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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 18, 2004 South Medford's Kyle Singler, middle, goes airborne to haul in a pass between a pair of Lake Oswego defenders in the second quarter during Friday�s game. Lakers sock it to South Lake Oswego, led by Nick Lomax, hands the Panthers their first loss By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Nick Lomax had a coming-out party at Spiegelberg Stadium on Friday night. In just his second start as the Lake Oswego starting quarterback, Lomax completed 10 of 19 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown to lead the eighth-ranked Lakers to a 35-9 shellacking of second- ranked South Medford. Lomax’s statistics weren’t spectacular, but the 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior stood tall against a blitzing South Medford defense to rally the Lakers from a 9-0 first-half deficit and guide them to their second victory in as many starts. South Medford, which started its season in magnificent fashion with wins over defending state champion Tigard and highly-touted West Linn, slipped to 2-1. Advertisement "I got the jitters out last week (in a 19-0 win over Grants Pass) and felt comfortable out there tonight," said Lomax, the son of former Portland State University and St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax. "And I’ve got some great receivers." Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury thought Lomax made considerable improvement over Game 1. "He made some big-time throws under pressure, with guys hanging on to his legs," Coury said. "We really needed Nick to come through because our running game struggled." Lake Oswego tight end Kevin Maher acted as Lomax’s security blanket. The 6-2, 200-pound senior caught five passes for 147 yards, one of which went for 47 yards up the middle and another for 50 yards along the right sideline that set up 1-yard touchdown runs by Andrew Seidman. Seidman, the Lakers’ senior tailback, had four touchdowns on the night, all from short range, and gained 51 yards on 20 carries. On Maher’s second long gainer, he made a one-handed catch and then broke three tackles on a play that might wind up on Lake Oswego’s all-time highlight reel. "He (Maher) has to be one of the top receivers in the state," Coury said. "They took away our good receiver on the other side (Ryan Hilliard), but that left Maher with one-on-one coverage. And he’s a tough guy to cover." South Medford started the game as if it might cruise to its third straight victory. The Panthers drove 74 yards to the Lake Oswego 1 with their first possession, only to get turned back when Laker linebacker Kevin Swan tackled South tailback Ryan Odell for a 3-yard loss on fourth and goal. The South Medford defense then held Lake Oswego without a first down and got good field position at the Laker 30. Quarterback Jon Weaver scrambled for gains of 9 and 10 yards as the Panthers quickly moved to the 9, but on a first-and-goal play from there, Weaver and Odell botched an option pitch and Hilliard pounced on the ball at the 13. Lake Oswego immediately turned the ball back over at its own 8 when South Medford’s Kyle Singler recovered a fumble, but that possession also ended badly for the Panthers when a high snap from center on a field-goal attempt led to Weaver — who was the holder on the play — getting tackled by Hilliard on the Lake Oswego 1. "If we’re going to beat a good team like that, we’ve got to do a better job in the red zone," Weaver said. "We had a lot of chances to score in the first quarter, but we came up empty." South Medford’s defense provided the first two points of the game when it forced Lomax to make a throw from his own end zone that resulted in intentional grounding and a safety. The Panthers got the ball back at their own 42 following a punt, and nine plays later, Logan Boyd dashed 19 yards on a counter play for a touchdown and a 9-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first half. But then Lomax went to work, completing the two long passes to Maher along with a 10-yard completion to J.T. Coury that set up Seidman’s first three touchdowns runs and lifted the Lakers to a 21-9 halftime lead. Lomax’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Colby Ingram at the 2:04 mark of the third quarter and Seidman’s 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth completed the scoring. South Medford coach Bill Singler was philosophical about his team’s first loss. "We’re a tired team right now, mentally and physically," he said. "We made those two long trips to Portland and they took their toll. "But take nothing away from Lake Oswego. They’re the best team we’ve played and they deserved to win. "To start the season 2-1 against the teams we’ve played is a great accomplishment. Now we need to regroup and get ready for Crater." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s