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Tornado girds for burly Indians MT file photo North Medford junior tailback Phil Oullette has gained 404 yards on 65 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. No. 8 North entertains No. 3 Roseburg Friday By DON HUNT A marquee matchup of size versus speed will unfold Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium in what looks like the game of the year in the Southern Oregon Conference. Unbeaten and No. 8-ranked North Medford will play host to No. 3 Roseburg, which could line up on a college field and feel right at home. "That's the biggest high school team I've ever seen," North Medford coach Rod Rumrey says of the Indians, who average a jaw-dropping 267 pounds on their offensive line. "And they're not a bunch of fat kids. They're tall and big." The Black Tornado, 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the SOC, will counter with its quickness. North Medford's speedy and talented skill position players have received most of the headlines this season, but the Tornado's offensive and defensive lines have been equally instrumental in leading the team to its best start since 1992, when North won its first five games. Defensive tackles Adam Barr and Norm Bier and ends John Bracken and Colby Gonzales have anchored a Tornado defense that is yielding just 141 yards and 6.5 points per game, tops in the SOC. But none of those players tips the scale at more than 190 pounds. Can they muscle up to the likes of Roseburg offensive tackles Robin Knebel (6-6, 305) and Brian Frasnelly (6-7, 285), not to mention guards Matt Brock (6-4, 250) and Chris Cummings (6-1, 245). Knebel, a senior, and Frasnelly, a junior, are both considered major college recruits. "Our guys on defense have got to stay low and fly to the football," Rumrey says. "We've played very well on defense in all of our games but we haven't seen a team nearly as physical as Roseburg." The Indians (4-1, 3-0 SOC) have won four in a row following a stunning 35-14 season-opening loss to Beaverton. The Indians have often gotten off to slow starts _ North Medford beat them in the season-opener last year _ and just as often finish with a bang. They finished runner-up in the state playoffs last season and have won four state titles under coach Thurman Bell. Almost without fail, it takes Bell a week or two to sort out who his best players are and what their best positions might be, partly because the sophomores who enter his program are in middle school as ninth-graders. And the Indians have three dandy sophs this fall _ fullback Matt Manser, wide receiver/defensive back Cory Whitman and 6-7, 215-pound tight end Joe Newton. Newton didn't catch a pass against Beaverton, but hauled in five for 74 yards and two touchdowns the following week in a 28-0 victory over Ashland and has been a go-to guy ever since. Newton is now the No. 3 receiver in the SOC with 15 catches for 234 yards and four TDs. "He has great hands and deceptive speed," says Bell of Newton, who also plays basketball. "He's a threat, and we're not afraid to go to him in a clutch situation." Manser, meanwhile, has produced a modest 173 yards rushing on 49 carries but his eight touchdowns and 48 points rank him second in the SOC in scoring behind North Medford fullback Ken Halpin. Roseburg's leading rusher is junior tailback Conway Bixby, who has 444 yards, two TDs and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. However, the Indians' undisputed leader is quarterback Kevin Linderman, a three-year starter who operates the team's veer offense to near-perfection. Linderman has completed 44 of 89 passes for 635 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. Just as significantly, he has run for 225 yards and four scores, including touchdown romps of 50 and 45 yards. "Linderman is definitely the guy we have to contain," Rumrey says. "He's very dangerous when he's running the option, and he's one of the best throwing quarterbacks Roseburg has had in a long time." Chances are, North Medford won't be able to keep the Indians out of the end zone, but the Tornado's explosive offense is just as capable of lighting up the scoreboard. Led by quarterback Nate Mayben, North is averaging a conference-leading 401 yards and 34.5 points per game. Mayben has completed an eye-catching 69 percent of his passes for 404 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. Along with Halpin, tailback Phil Ouellette, tight end Gonzales and split end Mike Olson, North Medford features some of the top skill position players in the state. "They're a nightmare for any defense, that's for sure," says Bell, whose Indians are coming off a surprisingly-lopsided 35-7 victory over Grants Pass. "There's no way you can key on any one of them, and they're all capable of taking it the distance from anywhere on the field. "Their big-play capability is a huge worry for us. It's no fluke they're 4-0." Both teams feature excellent kickers. North Medford's Kelly Brown and Roseburg's Ryan Holt both routinely hammer the ball inside the 10-yard line on kickoffs and are almost automatic on extra points. Brown has also made two field goals. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.