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North, South renew rivalry photo by Drew Fleming By Don Hunt A crosstown football rivalry has a charm all its own, but when both teams enter the game unbeaten, excitement abounds. North Medford and South Medford go into Friday night�s Black and Blue game at Spiegelberg Stadium with 2-0 records, marking the first time in the 15-year history of the series that the teams will carry unbeaten marks into the contest. "This is high school football at its best � two good teams playing for the city championship," says South Medford coach Bill Singler, whose Panthers have made a dramatic turnaround from the past two seasons when they went 1-8 each year. "There should be a big crowd and an electric atmosphere, and that only adds to the excitement. "I think it�s been awhile since the stadium has had a game of this caliber." Indeed, the Black and Blue game that began with the split of Medford High in 1986 hasn�t featured very many marquee matchups. Usually, one team has been good or very good, while the other has been mediocre or bad. Not surprisingly, such matchups have produced lop-sided scores. Only four of the previous 14 Black and Blue games have been decided by a touchdown or less, with the Black Tornado cruising to 40-7, 33-7 and 36-12 victories the past three years. North Medford possesses another powerful team this season under veteran coach Rod Rumrey. Despite having to replace two-year starting quarterback Nate Mayben and nine starters on defense, the Tornado has roared past Eagle Point (48-0) and Crater (49-6) in its opening two games. North was expected to be a playoff team � the Tornado was picked to finish second in the Southern Oregon Conference � but few could predict it would be playing at such a high level so early. "We�re playing very good defensively considering our inexperience, and our running game is way ahead of last year," Rumrey says. "We�ve done a lot of good things in our first two games, but South is a much better team than we�ve seen so far." The Panthers are without doubt the most improved team in the SOC from a year ago. Led by sophomore quarterback Boomer Marshall and a trio of three-year starters � tailback Jimmie Maddox, wide receiver John McKay and tight end Bjorn Johnson � South Medford boasts some of the top skill position players in the conference. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Marshall has posted some staggering numbers for a first-year starter at the varsity level, completing 32 of 48 passes for 458 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception. Maddox is the SOC�s No. 3 rusher (215 yards, two TDs) and McKay the No. 2 receiver (12 catches, 157 yards, two TDs). Toss in sophomore split end Ryan Benson (11 catches, 157 yards, one TD) and the Panthers have enough weapons to start their own army. "It certainly feels good to win the first two games," Singler says. "Our kids haven�t had that feeling in quite a while. Our commitment to working hard in the offseason is finally paying off." Singler knows that knocking off North is a much more difficult task, however. While South Medford leads the SOC in passing, the Tornado tops the conference in rushing (322 yards per game) and total offense (411.0). North Medford has been able to run the ball so effectively that quarterback Kevin Foreman has thrown the ball just 19 times in two games, completing 10 for 178 yards and four touchdowns. Senior tailback Phil Ouellette leads the Tornado in rushing with 272 yards and two scores. "We know that if we can�t contain their running game to some extent then we can�t win," Singler says. "They�re a well-oiled machine on offense, but we�ve got to find a way to slow them down." Greasing the wheels of that offense is a North Medford line that could be one of the best Rumrey has coached. Center Dan Crawford, guard Justin Baehmann and tackle Scott Myers all earned all-conference recognition last season, and this season they�re getting help from guard Mark Schmor and 6-3, 265-pound junior tackle Dan Johnson, who might be the best of the lot in the long run. "He�s a 4-point student and a very agile kid who has played a lot of basketball," Rumrey says of Johnson. "We stuck him in there last year as a sophomore when we weren�t moving the ball, and all of a sudden we started moving it." Led by tackle Norris Bier, the Tornado�s defensive line has been equally dominant. "How we can stand up to their offensive and defensive lines is the biggest key to the game for us," Singler says. "They come off the ball very well on both sides of the line. "If we can�t protect Boomer (Marshall) and they run the ball down our throats, then we can�t win. We�ve got some pretty good kids up front, but they�re going to have to step it up a notch." With both teams starting out 2-0 in the SOC, the winner will take a big step towards the state playoffs, something South hasn�t accomplished since 1994. North has been to the postseason each of the past two years. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA