OCTOBER 22, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A17
the second quarter.
“That was the diff erence in the game. If
we clean those things up we will be in good
shape,” Auvinen said.
West Salem would score again to go up
28-7 after another empty possession for the
Celtics off ense.
With the Titans on the verge of putting
the score out of reach, Tyler Copeland got
McNary back in the game with an import-
ant touchdown drive before the half.
First down completions to Braiden
Copeland and Montoya helped McNary
march into opposing territory. With 1:23
left in the half, the McNary front fi ve gave
Tyler Copeland ample time in the pocket
to fi nd Dyer — who got free on a double
move — in the corner of the end zone for
the 32-yard score, cutting the lead to 14.
“Tyler was getting the ball out pretty
quick. The protection was decent and I
think the receivers did a good job at getting
open,” Auvinen said.
When healthy, Tyler Copeland's mobil-
ity plays a big factor in his ability and eff ec-
tiveness as a quarterback. Although he
couldn't scramble, he was able to operate in
a clean pocket for the majority of the night
thanks to his off ensive line.
“I think that was the O-line's best game
of the season. They gave me enough time
to sit in the pocket,” Tyler Copeland said.
West Salem went back up by three
scores midway through the third quarter.
Once again, McNary responded.
Three fi rst down completions got
McNary inside the West Salem 10-yard
line. On third-and-goal Braiden Copeland
faked to inside then cut outside, and his
older brother, Tyler, hit him with a perfect
throw for a four-yard touchdown to trim the
defi cit to 34-21.
On previous possessions, Tyler
Copeland saw that the West Salem second-
ary was biting on the slant route, which is
why, before the play, he told Braiden to fake
the slant and try to beat his defender to the
sideline.
“We made that up on the fl y. It was sup-
posed to be a slant. I asked him if he could
beat him on a whip. He told me yes and I
had faith in him,” Tyler Copleand said.
Trailing by 13 heading into the fourth
quarter, McNary's defense picked up a
massive fourth down stop to get their
off ense the ball back. Minutes later, it was
the Copeland to Copeland connection once
again as Tyler found Braiden wide open for
a 40-yard score after a West Salem corner-
back fell down.
It ended up being a career-game for
Braiden Copeland, who caught nine passes
for 169 yards, and his second touchdown
made it a one possession game for the fi rst
time since the opening period.
“If we wanted to win the game I needed
to throw it to my best receiver,” Tyler
Copeland said.
Not to be outdone, Tyler Copeland,
despite playing hurt, went 17-of-24 through
the air for 211 yards and three touchdowns,
nearly rallying McNary to a victory.
“(Tyler) gave us a chance to win. If
we got the ball back, the way our off ense
was rolling, we had a really good chance,”
Auvinen said.
While McNary's 4-3 defensive scheme
has been successful for most of the season,
the Celtics front seven struggled against
West Salem in the trenches. And on the
Titans fi nal possession, they used their
physicality to their advantage.
McNary safety Pierce Walker makes a tackle in the open field.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
“We got handled. We were putting
seven in the box and we were still getting
handled. We didn't get off blocks very well
and we didn't play with a very low center
of gravity. To their credit, they came off the
ball really hard and took it to us and we did
not handle it very well,” Auvinen said.
After the McNary score, West Salem
regained possession with just over six
minutes on the clock. Without putting
the ball through the air once on the drive,
the Titans converted three straight third
downs to milk more than three minutes off
the clock.
The Celtics had one fi nal chance to try
and stop the Titans on fourth-and-one, but
Ferguson picked up the fi rst down on a
quarterback sneak, allowing West Salem to
go into victory formation.
“We just couldn't get it done. They over-
powered us a little bit. It wasn't from lack of
eff ort, they were just better than us tonight
in the trenches,” Auvinen said.
McNary (5-2, 2-2 MVC) will attempt to
bounce back this weekend as they host
their fi nal home game of the season against
Mountain View (3-4, 1-3 MVC) at 5 p.m. on
Saturday, Oct. 23.
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