Document text
45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 11, 2004 Madison just "winging" it under coach Jackson Senators’ double wing offense could pose problems for South Medford By DON HUNT Mail Tribune When Tracy Jackson became the head football coach at Madison High School in 2002, he inherited a program that had gone 0-9 the previous season with just 27 players in uniform. Two years later, the Senators are 7-2 and in the Class 4A state playoffs. They’ll meet Southern Oregon Conference champion and fourth-ranked South Medford (8-1) Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium in a first-round game. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Jackson’s blueprint for success was two-fold. First, he built relationships with students in his P.E. classes, which elevated the numbers on the football roster from a shade over two dozen to the mid-60s. Next, he installed a double-wing offense that few schools in the Portland Interscholastic League have been able to defend. "It was tough that first year, but once the word spread that we were doing good things and having fun on the football field, then it was easy for kids to give us a shot," says Jackson, whose team is the No. 3 representative from the PIL. "If you provide them with a positive atmosphere and a positive experience, they’ll respond." Advertisement Once Jackson was able to bump up the numbers, the east Portland school’s double-wing offense began to take a toll on opponents. The run-oriented attack relies on a wall of blockers to blast open holes, often along the perimeter, for the running backs. The scheme, with features two tight ends, two wingbacks and a fullback within a yard of the line of scrimmage, essentially tries to put more blockers at the point of attack than a defense has defenders. Jackson learned the offense from former Bandon coach Don Markham, who racked up so many yards and points during the early 1990s that many leagues in Oregon began implementing a "mercy" rule in which a game ends after one team gets ahead by more than 45 points. Markham later coached at Bloomington, Calif., where one of his teams averaged 63 points per game to break a state scoring record while winning a CIF section title. "I got to know Don in 1991 when he was at Bandon and I was at Silverton," Jackson says. "Our teams met in the state finals and after the game I started to watch his offense on film. "There’s been a lot of negative stuff written about Don because of the way he’s piled up the points. But he’s more than willing to share what he knows." The Senators haven’t set any scoring records this season, but they’re averaging 385 rushing yards and 24.8 points per game. Just as importantly, Jackson says, they’ve become a physical bunch that has been able to wear down most of their opponents. "In Portland, they don’t like playing that way," he adds. Personifying the Senators’ toughness is senior wingback Andy Jackson, a son of the head coach. The younger Jackson, 6-feet and 160 pounds, has rushed for 1,583 yards — the third-highest total in the state — and 20 touchdowns. Andy Jackson is also a standout in wrestling. He was a cadet national champion two years ago and finished third at the Class 4A state wrestling meet at 152 pounds last winter. "He’s a pretty gritty kid, and some of that grit has rubbed off on the others," Tracy Jackson says. Up front, the Senators are led by guard Ismael Garcia (5-10, 175, sr.), tackle Daniel Garcia (6-1, 225, sr.) and tight ends Alex Nalavaiko (6-5, 265, sr.) and Erik Warner (6-4, 250, sr.). Madison’s quarterback is senior Tony Stutevoss (5-10, 175, sr.), who has thrown for only 290 yards but has six touchdown passes. South Medford coach Bill Singler is wary of a team with such an unconventional offense. "They’ve got our attention, but we’re just going to take this as another challenge for our defense," says Singler, whose Panthers have won six straight since a 35-9 loss to Lake Oswego. Singler says the key to stopping the double wing is to stay disciplined and not overrun plays. "If you over-pursue, that Jackson kid will cut back and — boom — he’s gone," Singler says. "This game is going to be a big challenge for our linebackers, but I think they’ll be up to the task. They’ve played great all year." South Medford hasn’t encountered a double-wing team since it lost 57-7 to Churchill in the first round of the state playoffs in 2000. But the Panthers have squared off against wing-T teams — notably Canby — several times in recent years. "This type of offense doesn’t scare us as much as it once did," Singler says. "It was a problem for us against Canby, but they had some great teams and our defense wasn’t nearly as good as it is now." Singler also takes comfort in his offense that has found a groove over the past month or so. Senior quarterback Jon Weaver has been especially effective, throwing for 1,096 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception in the Panthers’ six SOC games. Weaver enjoyed his best performance of the season last Friday when he completed 13 of 19 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. Junior tailback Ryan Odell leads the Panthers in rushing with 820 yards and four scores. "Offensively, we’re starting to come of age," Singler says, "but we still haven’t played our best offensive game. "Hopefully, we’ve saving that one for the playoffs." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities