SEPTEMBER 6, 2019, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, PAGE B3
Sept. 6
Lake Oswego at West Salem
Sept. 20
Tualatin at McNary
McNary will be challenged for
the second straight week when
they host the Timberwolves, who
trounced the Celtics 50-6 last
season. Like West Linn, Tualatin also
lost 10 all-league players from the
2018 team. But McNary's offensive
line will have their hands full trying
to contain Tualatin linebacker John
Miller — an Oregon State commit
who was the co-defensive player
of the year last season in the Three
Rivers League.
of the more dynamic attacks in the
Metro League. However, the Beavers
defense went through their struggles
last year, surrendering more than 36
points per game. It's safe to say fans
should expect a shootout in this one.
Oct. 4
McKay at North Salem
The game between Salem's two 5A
schools wasn't competitive last season
as North Salem had their highest
scoring output since 2011, routing the
Royal Scots 52-31. But McKay will
have more team experience coming
into 2019, which should make this a
more competitive contest.
advantage of West Salem's relative
inexperience this time around.
Oct. 18
Mountain View at W. Salem
Mountain View made a fairly
seamless transition into the 6A
level last year as they fi nished the
regular season with a 5-4 record and
qualifi ed for the playoffs. West Salem
defeated Mountain View 46-28 last
year and will need a similar defensive
effort to stop the Mountain View
attack — the Cougars scored more
than 40 points fi ve times last season
and return a signifi cant portion of
their offense.
West Salem faces the tough
test of hosting the defending state
champions to begin the season. This
will be the second straight year that
the Titans will face off against Lake
Oswego — they fell to the Lakers
48-21 last season. The number
one goal for West Salem coming
into this game is to somehow slow
down Lake Oswego's Casey Filkins,
one of the best players in the
Northwest. Filkins had 1,160 yards
rushing to go along with his 869
receiving yards and had a combined
39 touchdowns last season. He
also recently committed to the
University of California (Berkley).
Sept. 13
West Linn at McNary
McNary will take on perennial
football power West Linn for the
third consecutive season in their
home opener. The Celtics got
demolished by West Linn 41-6 in
the second round of the playoffs in
2017 and also lost to to the Lions
55-27 last season. However, this will
be the fi rst time that West Linn will
make the trip down to Keizer. The
Lions also will have to replace 10
all-league players from last season,
including
quarterback
Ethan
Long, who now plays at Arizona
State University and was selected
as a team captain. With McNary's
experience, look for this to be
a closer game than it has been in
years past.
Sept. 13
Sunset at South Salem
The Saxons will have a chance to
redeem themselves after suffering
a 36-3 drubbing at the hands of
Sunset last season. It will be no easy
task as the Apollos are projected to
be a top-15 team once again this
season with returning fi rst-team all-
Metro quarterback Callum Craig,
and his top target Nate Archibald.
that struggled in their move up to 6A,
going 2-7 last year — despite having
Henry Bledsoe — son of former
NFL great Drew Bledsoe — as the
starting quarterback. Fortunately for
the Storm, they have the majority of
their roster coming back in 2019 as
they try to beat a Sprague team that
defeated them 49-14 in 2018.
Oct. 25
West Salem at McNary
A contest that could determine the
league champion in the MVC. While
the Titans looked to be the best team
in the conference for the majority of
last season, they were knocked off by
McNary by a score of 35-23 — the
Celtics would go on to win the league
title. It was only the second time in the
last three seasons that West Salem had
lost a conference game at home.
Sept. 27
Sprague at South Salem
One of the oldest rivalries in
the Salem area. The series has been
evenly matched in recent years
with Sprague winning four of the
last seven head-to-head match-ups.
However, South Salem won a 21-
20 thriller last season.
Oct. 10
Corvallis at McKay
McKay spoiled a shot at the
postseason for Corvallis last season,
knocking off the Spartans 17-15
for their only win of the year. With
a senior-led roster, Corvallis will
be looking for revenge against the
Royal Scots in 2019.
Oct. 4
Beaverton at West Salem
The Beavers pulled off the 35-33
upset against West Salem last season.
Despite fi nishing with a losing
record, Beaverton averaged nearly 30
points per game in 2018 and had one
Oct. 11
West Salem at South Salem
The Titans have had South
Salem's number for the last three
seasons — winning all three games
by a combined score of 125-12. The
Saxons will hoping to be able to take
Oct. 18
Bend at McNary
Similar to Mountain View, Bend
also faired well in their inaugural
season at the 6A level, reaching
the fi ve-win mark and making the
playoffs. But after beginning the
season with a 5-1 record, the Lava
Bears dropped their remaining four
games to end the year. Making the trip
over the mountain to face McNary
late in the season will provide a good
barometer as to where this team is at.
Oct. 18
Summit at Sprague
Summit was the one Bend school
Nov. 1
McNary at South Salem
For the second straight season,
these two teams will meet in the
regular season fi nale. The Saxons gave
McNary all they could handle in last
year's contest, but the Celtics still
prevailed with a 40-33 victory. South
Salem could potentially put themselves
in position for a playoff spot if they are
able to pull off the upset in this one.
Nov. 1
Lebanon at North Salem
This will be a chance for Salem
fans to watch one of the best football
players in the country — yes, you
read that right — in Lebanon junior
Keith Brown. At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds,
Brown is considered the number four
inside linebacker in the country for the
class of 2021.
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