Despite showing dominance in the first half, McNary High School lost its football season opener 28-12 against Redmond High School at home on Friday, Aug. 29.
In the postgame huddle, Coach Josh Riddell appeared optimistic.
“What I saw was max effort out there. I’m super proud,” Riddell said to his players. “Maybe we didn’t execute sometimes, maybe we didn’t properly hydrate. Nothing we can control right now. We all made mistakes, me included. We’ve got to accept that and move on.”
The Celts came out strong in the first quarter. Just minutes after kick off, quarterback Aris Vasseur found wide receiver Jaxson Crawford on a stop-and-go fade route. McNary took the lead 6-0.
Vasseur showed off his arm in the second quarter, too, dumping the ball off to tight end Lincoln Goff for a redzone finish. By the half, the Celts led 12-6.
Energy pulsed through the team as players jogged into the locker room. The packed bleachers applauded the Celts off the field, and a vibrant student section followed chants from the cheer team.
But in the third quarter, McNary players started hitting the turf with sporadic cramps. Defensive coordinator KJ McCrae blamed lack of hydration. He also said cramping is typical during the first game of the season.
The Panthers scored a touchdown minutes into the third quarter, taking a one-point lead. Three minutes into the fourth, McNary gave up another score, plus a two-point conversion.
Capitalizing on its momentum, Redmond scored another touchdown, and ended McNary’s last drive with an interception.
McCrae said that McNary’s discipline slacked in the third quarter, resulting in mistakes.
“The biggest part about changing a culture at any school is just getting kids to buy into what you said,” he said. “It’s so easy to get out there under the lights and just start doing what you want.”
He mentioned a play where McNary’s outside linebacker mistakenly blitzed the quarterback, costing major yardage.
McNary will host Ridgeview High School of Redmond at home on Friday, Sept. 5. The Ravens went 6-3 last season and beat Woodburn 49-0 on Friday.
“We’re going to get back to practice on Monday, we’re going to learn what we need to fix, and we’re going to be ready for Ridgeview when we come back,” Riddell said.
News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: [email protected]
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