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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
PAGE B6, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 McNARY CELTICS KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings With 22 seniors on their varsity roster, the McNary Celtics have high hopes for the 2019 season as they prepare to defend their Mountain Valley Conference crown. McNary looks to repeat as conference champs By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes A roller coaster season for the McNary football squad last year still resulted in the Celtics being crowned the 2018 Mountain Valley Conference champions. But despite winning the league title, there were aspects of last season that left a bad taste in the mouth of McNary head coach Jeff Auvinen. The Celtics were 0-6 last year against teams that weren’t in the MVC (including playoffs) and really struggled to be competitive in their non-league contests, with their average margin of defeat being over 30 points. “We got better last year and we won the league title, but we didn’t compete very well in non-league games, or in our playoff situation. I think that’s a mentality. I don’t think the talent level was all that different, I just think the kids didn’t believe that they could be successful,” Auvinen said. “One of our goals is to develop the mentality that we can compete and be successful against those type of teams.” McNary will have plenty of chances to prove themselves in their non- conference slate this season. Along with playing road games at North Medford and South Medford, the Celtics host a pair of teams ranked in the top-10 in the preseason coaches poll. They will take on #5 West Linn on Friday, Sept. 13 and #6 Tualatin on One of the main reasons that the Celtics are considered the favorite to win the conference for a second straight season is the return of Erik Barker and of ups and downs. They are natural leaders and they will do well for us in that aspect,” Auvinen said of his two senior captains. “They really care about the success of the team and they care about each one of our guys, which helps them lead by example.” Walling, a running back and linebacker, has been a starter for the Celtics every year of his career. Last season, he rushed for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns on 210 carries. On defense, Walling recorded 86 total tackles (49 “We’re on par with anyone as far as physicality goes.” — Jeff Auvinen, McNary head coach Sept. 20. “We’re on par with anyone as far as physicality goes. We just need to prepare ourselves every day,” Auvinen said. Junior Walling — arguably two of the top skill position players in the state. “They have been around and have got through a lot solo) and had fi ve sacks — he was named fi rst-team all- conference on both sides of the ball. Back in June, Walling committed to continue his education and football career at Oregon State University. Barker, on the other hand, is entering his third year at the Celtics signal-caller and is the only retuning quarterback in the MVC that received all- league recognition last season, throwing for nearly 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is currently being looked at by several Division I-AA schools and was offered a scholarship by Georgetown University. At 6-foot-4, 220 lbs., Barker is one of the most physical players on the team, which is why he will also be playing on the defensive end McNary roster # PLAYER NAME YR. POS. HT. WT. # PLAYER NAME YR. POS. HT. WT. 175 1 Ethan Martin WR/DB 11 5-7 145 27 Ethan McMunn WR/DB 12 5-11 2 Junior Walling RB/LB 12 6-2 230 28 Logan Ready WR/LB 10 6-1 170 3 Jack McCarty QB/DB 11 5-9 175 29 Nico Sandoval RB/DB 12 5-8 165 4 Alex Tavera WR/DB 12 5-9 150 31 Drew Brown RB/DL 12 5-11 200 5 Quintin Camenisch WR/DB 11 5-8 140 34 Matt Mehlhoff RB/LB 11 5-10 180 6 Noah Lelack WR/DB 12 6-1 175 35 Jake Paton WR/DB 10 5-8 150 7 Ethan Rubio WR/DB 12 6-2 195 38 Hayden Kaiser TE/DL 10 6-3 210 220 8 Spencer Delacruz RB/DL 12 6-0 190 45 Dyami Rios RB/LB 11 6-2 10 Layton Thurlow RB/LB 12 6-0 205 48 Rudy Garcia RB/LB 10 5-11 210 11 Quinn Bach RB/LB 10 5-9 165 55 Griffen Hubbard OL/LB 11 6-3 200 OL/DL 10 12 Erik Barker QB/DB 12 6-4 220 56 Jeremiah Ratliff 5-10 205 13 Josh Winslow RB/LB 12 5-9 170 58 Anthony Garcia-Reyes OL/DL 12 5-8 220 14 Joseph Fowler RB/LB 12 5-11 180 59 Gavin Anderson OL/DL 11 6-2 215 15 Junior Nunez WR/DB 11 5-10 155 64 Nathan Young OL/DL 12 6-0 290 16 Haley Hughes K 5-6 135 70 Malakai Vasseur OL/DL 12 6-6 375 17 Tyler Copeland QB/WR 10 6-2 170 72 Michael Tischer OL/DL 12 6-1 290 18 Gunner Smedema QB/WR 10 5-7 140 73 Aldo Villalvazo OL/DL 10 5-11 250 12 19 Evan Cornell WR/DB 10 6-1 175 74 Nic Shepherd OL/DL 12 6-4 260 20 Zane Aicher RB/DB 10 5-10 175 75 Michael Ridgway OL/DL 12 6-3 270 21 Daniel Mood K 5-11 170 76 Coleman Young OL/DL 11 6-3 260 23 Riley Flores WR/DB 12 6-2 175 78 Jose Delgado OL/DL 11 5-6 350 25 Adam Dang RB/DL 12 5-11 185 12 VEHICLE ACCIDENTS INCREASE 15 PERCENT IN THE FALL CAUTION: DRIVERS TYPICALLY FAIL TO ADAPT TO THESE CHANGING DRIVING CONDITIONS • Slippery roads caused by falling leaves • Darker evenings • First heavy rain of autumn Th is public service announcement provided by: Give Us Your Keys, & You’ll be Pleased! 3353 Silverton Rd NE, Salem 503-363-1990 Your locally owned and family operated collision repair business SINCE 1958
