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PAGE A14, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 KEIZERTIMES.COM McNary clinches berth in postseason By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes McNary’s volleyball team has gone through their ups and downs throughout the year, but it appears that they have found their groove at just the right time. The Celtics ended the reg- ular season by winning three of their last four matches, in- cluding a straight-set victory at McKay on Thursday, Oct. 24 to clinch a berth in the state playoffs. “Energy really carried our team towards the end of the season and I think that is re- ally what helped us win the last few games,” McNary middle blocker Chloe Diede said. McNary started off slow in the fi rst set as McKay got out to a quick 8-4 lead. But the Celtics rallied to score nine of the next 10 points, thanks to kills by Zoie Warner and Taylor Ebbs, as well as a key ace from Alexis Eldridge. The Royal Scots got the score within one moments later, but Diede had a kill, plus a stuff-block as the Celtics put away six straight points to go up 20-13. “Momentum is the name of the game. Once we got a string of points, we start- ed playing with a lot more confi dence,” McNary head coach Crystal DeMello said. Marisa Ortiz ended the game with back-to-back aces to give McNary the game one win, 25-14. The Celtics great serving carried into the second set as Ebbs connected on a pair of aces to put McNary on top with a 6-3 lead. McKay came back to tie the score, but El- lie Dean also found holes in the Royal Scots defense with a couple aces of her own to give her team the lead back. “It’s been something that the girls really have been focusing on,” DeMello said about her team’s serving. “They are tough servers, and when they are on their game, I feel like a lot of our other skills follow suit.” Warner, along with Alyssa Garvey and Jazmin Zepeda, hits aces later in the set as the Celtics took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match after winning the second game 25-17. Despite McKay’s peski- ness, McNary was able to as- sert their dominance over the Royal Scots in the fi nal set. With the game tied at 7-7, the Celtics went on a 10-2 run to take the lead at 17-9. Ebbs and Warner each had aggressive kills to put the game away as McNary took the fi nal set 25-15. “This season is a climb, but these girls have progressed every single day, which was our goal at the start of the season,” DeMello said. “They rely on each other and they trust each other to get the job done.” KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings McNary middle blocker Chloe Diede (9) taps the ball past a McKay player at the net. The Celtics won the match in straight sets. Celts score six on senior night By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes It may have been senior night, but it was a junior that stole the show for the Mc- Nary boys soccer team in their regular season fi nale. McNary forward Eli Pe- tilo scored three goals and added an assist as the Celtics demolished Mountain View on Friday, Oct. 25, winning by a score of 6-2. “We played with a lot of confi dence,” Petilo said. “The midfi elders sent us great balls to go and fi nish. Speed kills, and we have a lot of speed on this team.” It was the fi rst time that McNary has scored six goals or more in a league contest since 2017. “We needed this kind of performance before the playoffs. This was a great way to end the regular season for our seniors,” McNary head coach Miguel Camarena said. Once the game kicked off, the Celtics wasted no time getting on the board. In the third minute, Jack Baez sent a deep ball down to Eddie Martinez from midfi eld. Martinez’s shot at- tempt glanced off the hands of Mountain View goalkeep- er Ethan Mawdsley, but Luis Lopez was there to put a header into the net on the rebound. The Celtics showed off their creativity on their next scoring opportunity in the 14th minute when Martinez shot a long pass over to Pe- tilo on the right wing. Peti- lo played the ball to his feet, then sent a line drive pass into the middle to Edgar Salazar. Before the ball hit the ground, Salazar struck a laser off his right foot that went between the keeper’s legs into the goal, to put Mc- Nary up 2-0. Please see CELTS, Page A10 KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings McNary senior Noah Schnell sends a corner kick into the box in the Celtcs 6-2 win over Mountain View. KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Clagget Creek receiver Davien Cabrera looks for more yardage after making a fi rst down grab. Claggett Creek victorious in crosstown showdown By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes The Whiteaker varsity football squad put together an impressive effort in the second half to get back into the game, but in the end, the Wolverines were no match for the explosive offense of Claggett Creek in this cross- town rivalry game. Claggett Creek quarter- back Jacob Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Panthers defeated Whiteaker 22-16 under the lights at McNary High School on Wednesday, Oct. 23. “We played tough all game and never gave up. These guys have been get- ting better every week,” Claggett Creek head coach Aaron Carr said. The game couldn’t have begun much better for the Panthers as they recovered an onside kick on the open- ing kickoff. From there, the Claggett Creek offense kept the Wolverines off-balance with their lethal mix of run and pass plays. After a pair of fi rst downs, Allen found Izeyah Con- treras on an out rout for a 18-yard gain to make it fi rst- and-goal. The following play, Allen called his own num- ber, fi nding the end zone on a nine-yard scramble. The two-point conversion put the Panthers up 8-0. “You can’t replace a kid like (Allen). He’s just a phe- nomenal athlete. He doesn’t take a play off and he’s the kind of kid that you can count on,” Carr said. Whiteaker, however, was able to respond on their fi rst possession of the game. With their powerful, downhill rushing attack, the Wolverines went 65 yards in 10 plays. Running back Marquis Jackson punctuat- ed the drive with a six-yard touchdown run, then scored on the conversion attempt to tie the game at 8-8. Jackson fi nished the con- test with 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns. “We had some really good blocks and I just got the ball and was running hard. You always got to fall forward, even after contact,” Jackson said. But before the end of the fi rst quarter, Contreras Please see CREEK, Page A11
