MAY 10, 2019, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A13
WALLING,
continued from Page A16
Walling ended the season with
1,005 rushing yards and 12
touchdowns, in addition to two
receiving touchdowns. He was
named first-team all-league at
both positions.
According to 247Sports,
Walling is the number two
in-state recruit and the 14th-
ranked inside linebacker in the
country. He has also gotten to
be interviewed on the 1080
The Fan show Recruiting with
Andrew Nemec, along with a
number of other media oppor-
tunities.
Even with all the attention
he’s getting, Walling remains
humble and thankful.
“It’s an honor to talk with a
lot of these people and get all
these interviews,” Walling said.
“It’s just been a fun process.”
While he prepares for the
2019 season as one of the top
players in the state, Walling is
still striving to prepare himself
for playing at the next level.
“Whether it’s making a hit,
or trying to run through guys,
I’m always working on how I
can be more explosive with
my trainer,” Walling said. “I also
want to make sure that I’m
staying durable. Making sure
that I get through the season is
huge for me.”
National Signing Day for
all football recruits is February
5 of next year. But Walling says
that he will be ready to make
a commitment later this sumer.
“I have been talking with my
family and I think I’m going to
make my commitment right
before my football starts for my
senior year,” Walling said.
File
Walling celebrates the Celtics clinching the Mountain Valley
Conference title with their win against South Salem last fall.
Seven McNary athletes sign with colleges
KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Sophia Zielinski, Kara Thomas, Faith
Danner, Katy Wyatt, Miguel Bravo, Francisco Rios and Jesus
Lopez all committed to continue their education and athletic
careers in college during a ceremony on Wednesday, April 17.
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Seven
student-athletes
from McNary signed their
letters of intent to continue
their education and athletic
careers in a signing day cer-
emony on Wednesday, April
17.
While all seven of them
have excelled in the sports
arena, McNary athletic di-
rector Scott Gragg made it a
point to mention the dedica-
tion that each of them have
shown in the classroom.
“In order to be able to
sign these pieces of paper,
they need to be able to at-
tend that college, which
means they have done some
things in the classroom that
have given them the abil-
ity to play at the next level,”
Gragg said.
Celtic volleyball players
Sophia Zielinski and Kara
Thomas each plan to play
volleyball next year at Lin-
field University.
Thomas and Zielinski
were both three-year var-
sity players for McNary
and earned honorable men-
tion all-league honors in
the 2017 season. They also
shared the responsibility of
being co-captains this season.
“They’re leadership is go-
ing to carry onto the next
level,” McNary volleyball
coach Crystal DeMello said.
“I really value that they were
teammates here and it’s rare
that they will continue to be
teammates at the next level.”
Katy Wyatt is choosing to
play soccer at Pacific Uni-
versity. Wyatt was a four-year
starter for McNary and was
a team captain during the
2018 season. She was third
on the team in scoring this
season and totaled nine goals
and 11 assists over the course
of her career. But it was her
ability as a defender that re-
ally helped the Celtics as she
played a role in 22 shutouts
over the last four years.
“Katy was part of a great
class of freshmen four years
ago that really came in and
changed the culture of the
(girls) soccer program,” Mc-
Nary girls head coach AJ
Nash said. “We call her the
‘energizer bunny.’ She is one
of those few people in life
that have another gear.”
Faith Danner will attend
Dakota State University in
Madison, SD to play softball.
Danner has been Mc-
Nary’s top pitcher for all
four years of her time as a
Celt and has earned all-con-
ference honors in the first
three years of her career. Last
season, she had a record of
16-9 and an ERA of 3.08 in
140 innings, and also batted
.361
Her play, both on the
mound and at the plate,
this season has the Celtics
in position for their second
conference crown in three
years.
“I’m really proud of
(Danner) because she chose
a school where she can go
and get a really good edu-
cation, and also continue to
play softball,” McNary soft-
ball coach Kevin Wise said.
“I’m so thankful for all she’s
done for our program here at
McNary and we’re just look-
ing forward to her having a
great college career.”
Miguel
Bravo, Fran-
cisco Rios and Jesus Lopez
all signed to play soccer at
Chemeketa
Community
College.
All three were varsity
players throughout their four
years of high school.
Bravo was second-team
all-conference during the
fall and was voted McNary’s
MVP at their awards ban-
quet.
Rios ended his career
with 35 goals and 21 assists
and he was named an all-
conference honorable men-
tion this season.
Lopez was a first-team all-
conference defender in his
final year and also was rec-
ognized as the athlete of the
week back on September 21,
2018 by the Salem Sports
and Breakfast Club.
“All three of them have
been captains of our pro-
gram. I’m very proud of
the fact that they all played
different roles that made
our program rise higher,”
McNary boys soccer coach
Miguel Camarena said.
McNary hosting
boys basketball
camp in June
The McNary boys basketball program will be holding a sum-
mer youth camp at Claggett Creek Middle School for kids in
3rd through 8th grade from Monday, June 17, to Thursday, June
20th.
The session for 3rd-5th graders goes from 9 a.m. to noon.
Camp for 6th-8th graders goes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost, which includes a camp t-shirt, is $65.
Campers should be dressed in proper attire (gym shoes and
athletic gear). Please do not bring valuables, money or jewelry.
McNary High School will not be responsible for lost goods.
For more information, McNary head coach Ryan Kirch at
541-908-1609 or at rkirch@hotmail.com.