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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
PAGE B8, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 McKAY ROYAL SCOTS KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald In their second season in the Mid-Willamette Conference, the Royal Scots are hoping for improvement in 2019 under new head coach Brandis Piper. McKay enters rebuild under fi rst-year head coach By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes The McKay football program was optimistic before the start of the 2018 season as they moved from the 6A classifi cation down to 5A. However, not much changed for the Royal Scots last season in the Mid- Willamette Conference — arguably the best league at the 5A level — as McKay fi nished the year with a 1-8 record. One thing McKay does have, though, is an energetic fi rst-year head coach in Brandis Piper. After playing football at Lewis & Clark College, Piper was the offensive coordinator for Stayton High School from 2013 to 2016. He then spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as the running backs coach at Willamette University, before taking over as the head man at McKay. Piper hit the ground running with his kids over the last couple months, fi lling the summer with workouts and weekly 7-on-7 competitions “When they’re pumped and ready to go, it puts me in that same mindset.” — Brandis Piper, McKay head coach SCHEDULE ALL GAMES START AT 7 P.M. Sept. 6 at West Albany Sept. 13 vs. Central Sept. 20 at South Albany Sept. 27 vs. Lebanon Oct. 4 at North Salem Oct. 10 vs. Corvallis* against opposing schools, as well as holding a team camp. As the Royal Scots prepare for their opener against West Albany on Friday, Sept. 6, Piper is really pumped about the work that his crew has put in during the offseason. “It’s been awesome so far. I’m really excited about it, and the kids are excited,” Piper said. “We were having 50 kids show up to every single workout during the offseason. When they’re pumped and ready to go, it puts me in that same boat.” Getting kids excited about Expect the football has the Oct. 18 at Dallas potential to be Oct. 25 vs. Silverton a big deal for McKay — a Nov. 1 vs. Crescent Valley program that *game will start at 7:15 p.m. hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. Over the course of the lives, not just on the football summer, Piper has been fi eld. getting his players to buy “It’s something that’s not into the new motto of the skill-based. You don’t have to program. The motto is EAT, be the fastest or the strongest and it stands for energy, kid on the team to do those attitude, toughness, and it’s three things. We’re asking something Piper wants to see kids to do those things, not in every phase of his players’ only on the football fi eld, unexpected but also when they’re in the classroom and out in the community,” Piper said. “If they can do those three things, they will be successful in all aspects of their life. So we’re really trying to build something in our program and our culture that is more than just being good on the football fi eld. It’s about what they do every single day, from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed.” Even though they had a rough season in 2018, McKay is returning some stud seniors that hope to have a big impact in 2019. “We have defi nitely got some guys that I have been impressed with over the summer,” Piper said. Elliott Schaffner is a key senior will be entering his third season on the McKay varsity team. He was a honorable mention selection on the offensive line last year and looks to be the Royal Scots best interior lineman for the second straight season. “Elliot’s really done a great job in practice. He’s been a force on the offensive line and he does a really good job of getting to the second level. He can also play multiple positions on the O-line if needed,” Piper said. McKay’s other top dog on the line of scrimmage appears to be Zaire Ku-Beza, who also received honorable mention status as a tight end last season. “He’s a guy that can be a difference maker. He will be tough for opponents to handle on the line of scrimmage,” Piper said. Ku-Beza looks to be a terror on the Royal Scots defensive line as well, along with junior twins Janderi Perez and Giovanni Perez. Senior Rafael Aguilar is arguably McKay’s best returning player. Aguilar has been on the Royal Scots varsity team all four years of his career, and last season, he was an honorable mention selection as both a linebacker and running back. “Rafael has defi nitely put a lot of time in the weight room for us. He’s just a guy that gets it. He sees natural holes out there,” Piper said. We’ll fi nd the right auto, home, life and commercial insurance to meet your personal needs BEST OF LUCK McNARY CELTICS! 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