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CLEAR Temp: 34 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, October 12, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2002 Hedrick will have plenty up his sleeve when Eagles travel to South Medford By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Harry Hedrick has more tricks up his sleeve than a magician. In just three games as the new head football coach at Eagle Point High, Hedrick’s Eagles have run reverses, double reverses, double reverse passes, hook and ladders, fake punts and fake extra points. One of these days, you might see a rabbit leap from the Eagle Point huddle. Or a running back disappear from sight and then reappear in the end zone for a touchdown. If the Eagles never won a game they would still be worth watching — simply for entertainment’s sake. But thanks in part to Hedrick’s inventive, unpredictable play-calling, the Eagles are 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Southern Oregon Conference play as they head to Spiegelberg Stadium tonight to meet South Medford. "We do what we’ve got to do," says Hedrick, who fashioned a 72-33 record at Ontario High before coming to Eagle Point. "We don’t have the athletes to go toe-to-toe with the teams in this conference, so we spread them out and try to get our skill kids in one-on-one situations." Even Hedrick’s base offense — it’s called the fly — is predicated on a lot of deception and misdirection plays. The Eagles are averaging 388.3 yards and 32.6 points per game — both figures lead the SOC — and quarterback Tyson Nelson is completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 663 yards and a conference-leading seven touchdowns. Some coaches think Hedrick’s offense would be better suited for the circus than the football field, but South Medford coach Bill Singler — who himself is known to be a bit of a riverboat gambler — respects the EP coach’s schemes. "He’s brought some ingenuity to their offense and look what’s happened — they’re scoring a lot of points and winning football games," Singler says. "He runs a lot of unconventional stuff, but how can you knock it if it works?" While Hedrick’s influence can’t be underestimated, the Eagles’ offense has been significantly enhanced with the addition of two players it didn’t have last season — Nelson, who sat out the 2001 campaign due to a series of concussions, and wide receiver Casey Hedrick, the coach’s son. The younger Hedrick ranks second in the SOC in receiving with 17 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns, and in a 32-8 victory over Del Norte two weeks ago he threw a pair of long touchdown passes on trick plays. Toss in running backs Chris Boyd and Nate Idrogo, wide receivers Brandon Sychla, Bryan McClellan and Scott Snow and tight end Mike Cutts, and the Eagles harbor one of the better skill position groups in the SOC. "Nelson and (Casey) Hedrick are their main play-makers but those other kids can hurt you, too," Singler says. "They’re a tough team to prepare for." With South Medford ranking right behind Eagle Point in points scored (30.7 average), tonight’s contest has the makings of a high-scoring affair. The Panthers have their own explosive skill position players, led by quarterback Boomer Marshall, wide receivers Ryan Benson and Thom Whiteaker and tight end Eric Fischer. However, South will likely be without starting tailback Andres Reed for the second straight week. Reed sprained a medial collateral knee ligament in the Panthers’ 41-20 victory over Redmond on Sept. 13. He sat out last week’s 34-20 win over Ashland and hasn’t practiced this week. Sophomore Logan Boyd stepped in and gained 125 yards rushing on 23 carries and senior Josh Gandee added 64 yards on 11 attempts. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S