PAGE A22, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021
OVERTIME,
Continued from page A15
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quarter,” said Braiden Copeland, who had
seven tackles (two tackles-for-loss) and a
sack on the night.
“It shows the mental toughness of this
group. I can't say enough about our defen-
sive eff ort in the second half, shutting
down a pretty physical team. Love this
group of kids. They really work hard and
they really battle,” Auvinen added. “We
got a little rest at halftime and were able to
put them behind the chains several times.
We also subbed a little more. They were
just doing whatever it took.”
The Celtics off ense, on the other hand,
struggled for much of the second and
third quarters. But after a fi rst down catch
by Braiden Copeland and a long run by
Zane Aicher — who led the Celtics with
107 yards rushing on 17 carries — McNary
found themselves in the red zone to start
the fourth period.
The McNary coaching staff noticed
that the Newberg defense was starting to
key on Aicher when the Celtics ran their
inside zone in the second half. On the
third play of the quarter, Tyler Copeland
faked the handoff to Aicher, drawing the
outside linebacker into the middle of the
fi eld, and took off to the outside, sprint-
ing untouched into the end zone to tie the
game at 14-14.
“The more we ran (inside zone), the
more their outside guys started creeping
into the box and chasing down the run-
ning back. And the kid is an athlete, no
doubt about that. It was a great play call,
and a great play on Tyler's part,” Auvinen
said.
Both squads didn't threaten to score for
the remainder of regulation, forcing the
game into overtime.
Newberg had possession fi rst in the
extra session and, after a multitude of
penalties on both teams, were forced
into a 40-yard fi eld goal attempt, which
was blocked by McNary cornerback Sage
Allen, putting the Celtics in a situation to
win with a score.
However, McNary got backed into a
third-and-11 situation, and the Newberg
pass-rush forced Tyler Copeland into an
errant throw, bringing up fourth down.
With the game hanging in the balance,
Auvinen called on Ready to attempt the
43-yarder for the win.
A 43-yard fi eld goal with the game on
the line would be a tall task for most high
school kickers, but Ready — who has one
of the strongest legs in the state — was
unfazed by the pressure and the distance.
“There were a lot of nerves, but at the
same time I was hyped. I knew I could
make that fi eld goal. I have done it in prac-
tice many times. This week was kind of a
struggle, but it made me better. It made
me focus more on making that kick,”
Ready said.
“I was hoping we would pick up a few
yards there to make it an easier kick. But
it was fourth-and-11 and we have a kid that
can kick. I felt like it was our best shot at
that point,” Auvinen added. “He has a big
leg. He has shown that in practice quite a
bit. And he is a gutsy kid. When (Newberg)
called timeout, Logan just had a smile on
his face and I told him 'you got this.'”
The snap and hold were picture-per-
fect. When the ball was struck by Ready's
mighty right foot, everyone in the stadium
knew the game was over.
“It was a no-doubter,” Auvinen said.
Ready was mobbed by teammates after
making the clutch kick as the McNary fans
erupted while the hometown team left
the fi eld dejected, suff ering their second
straight one-score loss.
“These kids will be talking about this
game at their 10- and 20-year reunion,”
Auvinen said.
McNary will be back at home on Friday
to take on Grants Pass at 7 p.m.
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McNary quarterback Tyler Copeland scampers for a 28-yard run in the second quarter.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes