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Raiders formally announce signings By Rich Rosenthal For The Tidings Southern Oregon University head football coach Jeff Olson on Wednesday formalized what is already one of the greatest recruiting classes in school history. South Medford High quarterback Boomer Marshall, the 2002 Southern Oregon Conference offensive player of the year, signed a letter of intent with the Raiders at McNeal Hall this afternoon, and Olson announced the SOC defensive MVP - linebacker Dan Eubank of Grants Pass High - has also signed with SOU. The event marked the first time SOU has ever signed both SOC MVPs in the same season. "The fact that the two top area players in a premier high school league are coming to SOU is a huge boon for our program and for the school," Olson said. "We're absolutely thrilled because our priority has always been to try to keep the local players here." Marshall broke every South Medford and SOC passing record and ascended to Medford prep legend status by completing 504 of 813 passes for 7,302 yards and 69 touchdowns over the past four seasons. The 6-3, 225-pound signal caller capped his career as a three-time league all-star and a third-team Class 4A all-state pick, and led the Panthers to their first playoff berth since 1994 as a sophomore. He passed for 3,446 yards and 36 touchdowns while engineering the school's march to the state quarterfinals last fall. Marshall threw 150 consecutive passes without an interception spanning nine games last season, and he went 65-for-93 for a whopping 999 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final two contests in a South uniform. "In addition to his statistics, I'm most impressed by his will to win and his successful track record in both football and basketball," Olson said. "He is the type of player who motivates those around to perform at high levels." The 6-1, 215-pound Eubank garnered first-team SOC all-star accolades the past two years while leading Grants Pass High to three postseason contests. Under the tutelage of former SOU defensive coordinator and current Grants Pass head coach Jeff Weiss, Eubank averaged nine tackles per game as a junior, 10.3 as a senior and racked up a grand total of eight sacks, 20 stops for losses and blocked nine kicks the past seasons. "Dan is a middle linebacker and a great playmaker who can go sideline-to-sideline," Olson said. "SOU has had more all-stars at linebacker than any other position over the years, and Dan will have a chance to add another page to the history." In addition to the MVPs, Olson also announced the signing of four other SOC all-stars: Thom Whiteaker, an honorable mention all-state receiver from South Medford; Grants Pass running back A.J. Schmitke; North Medford placekicker Shawn Hale; and North Medford lineman Brandon Weston. The area standouts join a Southern Oregon program that returns 14 starters from last year's 8-3 squad that advanced to the NAIA Championship Series quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. Raider recruiting coordinator Shay McClure emphasizes the recruitment process won't be complete until April or May, and SOU is awaiting the decision of several potential "difference-makers." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -