LOOK OUT! The McNary boys soccer team chases a fourth district title

The McNary High School boys’ soccer team is on a rampage. They bear a heavy crown, carrying district titles from the last three seasons.

According to Coach Miguel Camarena, the Celts don’t intend to surrender the throne anytime soon.

“The goal is to have the fourth conference championship in a row,” he said. “And go as far as we can go in the state.”

Scrimmages are frequent during practice for the McNary boys’ soccer team. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

Their season’s opener is against Lakeridge High School, who went 16-2 last season, at McNary on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” said Camarena, who has coached at McNary since 2002. “The positives are always great, and we let our guys know. But we have to focus on the things we need to get better and what went wrong.”

Last year, the Celts charged into the state tournament with a 10-2-2 record. They chewed through three teams in the bracket, but lost 2-1 against Jesuit High School in the semifinals.

Around 90 players showed out to summer practices for the McNary boys’ soccer team. The team has varsity, freshman, and two junior varsity rosters. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

Although McNary graduated key players, Camarena said the team has already reloaded with fresh talent. The team boasts 93 players this season, filling two junior varsity teams and a freshman team.

“We are really sound technically, and we have a lot of speed,” he said. “Things we need to fix are in the back, but we have time to fix them.”

Assistant Coach Matt Murphy said that the team still has a pocket of experienced players.

“We have a good core of returners that have chemistry together,” he said. “We still have a lot of good pieces from last year. And we have a phenomenal little freshman class.”

McNary boys’ soccer players engage in a friendly, yet intense scrimmage. The team plays Lakeridge High School at home on Tuesday, Sept. 2. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

Both coaches identified the center back position as a sore spot. A good center back, Camarena explained, has excellent field vision and possesses speed to play on both sides of the field. McNary graduated two experienced center backs last season.

Camarena will start new players to fill in the gaps. Freshman Aaron Lopez is one of four freshmen who made it on the varsity roster.

Does Lopez feel any pressure starting so young?

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I just want to score a lot of goals this season. I’m not looking to be a selfish player, but I can be sometimes.”

The young striker wants to score at least 15 goals this season.

Returning players discussing their season goals hit a theme of leadership. Senior Ryder Allen, who plays both winger and striker, hopes to cultivate a familial atmosphere.

“I’m just hoping to bring everyone together…I want us to all be together, not just on the field but off the field too,” he said.

Fernando Zepeda, a senior and team captain, wants to guide new players.

“I want to show the team how we are supposed to do things,” he said.

Ryder Allen, who plays striker and winger. The senior said he wants to foster a familial team atmosphere this season, both on and off the field. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

Senior Israel Orta, a right back, hopes for another district championship. He also eyes the state trophy.

“It’s going to take all of us to be committed at practice every day. Communication, chemistry…it’s going to take a lot of work,” he said.

The team had two weeks of summer practice leading up to their first game. Camarena also said many players religiously attended Mid Valley Soccer Club practices. Some took on McNary’s summer weights program, too.

Israel Orta, a McNary right back. The senior hopes to bring home a fourth district championship in a row. He also eyes the state trophy. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

While in practice, the Celts break into high-intensity scrimmages, Murphy said the team will focus on off-the-field strategizing this year. Film, he said, will play an important role in overcoming tough teams.

Camarena said they’re also correcting small mistakes. He mentioned a game last season against Lakeridge where the Pacers scored a goal in a tie game with only seconds left on the clock.

“It’s the little mistakes that cost us championships,” he said. “We just need to keep possession of the ball, create a lot of opportunities, and score as much as we can.”

McNary soccer plays engage in a friendly, yet intense scrimmage. The team plays Lakeridge High School at home on Tuesday, Sept. 2. (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

The McNary boys’ soccer team has been drilling hard in preparation for its first game against Lakeridge on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Some practices were in 90 degree heat! (RILEY ELLIS/Keizertimes)

McNary’s district, the Central Valley Conference, includes North Salem, South Salem, Sprague and West Salem.

Camarena said that South Salem will pose a challenge. McNary triumphed over the Saxons last year 3-1 in the district championship game.

At the state level, Camarena expects Jesuit to lead and also foresees dominance from Lakeridge.

Here is the Celts’ varsity roster for this season:

Seniors:

Anthony Fuentes

Hayden Gatchet

Israel Orta

Brandon Quevedo

Isaac Gaitan

Ryder Allen

Derick Cuello

Fernando Zepeda

Emilio Arvizu

Ervin Gaytan-Herrera

Gerardo Calvillo-Andrade

Angel Apale Chavez

Joey Elston

Juniors:

Daniel Garcia Diaz

Brandon Layman

Zion Oglesby

Alessandro Totti Perez

Josue Chavez

Sophomore:

Nico Rivas

Freshmen:

Luis Aguilar Mendoza

Aaron Lopez

Diego Ramirez Cazarez

William Bermudez

News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: [email protected].

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