PAGE C12, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, AUGUST 31, 2018
McKAY ROYAL SCOTS
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
McKay will have many new faces in 2018 after graduating 35 players off of last season’s team.
McKay must replace large chunk of varsity players
By HERB SWETT
Of the Keizertimes
Head coach Josh Riddell
sounded optimistic about McKay’s
football season in this fi rst year of
realignment.
For football only, the Royal
Scots will drop to 5A classifi cation,
playing in the Mid-Willamette
Conference. They will be in the
6A Mountain Valley Conference
for their other sports.
Riddell, in his third season as
McKay’s head coach, had a 1-8
season in 2017 but before joining
McKay had several winning
seasons as an assistant coach at West
Salem.
There are many new Scot faces,
35 of last year’s varsity players
having graduated. They included
most of the fi rst string.
This year, Riddell said he is
fi nding “decent depth with the
up-front guys.” He sees his biggest
problem as the lack of Friday night
experience but says the players
who have been playing Mondays
on the junior varsity seem to be
catching on well.
While McKay has an open
competition at most positions,
Riddell expects Zair Ku-Beiza to
start on the defensive line and at
tight end and Rafael Aguilar to be
a fi rst-string linebacker.
Senior Jose Camarena, an
All-Greater Valley Conference
honorable mention selection last
season at linebacker, also returns.
Riddell called the switch to 5A
“a good deal for us.” He said that
in football, the Mid-Willamette
Conference is the best 5A league
in the state. Four of its schools, he
noted, were in the state semifi nals
last season.
Riddell is his own offensive
coordinator and Caleb Singleton
the defensive coordinator. Darrell
Hall, who coaches receivers, is also
the JV head coach. Coaching the
offensive line is Duane Riddell,
the head coach’s father, who was
a head coach for many years. Greg
LaFountaine coaches tight ends
and wings and Marvin Mason
running backs.
Defensive coaches are Kenny
Ramirez,
linebackers;
Steve
Baker, linebackers; Bryan Huber,
cornerbacks; and Singleton, safeties.
For the freshmen, Adam
Vasas is head coach and offensive
coordinator, and Juan Cervantes is
defensive coordinator.
The varsity depth chart was still
changing every day but Riddell
plans to play many juniors and
seniors this year.
The Royal Scots have about
130 football players in their
program between the varsity, JV
and freshman teams.
“I like the intensity, the efforts
the guys have been showing,”
Riddell said. He noted that his
players showed their commitment
during the off-season.
The other schools in the
Mid-Willamette Conference are
Central, Corvallis, Crescent Valley,
Dallas, Lebanon, North Salem,
Silverton, South Albany, and West
Albany. North Salem, which also
was in the 6A league last year, will
play its entire sports schedule in
the 5A league.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 31 vs West Albany
Sept. 7 at Central
Sept. 14 vs South Albany
Sept. 21 at Lebanon
Sept. 28 vs North Salem
Oct. 5 at Corvallis
Oct. 12 vs Dallas
Oct. 19 at Silverton
Oct. 26 at Crescent Valley
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