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Area soccer teams gear up Photo by Jim Craven South and North Medford's girls soccer teams will engage in more hard-hitting action Saturday in the state playoffs. Here, North's Heather Johnson, center, and South's Emily Perttu collide in an earlier regular season match. South's Iris Noack (9) looks on. South, North well-armed for state play By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN South Medford High's boys soccer team will start the Class 4A state playoffs on the fly Saturday. The Panthers are riding a seven-game winning streak that carried them to the Southern Oregon Conference championship and the No. 1 position from the league in the state playoffs. The Panthers won the state championship last year. First-year South coach Dave Potter, who led the South girls program to five conference championships during the last seven years, says he's prodding the Panther boys to keep their momentum rolling into the playoffs. South will meet Westview on Saturday at noon at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park in Medford. "I'm sure the Westview coach will have them fired up to play the defending state champions," says Potter. "You know they have one of the best-funded programs in the state and good talent to go with it. "We had better be ready to play, if we want to win this game. We need to play 80 minutes of good soccer, from the time the whistle blows." In other state playoff games on Saturday, the South Medford girls will meet South Salem at 2 p.m. at Fichtner-Mainwaring. Meanwhile, the North Medford girls will face South Eugene at noon at District Field on the North Medford campus, and the North boys travel to Troutdale to meet Reynolds at 1:30 p.m. In the Class 3A/2A boys playoffs, St. Mary's visits Pleasant Hill, and in the girls, Glide visits Phoenix. "This is the most exciting time of the year," says Potter. "It's because of the risk factor. You win and you get to play again. You lose and your season is over, and the depression sets in. "It's so exciting to play well and move on," says Potter. Potter says his team has played aggressive, focused soccer in recent weeks. "I've admired what the boys have done," he says. "These kids have heart. I don't think I've been around a group of individuals that has the guts they have. I'm loving what they have put out on the field. I want it to continue." North Medford enters the girls state playoffs as the No. 1 team out of the SOC after tying South Medford for the conference title at 5-1. Coach Dick Darcy hopes to turn loose high-scoring forwards Tennille Bennett and Lu Crenshaw on South Eugene. Bennett has scored 14 goals and Crenshaw 13 for the Black Tornado. North Medford and South Eugene tied 3-3 in a match during the preseason in Eugene. "We have two losses to them and a tie the last three years," says Darcy. "It's our turn (to win)." "South Eugene likes to run the ball up the wings and go get it," says Darcy. "If you get in the way, they (the Axemen) will run over you. I expect a physical game because the officials will be from out of the area and they'll let some of the rough stuff go." The South Medford girls, co-champions of the SOC along with North Medford, will take an 8-5-1 overall record into the game. Coach Leslie Lang is concerned whether her team will be sharp after a layoff of more than a week. "We haven't played in eight days," says Lang. "Hopefully, the layoff will work for us. We should be fresh and we've been able to get over some injuries. "Our practices have been very good this week," says Lang. "I've been impressed with how the girls have worked to get ready. They have a great attitude as a team. I hope they bring it to the field on Saturday." Meanwhile, the North Medford boys opened the state sub-tournament with a 2-0 win over McMinnville last Tuesday. The Black Tornado outshot McMinnville 22-5 in the game. "If we play like we are right now, we feel we can beat anybody in the state," says North Medford coach Rich Garcia. "We have to show up ready to play on Saturday." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,