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Roseburg heads SOC all-stars North Medford linebacker Alan Borelli shares the Southern Oregon Conference player-of-the-year award on defense in all-star voting by the coaches By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Roseburg High tight end/defensive end Joe Newton stands 6-foot-8, weighs 240 pounds and is being recruited by a slew of Division I college football schools. North Medford High linebacker Alan Borelli is 6-1, 195 and isn't being looked at by any Division I programs - not yet, anyway. But Newton and Borelli have something in common: They shared the defensive player of the year award in the Southern Oregon Conference. Roseburg tailback Rod Cope, who led the SOC in rushing with 1,351 yards and 19 touchdowns, was named the conference's offensive player of the year, while Indians coach Thurman Bell was chosen coach of the year. Newton came into this season as one of the most highly recruited tight ends on the West Coast - Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State are among the schools pursuing him - but he wasn't highly regarded as a defensive player. All that changed in Roseburg's SOC opener against North Medford, when Newton put on a fierce pass rush throughout and thwarted every running play that came his way during a 47-0 Indians victory. South Medford fans saw Newton intercept a pass from point-blank range as he rushed Panthers quarterback Boomer Marshall. "Joe developed a defensive mentality this season," Bell says. "He learned how to stay low, get off blocks and get after running backs and quarterbacks. "It's not easy to throw over someone who's 6-8." Newton was also named to the first team as a tight end, where he will likely play in college. Newton caught only 16 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns this season, but he missed one game and most of another because of a knee injury. He also played on a team that led the conference in rushing but ranked only sixth in passing yardage. "He's going to make some (college) team a nice tight end," Bell says. "He's an excellent receiver, a good blocker and he's got the frame to put on another 30 or 40 pounds." Newton, who is also an all-conference basketball player and one of the state's top discus throwers in track and field, made his presence felt in his first varsity start as a sophomore against Ashland on Sept. 10, 1999. He caught four passes on Roseburg's opening drive, including a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, that ignited the Indians to a 28-0 victory. "Joe knows how to win those jump balls," Bell said with a grin after the game. Borelli, meanwhile, used his speed and tenacity to blossom into one of the state's top linebackers. Although he had only seven sacks in 10 games this season compared to 14 in 14 games a year ago, when he was also a first-team, all-conference performer, Borelli says he was a more complete player in 2001. "I'm bigger, stronger, faster and I understand the game better," he says. Although fast enough to be a sprinter in track, Borelli isn't big enough as a linebacker to attract the attention of Division I coaches. But he's among the most tenacious players Tornado coach John Beck has ever been around. "He loves the hitting aspect of the game, and he's just so darn competitive," Beck says. "And he wills everyone around him to play harder." A 4.0 student who scored an eye-catching 1,420 on his SAT test, Borelli could wind up at an Ivy League School. "I'll go wherever someone wants me," Borelli says. Not surprisingly, the SOC champion Indians dominated the all-star squad with 10 first-team selections at 11 positions. Nearly the entire Roseburg offensive line - center James Metcalf, guard Evan Caddock, tackles Bryan Jorgenson and Willie Kingry and tight end Newton - were named to the first team, as were Cope and quarterback Adam Hazel. North Medford wide receiver/defensive back Brian Weeks was the only player besides Newton to make the first team on both offense and defense. "I was pretty surprised to make it as a receiver because I didn't have the numbers that some of the other guys had," Weeks says. Weeks ranked only sixth in the SOC in receptions with 24 but was fourth in receiving yards with 502 and was regarded as perhaps the best-blocking wide receiver in the conference. "I take a lot of pride in that," Weeks says. South Medford had three skill position players selected to the first team - quarterback Boomer Marshall, wide receiver Ryan Heil and running back Andres Reed - along with offensive guard Ben Vandagrift. Marshall, who paced the SOC with 2,134 passing yards and 22 touchdown passes, tied Roseburg's Hazel for first-team honors at quarterback. Hazel led the conference in passing efficiency. Along with Borelli, defensive end Steve Hanlin, defensive back