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Young talent to propel Butte Falls By KEVIN GOFF BUTTE FALLS -- Jack Brown has had a successful run as coach of the Butte Falls Loggers. He led the Loggers to the state playoffs six times, including a state championship in 1986, then retired after the 1994 season. Brown decided to take another stab at coaching the Loggers last season after Neill Carvalho, who coached Butte Falls for two years, took an assistant coaching position at Phoenix High. In his first year back, along with assistant coach, B.J. Rogers, the Loggers didn't enjoy success similar to some of his former teams, finishing with a 2-6 overall record. However, things look good for the future. Brown returns only four starters on offense and defense but welcomes a promising freshman class to the program. "We had a great turnout for freshmen," says Brown. "They didn't lose a game in junior high and are coming along faster than any group of freshman I have ever coached." Butte Falls lost some talent to graduation in captain and defensive end Clint Stockton and running back Charlie McGlochan. "It always hurts to lose players like Clint and Charlie," says Brown. "But I think we have a good crop of players coming in this year who have worked very hard." Travis Smeltz returns for his senior season at quarterback and defensive back, where he received second-team all-league accolades. Brown will look to open things up through the air with Smeltz and primary receiver Tyler Smith, a 6-foot-3, 165-pounder. "We are going to throw the ball a little more this year," says Brown. "We'll probably run Travis out of the shotgun this season a little more than we have done in the past. Smeltz has really shown improvement throwing the football from the previous year, and how he and Tyler play off each other will be a big key for us. "I am really looking for a lot of leadership out of those two." Other returning starters include running back-linebacker Mark Lunsford and offensive end-linebacker Nick Rodgers. "Mark runs the ball well and has good speed," Brown says. "He will be a big key to our offense." Junior B.J. Moore is expected to get significant playing time on the offensive and defensive lines, along with 6-foot, 275-pound sophomore John Hoel. Sophomore defensive end Tom Lunsford also will get some time. Brown expects the usual teams to be atop the Skyline A League, with Powers heading the pack and Days Creek and Elkton to be up there, too. "They (Powers) always seem to reload," says Brown. "They lost a lot of good kids. Ike Ellis was a phenomenal athlete and he will be tough to replace, but they have an excellent coach and should be up there toward the top once again. "I really think that Days Creek could surprise some people this year, though." The Loggers won't get any breaks early. They play Camas Valley, Days Creek, Powers and Mapleton in the first four games. "We have a tough schedule to start off with, playing four of the stronger teams right off the bat," says Brown. "Right now we are focusing on the fundamentals and just trying to stay focused and compete." Loggers at a glance COACH : Jack Brown (second year back after three years off). ASSISTANT : BJ Rodgers (defense). 1998 LEAGUE RECORD : 2-5, (sixth place in Skyline A). 1998 OVERALL RECORD : 2-6. PREDICTED FINISH THIS YEAR : Eighth. 1998 REGULAR SEASON SCORES Butte Falls Opponents 0 Days Creek 50 6 Camas Valley 50 18 Paisley 32 0 Powers 48 12 Mapleton 52 8 Elkton 50 52 North Lake 14 46 Prospect 6 RETURNING STARTERS OFFENSE (4) : Quarterback Travis Smeltz (5-10, 150, sr.) running back Mark Lunsford (5-9, 145, jr.), running back/offensive end Tyler Smith (6-3, 165, jr.), quarterback/offensive end Nick Rodgers (5-10, 145, so.). DEFENSE (4) : Back Travis Smeltz, linebacker Mark Lunsford, end Tyler Smith, linebacker Nick Rodgers. OTHER NOTABLES Offensive lineman BJ Moore (5-10, 160, jr.), defensive end Tommy Lunsford (5-9, 150, so.) lineman John Hoel (6-0, 275, so). 1999 Schedule Sept. 4 at Paisley Jamboree, 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at Camas Valley, 4 p.m. Sept. 17 at Days Creek, 4 p.m. Oct. 1 POWERS, 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at Mapleton, 4 p.m. Oct. 15 ELKTON, 4 p.m. Oct. 22 PAISLEY, 3 p.m. Oct. 29 at North Lake, 2 p.m. Nov. 5 PROSPECT, 3 p.m. FOOTBALL 99 Index Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.