2019
JANUARY 3, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7
Hawley and Jackson
share prestigious honor
The Salem Sports and
Breakfast Club (SSBC) has been
recognizing outstanding ath-
letes in the Salem-Keizer area
since 1964. And on Friday, May
31, the club added two McNary
senior athletes to their historic
fraternity.
Abigail Hawley was honored
with the Harold Hauk Award
for Female Prep Athlete of the
Year while Jacob Jackson was
given the Oliver Huston Award
for Male Prep Athlete of the
Year.
It was the fi rst time since
1999 that two McNary athletes
won were given Athlete of the
year honors by SSBC.
Hawley was a four-year var-
sity player for the girls soccer
squad and took home fi rst-team
all-Mountain Valley Conference
honors in 2018. It was the sec-
ond straight season she received
the fi rst-team all-conference
nod.
Despite playing a litany of
different positions over the
course of her career, Hawley
was the leading goal-scorer for
the Celtics in each of her last
File
Abigail Hawley (left) and Jacob Jackson were named the Sa-
lem Sports and Breakfast Club’s athletes of the year for 2019.
three years (2016-18).
Hawley was also a four-year
varsity player for the girls bas-
ketball team and helped the
Celtics reach the playoffs in all
four years of her career.
She led the team in scoring
her senior season with 13.3
points per game and was named
fi rst-team all-league.
Jackson was also a two-sport
star for McNary over his four
years of high school, competing
in football and baseball — he
also played basketball for the
Celtics until his senior year.
As one of the most versatile
athletes in the state, Jackson re-
ceived three different all-con-
ference honors in football last
fall.
As a free safety Jackson had
62 tackles, fi ve interceptions
and was named fi rst-team all-
league. On the other side of the
ball, he caught 31 passes for 354
yards and earned an honorable
mention nod at receiver. He
also was recognized as a honor-
able mention kicker.
Jackson was able to do this
all while playing with injuries
to his wrist, elbow and knee.
The injury bug bit Jackson
once again during the spring,
forcing the star shortstop to
miss the last chunk of the sea-
son. But Jackson refused to get
discouraged about the situation.
Despite being banged up,
Jackson still batted .316 with
a .443 on-base percentage and
nine extra-base hits. He also
stepped up as a leader accord-
ing to head coach Larry Keeker,
and helped the Celtics reach the
postseason for the second time
in three years.
Anneke Titus
Titus heading
to World Cup
Anneke Titus, a senior
at McNary High, has been
competing in roller derby for
the last six years.
What started as a fun af-
ter school-activity has turned
into a deep passion for Ti-
tus, which is one of the rea-
sons why she will be heading
north of the border this sum-
mer.
Last month, Titus was no-
tifi ed by the Junior Roller
Derby Association (JRDA)
that she has been selected to
compete for Team USA at the
Junior Roller Derby World
Cup in Saskatchewan, Can-
ada.
Titus will join a team of 19
other skaters considered to be
some of the top junior roller
derby athletes in the country.
“I really couldn’t believe
that I got in. I started cry-
ing as soon as I found out. I
know that I’m talented, but
I never thought I was at that
level,” Titus said. “I still can’t
describe how excited I am
about it.”
Titus fi rst got into the
sport at the age of eight when
her mom joined a Cher-
ry City Roller Derby adult
team. Three years later, a ju-
nior team called the Cherry
Blossoms was created, which
gave Titus a chance to com-
pete.
Even though she was only
allowed to practice at fi rst and
couldn’t make contact with
other skaters, Titus fell in love
with the sport.
“I was so excited when
the junior team started,” Titus
said. “This is my main pas-
sion. I was always a sporty kid
growing up, but I just fell in
love with roller derby.”
In her time with the Cher-
ry Blossoms, Titus has gotten
the opportunity to compete
in bouts with the Rose City
Rollers in Portland and even
got to go to Los Angeles, Ca-
lif. for a tournament with her
Cherry Blossom teammates.
After seeing her grow in
her skill level, Titus was en-
couraged to go to Portland
for a tryout for the World
Cup team.
In late-September, Ti-
tus participated in what she
called a “grueling” tryout that
was focused heavily on con-
ditioning, followed by a two-
hour scrimmage.
