PAGE B10, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019
NORTH SALEM VIKINGS
KEIZERTIMES/Mat Rawlings
After losing 22 seniors and multiple all-league players, the 2019 North Salem Vikings will have a number of new athletes playing big roles.
North Salem will
rely on youth in 2019
By MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
After going 2-7 last year
in their fi rst season at the 5A
level and losing a multitude
of all-conference players,
North Salem head coach
Jeff Flood will be calling on
some new faces to carry the
torch for the Vikings in 2019.
“We have a lot of kids
that played JV last year and
they will need to step their
game up to be able to play at
the speed of a Friday night,”
Flood said.
However, one of the
aspects of this 2019 North
Salem team that Flood really
appreciates is the amount of
joy his team plays with from
day to day.
“The joy that these guys
have when they play football
is always encouraging. They
enjoy being out here. They
enjoy being together. And
that makes it really easy to
come out here and try to get
better. As long as the kids are
working together to make
the best of it, that’s all we can
ask for as a coaching staff,”
Flood said.
One of North Salem’s
biggest needs coming into
this year is fi nding guys that
will be able to play at a high
level on the offensive line.
The Vikings lost arguably the
best lineman in the league
last season in Andre Beall,
who was named to the fi rst-
team all-league squad in the
Mid-Willamette Conference.
North Salem will also have
to replace Zach Goodwin,
who played both ways on
the line of scrimmage last
season, and tight end Isaak
Vipperman — both were all-
Welcome Back
to School
“Our most important
challenge right now is fi nding
an (offensive) line that can
help us move the ball.”
Sept. 6 vs. Crescent Valley
Sept. 13 at Corvallis
Sept. 20 at Dallas
Sept. 27 at Silverton
Oct. 4 vs. McKay
Oct. 10 at West Albany
Oct. 18 vs. Central
Oct. 25 at South Albany
Nov. 1 vs. Lebanon
league players in 2018.
“Our most important
challenge right now is fi nding
an (offensive) line that can
help us move the ball. We lost
a lot of really good kids from
last year’s team, so that is a big
area of concern,” Flood said.
Flood, however, feels like
he has some players that will
be able to pick up the slack,
503-485-0472
with the leader of the bunch
being Antonio Garcia, who is
a versatile athlete despite not
having the biggest frame.
“He will be the focal point
of our offensive line. He’s just
a beast of a kid and he will
probably help us on both
sides of the ball,” Flood said.
Kobe Hubbard missed the
Keizer Station — 2555 Jorie Lane
entire 2018 season due to
injury, but at 6-foot-5, 290
pounds, Flood expects him
to play a big role for North
Salem at offensive tackle in
2019.
Senior Nelson Millan
looks to be the starting center
this season, and might also
see some time at linebacker.
“It’s exciting to have
some kids that have really
progressed from last year,”
Flood said.
North
Salem’s
top
returner, however, will be
Jason Carter-Varay. As a
second-team all-conference
defensive back last season,
Carter-Varay is the only
Vikings
returner
that
received all-league status last
season.
As one of the best athletes
in the conference, Carter-
Varay will also get the bulk
of the workload at running
back.
“(Carter-Varay)
will
shoulder a bigger role this
year. He’s an outstanding
athlete,” Flood said. “It’s fun
to see these kids come in as
freshmen and then watch
them mature over the years.”
Keith Barnett, Anthony
Valdez and Adan Gonzalez
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— Jeff Flood, North Salem head coach
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