SEPTEMBER 10, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A17
hitting those short routes really got me
into a groove,” Copeland said. “Not a
lot was open deep, so I was hitting a lot
of hitches and bubbles and letting my
players play.”
“They were playing deep cover-
age and it left a lot of open space for
hitches and inside routes. Our game
plan was to hit those short routes and
just play in space,” Smedema said.
However, a costly interception by
Copeland gave South Medford the
ball on the Celtics four-yard line —
the Panthers scored two plays later to
make it a one-possession game.
But when McNary got the ball back
late in the period, the Celtics were able
to give themselves a little breathing
room going into the half.
A pair of fi rst down runs from
Zane Aicher put the Celtics inside the
40-yard line. McNary receiver Braiden
Copeland was fl agged for a personal
foul, putting the ball back into Celtics
territory, but the junior receiver would
redeem himself later in the drive.
On third-and-14, Tyler Copeland
found his little brother, Braiden, for a
15-yard completion to move the sticks.
The next play, Braiden caught a short McNary assistant coach Connor Astley gives the offense instructions before they take the field.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
pass in soft coverage,
but broke a tackle and
carried two defenders
If it's happening
into the end zone for
We really controlled
a 24-yard score with 19
in Keizer, or to someone
the line-of-scrimmage.
seconds left in the half,
from Keizer —
putting McNary on top
When you do that. you
21-7.
WE WANT TO KNOW.
have a chance of being
After beating the
kt@keizertimes.com
Panthers through the
really successful. It
air in the fi rst half,
was nice for us to be as
McNary's wore down
South Medford with
physical as we were.
the ground game in
Although we are currently closed we are still
the fi nal 24 minutes.
serving the community. More than a building,
Dunagan, as well as
a center without walls.
— JEFF AUVINEN
junior running back
McNary head coach
Hunter Ruberto, had
multiple fi rst down
runs in the Celtics
fi rst drive of the second
half, which took nearly six minutes off
See CELTS, page A23
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