PAGE A22, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 23, 2021
McNary splits fi rst track meet with McKay
LEFT: Ethan Martin runs the third leg of the boys 4x100 relay race. RIGHT: Ben Anderson makes a landing in the sand pit after his long jump
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
It had been almost two years since
McNary competed in a track meet, so
when the day fi nally came, fi rst-year
head coach David Holcomb was giddy
with excitement.
“It felt like I was a kid waiting for
Christmas. Seeing the smiles through
their masks was the best part. Kids were
just happy to be out there. Whether
they had (personal record) days or not,
you could tell there was some excite-
ment to be a part of their events again,”
Holcomb said.
The McNary boys squad defeated
McKay 43-35 while the girls team fell
56-30 on Monday, April 19.
The Celtic boys
got great perfor-
mances from their
distance
runners,
who just wrapped
up their cross coun-
try season a couple
weeks prior. Gavin
Gasperini won the
800 meters with
a time of 2:05.00,
Brennan
Whalen
took
home
the
1500m (4:34.99) and
Connor Ropp got
the victory in the
3000m (10:20.64)
—
all
were
personal-bests.
“It is neat to
see that the 6-8
week cross coun-
try season bleed into track a little bit
because for our distance kids, it’s fan-
tastic,” Holcomb said. “It was really
cool to see the distance kids excel.”
McNary’s most impressive runner
of the day, however, was Axel Zapien
Sanchez, who won the 200m (23.84)
and the 400m (55.87) and also helped
the Celtics win the 4X100 and 4X400
meter relays.
“He was defi nitely impressive. He is
a kid that loves track and he works so
hard in practice. He wants to get better
and when you want that and look for-
ward to competing, it makes it easier
to have a good time and post a good
mark.”
“It was pretty strange. I felt like I
had to re-learn some basic things about
track. But it was exciting to actually
have a meet,” Zapien Sanchez added. “I
felt like I ran well even though I didn’t
feel like I was physically prepared."
Dyami Rios also picked up a victory
for the Celtics in the 100m (11.61).
On the girls side, Jessica Dilger
won the 400m (1:12.42) and Olivia
Cartwright got the victory in the 100m
hurdles (19.17). Lisa Hoang won the
long jump with a leap 14-feet-5 inches
and Kennedy Buss easily won the dis-
cus with a personal-best toss of 102
feet.
“The kids that we have went out
and competed well. It’s about taking
the pieces we have, helping them out,
and having the younger pieces devel-
oping,” Holcomb said about the Celtics
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
girls team.
McNary will host their fi rst home
meet of the season against Sprague on
Monday, April 26. Events are sched-
uled to start at 2 p.m.
McCarty commits to
play at Lewis & Clark
It felt like I was a kid
on Christmas morning.
Seeing the smiles
through their masks
was the best part. Kids
were just happy to be out
there..."
— DAVID HOLCOMB
McNary head coach
McNary quarterback Jack McCarty announced on Twitter on Tuesday, April 20 that he has
committed to play football at Lewis & Clark College. In the six-game shortened season, Mc-
Carty threw for 1301 yards and 13 touchdowns. FILE PHOTO, Keizertimes
BRIAN & APRIL McVAY
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