary
the second 27-25, the Lady Celts
appeared to take control of the
match in the third, dominating
25-14.
But the Cougars roared back in
the fourth 25-16 and edged Mc-
Nary in the fi fth 16-14 to win the
match.
The Lady Celts open the sea-
son against the three Bend schools.
They travel to Bend on Tues-
day, Sept. 4 and then host Summit
on Thursday, Sept. 6.
Bend defeated Summit for the
5A state championship last season.
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
ABOVE: McNary High School junior Zoie Warner dives for the ball in the fi rst game of a 3-2 loss to Mountain
View on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at home. LEFT: Chloe Martindale hits the ball over the net.