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Celtics hang on for season-opening win
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
In their fi rst game since
November 2019, the Mc-
Nary defense set the tone
from kickoff until the last
play.
Facing fourth-and-goal
from the McNary 10-yard
line with four seconds left on
the clock and trailing by fi ve,
West Albany quarterback
Michael Cale tried a fade
to his favorite target, Caden
Zamora, in the corner of the
end zone for the win. But
McNary’s Sage Allen broke
up the pass as time expired,
giving the Celtics the 19-14
victory on Friday, March 5.
During a typical McNary
home game, there would
be a celebration with the
student section on the fi eld
and players would stay be-
hind for nearly an hour after
the horn sounded, greeting
friends and family members
and taking photos. But due
to COVID-19 protocols, the
Flesher Field grandstands
were empty. There was no
band, there was no cheering
after a big play, only silence.
However, after the game
was over, the players weren’t
dwelling on what had been
taken away from them
during this tumultuous year,
they were instead, thankful
for the simple joy of playing
football once again.
“It feels amazing to be out
here again. Right before kick-
off I was like 'man, I am really
about to play football again,'
and I am so glad it turned out
the way it did,” McNary line-
backer Dyami Rios said.
“It feels so good to be back.
It's a blessing that we are able
to be out here,” Celtics run-
ning back Dakota Dunagan
added.
McNary head coach Jeff
Auvinen, who has been
coaching football at McNary
for nearly three decades and
has been a part of two state
championship teams (1997,
2001), claimed that this might
be one of the best feelings he
has ever experienced after a
game.
“I've been doing this a long
time, and no matter what lev-
el it's at, it's always been awe-
some. But this might be the
best I have ever felt,” Auvinen
said.
With it being the fi rst time
either team had played in over
a year, the game was sloppy
during certain points. When
West Albany made a pair of
crucial mistakes in the fi rst
quarter, the Celtics took full
advantage.
Please see CELTS, Page A10
KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings
McNary defensive back Jake Paton celebrates after a big hit in McNary’s 19-14 win over West Albany on Friday, March 5.
Zavala looks to continue
hot streak with the Ducks
KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings
McNary midfi elder Karla Rodriguez controls the ball off the bounce. The Celtics scored the
opening goal of the contest, but lost to South Salem by a score of 4-1 in their home opener.
McNary falls to South Salem
after gaining early advantage
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary girls’ soccer
squad was able to compete
with South Salem for the
fi rst 55 minutes of the con-
test. The Saxons, however,
ran away with the game in
the second half.
After the Celtics took a
1-0 lead in the 25th minute,
South Salem scored four un-
answered goals to earn the
4-1 victory on Thursday,
March 4, spoiling McNary’s
home opener.
McNary fi rst-year head
coach Lauren Brouse said
that she felt that the fi nal
score wasn’t indicative of
how the team competed.
“I was really proud of the
way my team played. I don’t
feel like the score is refl ective
of how we played,” Brouse
said. “We’re still learning
how to play together.”
Coming into the season,
the Celtics didn’t have a set
goalkeeper in place. During
the fi rst half of this game,
Brouse put senior defender
Caitlin Huffman in the back
of the net to play goalie for with 15 minutes remaining
in the half.
the fi rst time in her career.
Celtics midfi elder Tes-
Huffman was tested ear-
ly and often, but refused to sa Fisher broke past the
budge. South Salem had a pair Saxons back line off the
dribble and got
of great looks
herself enough
in the opening
space on the
10 minutes, but “ I was really
right side to
Huffman
got proud of
cross the ball
back-to-back
to the middle.
diving saves to the way my
Walker
turn the Saxons
team played. Isabella
positioned her-
away — Huff-
self to receive
man had fi ve I don’t feel
the ball and
saves in the fi rst
knocked it into
15 minutes of like the score
the back of the
the game.
is refl ective
net to give Mc-
“We
don’t
Nary the lead.
really have a of how we
“It was a
set keeper right played,”
great pass from
now, so when
we asked who
—Lauren Brouse, Tessa. I was re-
McNary head coach
ally glad she
wanted to step
was able to send
up, Caitlin was
it in and I was
ready and will-
ing,” Brouse said. “You never just in the right place at the
would have guessed that she right time,” Walker said.
South Salem, however,
had never been a keeper be-
broke through just mo-
fore. She did so well.”
McNary only had one shot- ments later when Mya Fry
on-goal in the fi rst 20 minutes scored the fi rst of her two
of the game. However, the
Please see GSOC, Page A10
Celtics broke the scoreless tie
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
At the start of the 2020
season, no player on the Uni-
versity Oregon baseball team
was swinging a hotter stick
than sophomore Aaron Zav-
ala.
Through 15 games, the
Keizer native was leading the
team with a .418 batting av-
erage. Zavala also was leading
the squad in both multi-hit
(8) and multi-RBI (9) games
and had the most RBIs in the
Pac-12 Conference.
But once the COVID-19
pandemic hit in March of last
year, the collegiate baseball
season was canned, and Zava-
la’s gaudy numbers ended up
being all-for-not.
Zavala was still named a
third-team All-American at
third base for the shortened
2020 season, but the disap- different, Zavala couldn’t
pointment in the cancellation contain his enthusiasm for
returning to
still lingered.
campus for his
“I just want
junior cam-
to keep play- “ I feel like I
paign.
ing and fi n- grew up a lot
“I was really
ish out the
excited to get
season. It was between my
going,” Zavala
the most frus- freshman and
said. “There
trating not to
has been a lot
be out there sophomore
of
anticipa-
every day with
year. I got my
tion. It’s been
my teammates.
a while since
That was the feet under me
lot of us have
hardest part,”
and was playing a played
last.”
Zavala said.
Just
six
After many with a lot more
games into the
months of not
year, Zavala
playing ball, confi dence...”
and his team
the
Ducks
— Aaron Zavala
have already
began
win-
gotten off to
ter workouts
a great start.
in January to
prepare for the spring sea- After splitting a four-game
son. Even though it will look series with the University of
Seattle in late-February, the
Ducks went on the road last
weekend and swept a four-
game set with UC Santa Bar-
bara — who were ranked as
high as #7 in some college
baseball polls.
Proving that he was wor-
thy of being named to the
Bobby Bragan Collegiate
Slugger Award watch list,
Zavala has already picked up
right where he left off from
last year, going 13-for-29
(.448)) with a pair of homers
and 10 runs scored so far this
year.
Zavala was a serviceable
player as a freshman for the
Ducks in 2019, batting .273
in 43 games, but said that he
really made a leap in his abil-
ity between his freshman and
sophomore seasons.
“I feel like I just grew up
a lot between my freshman
and sophomore year. I got
my feet under me and was
playing with a lot more con-
fi dence on a day-to-day basis
and I wasn’t caring who I was
facing. I was just playing ball,”
Zavala said.
Zavala grew up playing
Samuel Marshall/Goducks.com
Keizer native Aaron Zavala is expected to be one of the best
players in the Pac-12 Conference this season.
Please see ZAVALA, Page 10