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KEIZERTIMES.COM
LIFE
OF
W iley
Celtics 0-5 start
now paying off
McNary opens soccer
playoffs at Beaverton
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary didn’t achieve
its goal of winning the
Mountain Valley Conference
championship.
But that hasn’t taken the
Celtics focus off the grand
prize—a state title.
“There’s one big goal in
everyone’s mind,” McNary
senior Miguel Bravo said.
“Our goal right now is to
be state champs. Coach (Mi-
guel Camarena) told us a
state championship is worth
more to him than 10 league
championships. We’re aiming
for the big goal and hopeful-
ly we do our best to accom-
plish it.”
The Celtics climbed as
high as No. 4 in the OSAA
power rankings and opened
league play with a 5-1 win
over West Salem on Sept. 25.
But McNary began free
falling after a 1-0 loss at
Summit on Sept. 29. The
Celtics tied both South Sa-
lem and McKay 1-1 in their
next two matches.
“Unfortunately that loss
really brought the team
down,” Bravo said. “Failures
always going to occur in life
and it’s up to us to pick it up
and show what the McNary
team is all about, which is
hard work and dedication for
the sport.”
With three goals by Jo-
vanie Bravo and one by Luis
Lopez, the Celtics closed the
regular season with a 4-1 win
at Mountain View on Friday,
Oct. 19 to finish 3-2-2 in
league play.
As the 19-seed, McNary
will open the state tourna-
ment at No. 14 Beaverton on
Saturday.
“It’s a new season on Sat-
urday,” Camarena said. “Our
goal is going to be one game
at a time. But our hope is to
win five.”
Camarena added the Celt-
ics must enter every game
100 percent focused and fin-
ish goals, two things that cost
them wins during the regular
season.
“If we put in half of the
opportunities, we should win
every game,” Camarena said.
I did believe McNary’s non-league schedule
would better prepare the Celtics for conference op-
ponents.
I said so on the radio and wrote it here.
But did I see this coming—an 0-5 start followed
by three straight wins, each one more impressive
than the last, with the Celtics one win away from
the Mountain Valley Conference championship?
Of course not.
Did anyone?
But that is where McNary sits now, after winning
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
35-23 at West Salem last Friday, in a game that hon-
Eddy Martinez and the rest of the McNary
estly wasn’t that close.
boys soccer team will travel to Beaverton
Along with their five touchdowns, the Celtic of- Saturday for the first round of the playoffs.
fense moved the ball inside the West Salem 15 yard
line three more times and got zero points to show
for it, thanks to a missed field goal and two fumbles,
one at the two yard line.
Honestly, part of the reason I wrote that the non-
league schedule would turn out to be good for Mc-
Nary is because I wanted it to be true. I didn’t want
to cover an 0-9 team.
The Celtics did a good job of throwing me off
the scent and testing my belief. Let’s not forget,
while those first five opponents were tough, none
of the games were competitive, minus the fourth
quarter at West Linn, which turned into another
blowout.
McNary then defeated Sprague in a game that
looked like the Celtics had just got the best of an-
other struggling, winless team than they had really
turned a corner or made some giant leap forward.
But then McNary went to Bend and knocked off
a 5-1 team sitting at No. 10 in the power rankings,
and followed that up with the win at West Salem.
The 0-5 start, as tough as it was at the time, had
obviously paid off.
“You really can learn more from a loss some-
times,” McNary head coach Jeff Auvinen said after
defeating West Salem. “If we play a team that’s not
very good and we don’t play very well, and just win
because we were better than them, I don’t think you
learn very much.”
The Celtics saw what it takes to compete against
the best teams in the state.
“They are learning what it takes to be a 6A foot-
ball player and play with that low center of gravity
and running their feet and finishing plays,” Auvinen
said. “And what it’s like to come together and trust
your teammates. All 11 doing their job, it can be a
beautiful thing.”
Now, McNary is one win away from winning
the Mountain Valley Conference.
Will the Celtics get it?
My picks:
McKay at Crescent Valley
The Royal Scots will hope to close out the regu-
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
lar season on a high note against a Raider team that Junior Walling rushed for 223 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-23 victory at West Salem on Friday, Oct. 19.
had won three in a row before falling to Lebanon
by 37 points last Friday. McKay has been outscored
by 70 points the last two weeks since getting its only
win of the season at Corvallis.
