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May 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels March 11, 2004 McClure: recruits top notch By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings If Shay McClure is right, the Southern Oregon University football program will have more potential than ever before in the coming years. The Raiders' recruiting coordinator went down SOU's list of new recruits Wednesday and said the 2004 crop could go down as the school's best yet. "Jeff (Olson) said last year's class was the best," McClure said, referring to SOU's head coach. "I think this year's class is right on par with last year's class. I think there are five or six kids that can play this year." So far, the list includes five college transfers and 29 high school players, including 11 all-state selections from Oregon. McClure says the cream of the crop could be 6-foot-1, 315-pound senior transfer Pete Tuealuuluu from Southern Utah University. "He's special, he really is," McClure said. "He's going to solidify our D-line. He played against some of the top (NCAA Division I-AA) squads in the country last year." Other impact players slated to join the Raiders are Kevin Mills, a first-team all-state defensive back from Tigard, and Taylor Hermes, an all-state honorable mention from McNary. The rest of the Raiders' all-state recruits from Oregon are: Taylor Doss, defensive tackle, Sunset; Ross Fletcher, tight end/punter, Tigard; Brian Jimenez, linebacker, North Medford; Aaron McKimmy, tight end, Corvallis; David Newsom, defensive back, Silverton; Steve Palmer, place kicker, Sheldon; Kenny Sharmota, wide receiver, Canby; Jake Remington, offensive lineman, Lakeridge; Brian Harding, wide receiver, Clackamas; and David Newsom, defensive back, Silverton. While SOU's 2004 recruiting class leans decidedly to the defensive side of the ball - only 11 of the 29 recruits played offense in high school - the Raiders bring in three of the state's top-20 receivers from the 2003 OSAA prep season. The wideouts are Nick Castillo from Oregon City, Spencer Arn from Wilson and Harding. Castillo ranked fourth in the state last year in receiving yards, with 49 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. Arn ranked 10th in the state, hauling in 40 catches for 773 yards and nine TDs. Harding (19th) caught 40 balls for 656 yards. With another talented recruiting class joining a Raider squad that's been ranked in the final NAIA top-25 poll three years in a row, McClure says the sky's the limit. "I think it's great," he said. "This year everybody continues to ask, 'How good are you going to be?' and I say I don't know. We're young and as talented as we've ever been, but we're just going to be young." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams