Broadcasting Tuesday’s boys basketball game at McNary High in Keizer between the Celts and West Salem was exhilarating and exhausting for me.
And nostalgic.
The packed gymnasium in Keizer was something I hadn’t seen since sometime in the 1990s. Students were elbow-to-elbow-to-elbow. Parents packed into their designated sections, and bleachers were later opened to accommodate the overflow.
I have to provide a small qualifier here—it was a “stacked” game night where boys and girls games are played at the same location. Six total games in one evening. That means there were some extra adults and kids in the mix. Still, many people could have gone home after their respective games were done—but most chose to stay.
The coaches were amped up—after all, the boys game would determine the top seed coming out of Oregon’s Central Valley Conference. Both McNary’s Ryan Kirch and West’s Travis Myers—longtime friends—were their normal professional selves, but nervous smiles during our pregame radio interviews were visible on their faces for a game that had a lot on the line.
The varsity players were also positively on edge, coming out at halftime of games before their showcase to throw up some shots. Teenage energy, you know.
The game was intense for most of the contest. The host Celtics carved out a four point advantage to take a 30-26 lead at intermission. West Salem evened the game all up at 41 at the end of three quarters. The Titans switched up their defense in the fourth quarter, and slowly built a double-digit lead.
The smaller Celtics fought back to trim the lead to four, five or six points—but the West found a way to rally with their taller roster. In the end, the Titans won the game 60-50, but all those around us (that I could hear) agreed it was a good, competitive game.
When I came home after that game—which started about 45 minutes late due to an overtime JV game, my back was stiff from packing up equipment, but I feel asleep quickly and laid around the house for several hours after I awoke.
The entire experience got me thinking about writing this “column.” Being over the age of 60, the energy levels aren’t what they used to be for yours truly. Still, I pondered why this game was so different, which brought me to this point in the writing.
This game marked—I hope—a reversal of dwindling attendance at prep games that began around the same time that cell phones became smart, and we as people lost a little of ourselves in the process.
This game marked—I hope—a reversal of dwindling attendance at prep games that began around the same time that cell phones became smart, and we as people lost a little of ourselves in the process. Sure, folks still had their phones Tuesday, but they came out to support their teams. And while the cheering might not have been as fierce as in years past, people are still getting back into the swing of being fans at a live venue. And after COVID shut everything down for essentially two years, many fans are out of practice.
We may never see another day when a fan-base pushes their coach for electoral office (former McNary coach Larry Gahr was “nominated” for Keizer mayor in the late 1980s), it was encouraging to see such a fantastic crowd Tuesday night.
Well done, fans. Well done.
Of note: the Central Valley Conference basketball regular season concludes on Friday. North Salem has the final bye of the year. Games have McNary at South Salem (for both boys and girls) while West Salem girls entertain Sprague, and the Sprague boys host West Salem. The boys game at South begins at 6:30 pm; the games at West and Sprague start at 6:15. Thanks for showing up.
I remember attending a game at McNary, possibly Larry Gahr’s 1st year. Bob Cavell and the Celts were #1 ranked and #2 Corvallis came to town. Upstairs bleachers were pulled out on both sides of the gym and were filled. In the end zones, 2-3 rows of folding chairs held the overflow fans. It was AWESOME!