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.
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