Travis Poulton and place-kicker Shawn Hale made the first team for the Black Tornado. Defensive tackle James MacCormack was the lone first-team selection for Ashland. The all-star team was chosen by the SOC coaches at a dinner last week in Medford. SOC ALL-STARS FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE C - James Metcalf, Roseburg 6-2 230 Sr. G - Ben Vandagrift, South Medford 5-11 210 Sr G - Evan Caddock, Roseburg 6-2 210 Sr. T - Willie Kingry, Roseburg 6-4 315 Sr. T - Bryan Jorgenson, Roseburg 6-3 235 Sr TE - Joe Newton, Roseburg* 6-8 240 Sr. QB - Boomer Marshall, S. Medford 6-3 215 Jr. QB - Adam Hazel, Roseburg 6-4 185 Sr. RB - Rod Cope, Roseburg 6-0 160 Sr. RB - Andres Reed, Grants Pass 6-0 185 Jr. RB - Tom Martin, Grants Pass 5-11 175 Sr. WR - Ryan Heil, South Medford* 5-11 160 Sr. WR - Brian Weeks, North Medford 6-0 170 Sr. PK - Shawn Hale, North Medford* 5-10 190 Jr. FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE DL - Joe Newton, Roseburg 6-8 240 Sr. DL - Luke Swanson, Roseburg 6-3 200 Sr. DL - James MacCormack, Ashland 6-2 220 Sr. DL - Steve Hanlin, North Medford 6-3 180 Jr. LB - Cody Parker, Roseburg 6-2 215 Sr. LB - Speedy Ortiz, Grants Pass 5-8 180 Sr. LB - Dan Eubank, Grants Pass 6-0 200 Jr. LB - Alan Borelli, North Medford 6-1 198 Sr. DB - Tyler York, Grants Pass 5-10 165 Sr. DB - Travis Poulton, North Medford 6-3 225 Sr. DB - Brian Weeks, North Medford 6-0 170 Sr. DB - Kellen Walker, Roseburg 5-8 165 Sr. P - Bruce Voges, Grants Pass 6-2 175 Sr. SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE C - Adam Davidson, Grants Pass 6-1 195 Sr. G - Dan Johnson, North Medford 6-3 275 Sr. G - Steve Jorgenson, Roseburg 6-4 235 So. T - James MacCormack, Ashland 6-2 220 Sr. T - Chris Dearmon, Crater 6-3 260 Sr. T - Josh Whitaker, North Medford 6-1 215 Sr. TE - Brian Alves, Grants Pass 6-2 200 Jr. QB - Tom Cohen, Grants Pass 6-1 180 Sr. RB - Manny Alegria, North Medford 5-10 185 Sr. RB - Dan Casey, Crater 5-9 185 Sr. RB - Brad Mejia, Klamath Union 5-10 175 Sr. WR - Ryan Decker, Ashland 5-11 158 Sr. WR - Ryan Benson, South Medford 6-3 185 Jr. PK - Bruce Voges, Grants Pass 6-2 175 Sr. SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE DL - James Metcalf, Roseburg 6-2 230 Sr. DL - Jake Phillips, Eagle Point 6-0 200 Sr. DL - Travis Phillips, South Medford 6-2 192 Jr. DL - Matt Stewart, North Medford 6-0 210 Sr. LB - Jake Dorsey, Roseburg 5-9 170 Jr. LB - Sam Dodenhoff, Eagle Point 6-0 200 Sr. LB - Ryan Benson, South Medford 6-3 185 Jr. LB - Novie Bier, North Medford 5-9 170 Jr. DB - Dave Henneman, S. Medford 6-4 190 Sr. DB - Blair Brundige, Roseburg 5-9 155 Sr. DB - Torr George, Ashland 5-11 177 Sr. DB - Levi Thomas, Roseburg 6-3 190 Sr. P - Brisen Healy, South Medford 6-0 170 Jr. * - Unanimous selections Offensive Player of the Year - Rod Cope, Roseburg Defense Players of the Year - Joe Newton, Roseburg, and Alan Borelli, North Medford Coach of the Year - Thurman Bell, Roseburg HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE C - Aric Hawkins, North Medford, 6-0, 220, Jr.; Jim Johnson, Klamath Union, 6-2, 230, Sr.; Mike Brabbin, Eagle Point, 6-4, 300, Sr.; Jacob Villa, South Medford, 5-10, 240, Sr. G - Randy Lloyd, Eagle Point, 5-9, 210, Sr.; Dan Mecum, Grants Pass, 5-8, 230, Jr. T - Wes Cox, Grants Pass, 6-0, 260, Sr.; Pierre Caballero, South Medford, 6-3, 270, Sr.; Chance Metcalf, Eagle Point, 5-11, 230, Sr.; Dominic Rodriguez, Klamath Union, 6-0, 215, Sr. TE - Jared Leeper, Klamath Union, 6-1, 190, Sr.; Marty Ryan, Crater, 6-3, 205, Sr. QB - Cameron Voget, Ashland, 6-2, 212, Sr.; Travis Poulton, North Medford, 6-3, 223, Sr. RB - Rob Brown, South Medford, 5-10, 195, Sr.; Matt Manser, Roseburg, 6-0, 210, Sr.; Ty Haggard, Ashland, 5-11, 178, Sr.; Victor Shelton, Eagle Point, 5-11, 180, Sr. WR - Kory Mahr, Grants Pass, 6-5, 170, Jr.; Andrew Norum, Crater, 6-4, 190, Jr.; Derrick Draper, Grants Pass, 5-7, 130, Sr.; Cory Whitman, Roseburg, 6-0, 165, Sr. PK - Brad Mejia, Klamath Union, 5-10, 175, Sr. HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE DL - Zane Greb, Crater, 6-0, 210, Sr.; Jake Tierce, Grants Pass, 5-8, 185, Jr.; Ben Vandagrift, South Medford, 5-10, 210, Sr.; Dominic Rodriguez, Klamath Union, 6-0, 215, Sr.. LB - Sean Anderson, Klamath Union, 5-8, 160, So.; Jeff Mortenson, Klamath Union, 6-1, 190, Sr.; Josh Gandee, South Medford, 6-2, 183, Jr.; Josh Whitaker, North Medford, 6-1, 215, Sr. DB - Matt Cameron, Grants Pass, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Jeff Pisan, Klamath Union, 5-11, 175, Sr.; Mike Mitchell, Klamath Union, 5-10, 180, Sr.; Andrew Tree, Eagle Point, 5-9, 150, Sr.; Dan Kime, South Medford, 5-11, 160, Sr.; Dan Hilgendorf, South Medford, 5-10, 160, Sr.; Justin MacLauchlan, North Medford, 5-9, 180, Sr. P - Brad Mejia, Klamath Union, Sr. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.