Sports

McNary boys soccer helps prevent potential flood

The McNary boys soccer team stepped up to help prevent flooding during a rainstorm at Westview High School on Tuesday, Sept. 10 (KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings).

On Monday, Sept. 9, the McNary boys soccer team was supposed to play a game at Westview.

They ended up doing something way more important instead.

While the non-league game was canceled due to heavy rain, both teams worked together to stop the school’s gymnasium from flooding. 

“It was a helping hand kind of thing. If you were in that position, wouldn’t you want someone to help you out? I just had to put myself in their shoes,” McNary’s Luis Lopez said. 

After the game was called due to weather, the McNary team went into the locker room and gathered their belongings to get ready to head back home.

But when the boys saw that the school was in trouble, they quickly raced into action. 

“When we saw that the school was flooding, we just wanted to help out in any way that we could,” said Eli Petilo.

Both McNary and Westview players carried dozens of sandbags to the base of the doors of the locker room and gym to prevent more water from coming inside. 

“There was probably 40 kids in that tunnel determined to keep the water away from the gym,” Westview principal Matt Pedersen said.

Players also went inside the gym to use brooms, mops and other equipment to try to stop the water. 

The water rose to three feet at the base of certain entryways. Even though some flooding did occur inside the school, it only spread to the concrete floors and was easily cleaned up.

“It was definitely stressful for us. We were just chilling in the locker room when we heard someone yelling that the school was flooding, so everyone just got up and did what they could do,” Sebastian Brunk said. “I was proud of my teammates and how we all responded. No one told us to do anything, we just went out there and did it.”

McNary head coach Miguel Camarena added:“That was a beautiful thing to see. Everyone was helping. It speaks to the quality of boys we have here at McNary.”