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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2018)
PAGE C2, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, AUGUST 31, 2018 Football season is here LIFE OF W iley The Keizertimes is expanding its high school sports coverage this fall and that begins here with the football preview. Not only does this section include McNary but previews of all fi ve public high schools in Salem — Sprague, West Salem, McKay, North Salem and South Salem. The 2018 season brings many changes with the biggest being realignment. McNary, West Salem, Sprague and South Salem have been placed in the new Moun- tain Valley Conference with three Bend schools —Bend, Mountain View and Summit. Mountain View and Summit have both had recent success in 5A. Mountain View fi nished the 2017 regular season 9-0 to earn the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs before falling in the semifi nals. Summit won the 5A state championship in 2015 and en- tered the state playoffs as the No. 1 seed in 2016. But with OSAA’s decision to have 6A football teams play a four-game league schedule, conferences don’t really matter. McNary plays Bend but neither Mountain View or Summit. Sprague and South Salem are playing as usual but in a non- league game. While a team may try to claim it, there will be no out- right Mountain Valley Confer- ence football champion. West Salem is clearly the team to beat in the new con- ference. With all four members of its state runner-up 4x100 relay team, Anthony Gould, Simon Thompson, Stanley Green and Jamal Murrin, now seniors on the football team, West Salem will have one of the fastest squads in the state. Thompson, the Titans new quarterback, is also the reign- ing state champion in the 110 hurdles. West Salem also returns last season’s Greater Valley Confer- ence Defensive Player of the Year Alex Hurlburt as well as Micah Pugh, an all-league First Team linebacker. McNary has two of the top recruits in the state in juniors Erik Barker and Junior Walling. ON THE COVER: Junior Walling, McNary LB/RB Published by Keizertimes SA L E M - K E I Z E R HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL M C KAY • M C NARY • NORTH SALEM • SOUTH SALEM • SPRAGUE • WEST SALEM PREVIEW Walling, who has an offer from Oregon State, is rated the No. 4 prospect in Oregon for the Class of 2020. Barker is ninth and the top quarterback in the state, accord- ing to 247sports. While the Celtics have a smaller senior class than in years past, there are several solid pieces there beginning with lineman Joshua Schmeltzer and receiver Jacob Jackson. Dyami Rios, a sophomore who dominated freshman foot- ball last season, is another in- triguing player at linebacker and possibly running back. Sprague has fi nished near the top of the league standings the past three years but returns just three starters from last season. This could be the year Mc- Nary and South Salem get re- venge on the Olympians. The Celtics haven’t defeated Sprague since 2014. South Salem also returns a lot of talent in lineman Ashton Adams, linebacker Josh Raynak, quarterback Elijah Enomoto- Haole and tight ends Diego Fuimaono and Brock Hale. North Salem and McKay, who have consistently fi nished at the bottom of the league, hope to get some relief by mov- ing down a classifi cation to 5A. But the Vikings and Royal Scots were placed in a tough league with the likes of Lebanon, South Albany, Crescent Valley and Silverton. With only three weeks of offi cial practice to prepare, coaches already feel rushed. Air quality concerns forcing many practices indoors has made it even harder on teams this year. But the 2018 season is offi - cially here, ready or not. 142 Chemawa Rd N, Keizer, OR 97303 PHONE 503-390-1051 • FAX 503-390-8023 PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz • publisher@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Wiley • news@keizertimemes.com We can change the way you look at life! ADVERTISING ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE Paula Moseley • advertising@keizertimes.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER & PRODUCTION MANAGER M C KAY — C12 Andrew Jackson • graphics@keizertimes.com M C NARY — C3 NORTH SALEM — C11 SOUTH SALEM — C13 SPRAGUE — C7 WEST SALEM — C9 CONTRIBUTOR Herb Swett • kt@keizertimes.com INTERN Cynthia Strawn, OD • Mallory MacRae, OD OPTOMETRIC PHYSICIANS Random Pendragon • intern@keizertimes.com states or for all dollar amounts. If you are refi nancing your existing loan, your total fi nance charges may be 4350 Cherry Avenue NE • 503 -393 - 6060 • www.keizervision.com
