Keizertimes., April 16, 2021, Page 21, Image 21

APRIL 16, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A21
McNary ends season
in heartbreaking defeat
Football
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Former broadcaster Jim McKay once
famously described that sports bring
athletes “the thrill of victory and the
agony of defeat.”
The McNary football team may be
agonizing over this senior night defeat
for months to come.
Despite holding a 24-point lead in
the first half and forcing seven turnovers
the Celtics couldn't prevent South Salem
from scoring 30 unanswered points and
coming back for the 44-43 overtime win
on Friday, April 9.
McNary finishes the season with a 3-3
record.
“It is just really bittersweet. I love
these guys. I love being out here with
these guys. It just really sucks having
an outcome like that in your last game,”
McNary senior linebacker Dyami Rios
said.
South Salem grabbed the early
momentum when Javier Ramirez Perez
took back the opening kickoff for a
touchdown, but for the remainder of the
first half, it was all McNary.
After the Saxons got the ball back
on a McNary fumble inside the red
zone, the Celtics got their first of five
interceptions as defensive back Gunner
Smedema picked off South Salem quar-
terback Drew Gertenrich's first pass of
the night.
First down completions from Jack
McCarty to Logan Ready and Tyler
SPORTS
Copeland — as well as the first of many
pass interference penalties — put the
Celtics inside the five-yard line. McNary
running back Zane Aicher then punched
it in from three yards out to give the
Celtics their first lead at 7-6.
McNary would score again off
another Saxons interception on their
next possession. After an interception
by McNary linebacker Kyle Grass, the
Celts marched 62 yards down the field
and finished off the drive with a four-
yard touchdown pass from McCarty to
Ethan Martin.
“Everything was working. We were
getting a good push up front, our receiv-
ers were catching the ball, I was making
the right reads. We were just clicking in
the first half,” McCarty said.
McCarty finished the game going
29-for-50 for 361 yards — all career-highs.
McCarty kept his rhythm going into
the second quarter, hitting Smedema
in perfect stride on a wheel route for a
29-yard gain. Aicher punched it from a
McNary receiver Tyler Copeland stiff-
arms a defender on his way to picking up
a first down.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
yard out two plays later for his second
score of the night to extend McNary’s
advantage to 21-6.
After getting it done on the offensive
end, Aicher came up with a huge play
on defense, stripping Gertenrich of the
football for another Saxons turnover.
McNary converted the turnover into a
22-yard field goal from Ready.
It appeared that the game was getting
closer to a rout after an interception by
Tyler Copeland, which led to a touch-
down catch by his brother, Braiden, to
give the Celtics a 30-6 lead. However, the
Saxons got the lead down to 30-12 before
the break after a four-yard touchdown
run by Tony Rodriguez.
Even though it was still an 18-point
See DEFEAT, page A22