“I was trembling by the
end of it. I was so sore,” Ti-
tus said. “It was very physical-
ly demanding, but also very
fun.”
A couple weeks later, Titus
got the call to join the team.
“It’s the highlight of
my athletic career. I never
thought I would be up this
high,” Titus said.
“I really have to credit my
coaches over the years. I feel
like they have really helped
me hone my skills, especially
in the last couple years.”
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File
Tom Smythe (middle) stands with McNary athletic director
Scott Gragg (left) and principal Erik Jespersen.
For the second time this
year, McNary High School
inducted new members into
their prestigious athletic hall
of fame, led by one of the best
football coaches in state history,
Tom Smythe.
Smythe, along with Luke
Atwood, Niki Hayhurst Volz
and the 2001 state champion
football team were all honored
in a ceremony on Thursday,
Oct. 17 at Quality Inn & Suites.
In 34 years of coaching high
school football in Oregon,
Smythe won 278 games and
three state titles in three differ-
ent decades (1987, 1997, 2001).
Smythe won two of his
three state championships with
McNary, where he was the
head coach from 1995-2006.
In his tenure with the Celtics,
the 78-year old accrued a re-
cord of 105-29 and fi ve con-
ference championships to go
along with his two state titles.
Smythe has had many in-
credible moments over his
illustrious career, but one in
particular that stands out is the
‘97 state championship game,
where the Celtics took down
Beaverton by a score of 51-
48 — which still holds the re-
cord for most combined points
in a state championship game.
Smythe believes that it was
the best state fi nal game ever
played.
While he was known as
an offensive innovator, what
Smythe prided himself most
on was making sure that his
kids were enjoying playing the
game of football.
Once the ceremony had
wrapped up, Smythe grabbed
the microphone and gave an
emotional tribute to the Celt-
ics faithful.
“My 12 years at McNary, I
can hardly put it in perspective
without tearing up and crying.
I always told my players that it
was okay for men to cry. And
now I fi nd myself in that same
situation, where I can hard-
ly speak,” Smythe said. “I feel
so blessed to have coached in
Keizer, Oregon for the Mc-
Nary Celts. What a beautiful
time.”
Those in attendance erupt-
ed in cheers at the conclusion
of Smythe’s speech, with the
biggest applause coming from
the members of his ‘01 state ti-
tle team, who he was happy to
share the spotlight with.
McNary’s ‘01 football squad
— also known as the “Giant
Killers” — had one of the most
dominating postseason runs
in state history, winning each
of their playoff games by two
touchdowns or more.
The Celtics fi nished the sea-
son with a 13-1 record, which
was capped off with a 35-10
victory over Sheldon in the
state championship game.
Atwood was an assistant
coach on the ‘01 squad. But
before that, he was one of the
top athletes in McNary history.
In 1996, Atwood was the
quarterback for the McNary
football squad, leading the
team to a league championship
and helping them earn a berth
in the state semifi nal game.
He earned all-state honorable
mention status and participated
in the East-West Shrine Game
for the top players in the state.
On the hardwood, Atwood
was a three-year letterman for
the Celtics basketball team,
earning all-league honors in his
senior season and leading Mc-
Nary to a conference title and
a fi fth-place fi nish at the state
tournament.
Atwood also excelled on the
diamond as an all-state out-
fi elder for the McNary baseball
squad. Because of all of his ac-
complishments during his se-
nior year, Atwood was named
athlete of the year by the Salem
Sports and Breakfast Club in
1997.
Volz was also one of the
best multiple-sport athletes in
McNary history, and is still the
only female Celt to receive All-
State honors in two different
sports (volleyball and soccer).
Volz led the McNary vol-
leyball team to three Valley
League titles during her ten-
ure with the Celts, including
a fi fth-place fi nish at the state
tournament in 1998.
Volz was selected as the Val-
ley League player of the year in
her senior season, as well as the
all-region player of the year in
volleyball.
In softball, Volz experienced
similar success, helping the
Celts win a conference title in
all four years of her career. And
in her senior season, Volz took
home the same individual ac-
colades as she did during vol-
leyball season, once again win-
ning all-region player of the
year and Valley League player
of the year.
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