Pick: Raiders 20, Royal Scots 14
North Salem at Lebanon
Like McKay, the Vikings haven’t really benefited
package and he chose me as the guy,” Sher- fourth touchdown with 2:23 remaining.
from moving down to 5A. North Salem is com- By DEREK WILEY
Jackson then intercepted Thompson with
wood said. “I’ve never played there. I’ve been
ing off a 43-point win against South Albany but Of the Keizertimes
SALEM—McNary’s turnaround contin- offensive and defensive line my whole life. I 2:01 remaining to seal the victory.
the Warriors are a playoff team, riding a three-game
Thompson completed just 12 of 35 pass at-
never caught any passes, no routes, never taken
ued here.
winning streak.
Behind Junior Walling’s 223 yards rushing any hits like that. It was a fun experience. It tempts for 275 yards. Gould caught four passes
Pick: Warriors 38, Vikings 24
for 78 yards.
and four touchdowns, the Celtics defeated felt pretty natural.”
West Salem at Sprague
“I was really proud of the whole defense,”
McNary jumped out to a 14-0 lead at West
The Olympians are another squad that has ben- West Salem 35-23 last Friday to improve to
McNary head coach Jeff Auvinen said. “Ni-
Salem on two touchdown runs by Walling.
efited from playing a strong non-conference sched- 3-0 in the Mountain Valley Conference.
But the Titans answered with 10 points at gel (Harris) did a great job of keeping Gould
Like any good running back, Walling cred-
ule. Sprague followed up a 35-point win over Sum-
the end of the first half on a 6-yard touch- in check. The biggest part of our game plan
mit with a 28-point victory over Mountain View. ited the offensive line.
“I give it all to my line,” Walling said. “They down run by quarterback Simon Thompson was to not let him beat us. He still scored two
An upset over West Salem could get the Olympi-
ans into the playoffs. But the Titans have won the gave huge holes for me and made it easy for and then a 32-yard field goal by Kyla Gordon touchdowns.That guy is really good. Oregon
previous two matchups and should rise again, even me and (quarterback) Erik (Barker) to do our with the clock expired after West Salem got an State signed him for a reason. He’s really fast.”
Gould predicted six touchdowns on Twit-
extra play thanks to a defensive holding pen-
though I predict this game to be much closer than I thing.”
ter, which McNary’s defense was well aware
Senior Wyatt Sherwood returned to the alty on McNary.
would have thought two weeks ago.
The Titans then took the lead when of.
line after missing five games with a concus-
Pick: Titans 38, Olympians 35
“It just motivated me even more,” Harris
Thompson connected with Anthony Gould
sion.
South Salem at McNary
“We came in this week jacked,” Sherwood for a 33-yard touchdown just 20 seconds into said. “I just kept it classy. I didn’t say a word
These two squads are obviously heading in op-
to him. We just had to be mentally tough. We
posite directions. While the Celtics have won three said. “We were excited for this game. We were the third quarter.
But West Salem’s lead didn’t last long as had a good game plan going in and I was con-
games in a row, the Saxons, with Ryan Rickman out ready. We knew this game was going to be big
for the season, have dropped four in a row, the latest for us. We took this game and we went at it Walling broke loose down the McNary side- fident. (Safety) Griffin (Oliveira) was over the
to a 1-6 Summit team at home. McNary defeated head on. We hit it hard. We were being the line for a 42-yard touchdown run to put the top. Just being aggressive. I didn’t go in scared.
South Salem last season for the first time since 2013 hammer, not the nail. That was the motto to- Celtics back on top, 21-17, with 10:30 re- I think in previous years we were. This year we
knew we had it.”
so the Celtics shouldn’t overlook the Saxons. As night, hammer, not the nail. We won it every- maining in the third quarter.
West Salem tight end Micah Pugh caught
After Jacob Jackson added a 5-yard touch-
long as McNary shows up ready with the same fire where. Our whole team. We played phenom-
down run to extend McNary’s lead to 28-17, six passes for 144 yards.
it has the past two weeks, the Celtics will celebrate enal. We’re a great team overall.”
Barker completed 11 of 19 passes for 156
Wearing a new number, 38, Sherwood also the Titans needed only one play to answer as
the Mountain Valley Conference championship.
lined up at tight end, catching three passes for Gould took a reverse 45 yards to get West Sa- yards and also rushed for 62 yards.
Pick: Celtics 45, Saxons 21
The Celtics close the regular season this
lem within 28-23 entering the fourth quarter.
Derek Wiley is the associate editor of the Keiz- 44 yards.
But McNary’s defense shut out West Salem Friday at home against South Salem with a
“(Offensive coordinator Brad) Emmert
ertimes.
just decided that we should put in a tight end in the final 12 minutes and Walling scored his chance to win the conference championship.
Last week: 2-3, Overall: 26-16
Celtics hammer West Salem