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HAZE Temp: 47 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 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 October 15, 2002 Crater senior co-captain Scott Malone (left) defends against the other senior co-captain, Todd Sesock, during practice Monday at Scenic Middle School in Central Point. Uncharted territory for Crater The playoff-hopeful Comets have been the surprise of the boys soccer year in the SOC By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — It’s all new for the Crater boys soccer team. A new head coach. A new attitude. New results. And who knew? Certainly not the rest of the Southern Oregon Conference’s head coaches, who collectively predicted the Comets would finish sixth in the preseason poll. With three matches remaining, Crater (8-3 overall) is 2-2 in the SOC, good for a tie for fourth place. But that’s misleading. The Comets have already played sixth-ranked South Medford (4-0 SOC), Ashland (2-2), Klamath Union (3-1) and North Medford (1- 3), which were supposed to be the conference’s top four teams, in that order, according to the preseason poll. Crater plays at Eagle Point (0-4) today, against Grants Pass (3-1) at home Saturday and at Roseburg (1-3) next Tuesday to conclude the regular season. All three matches are very winnable for the Comets, and victories in all three would ensure a Class 4A state playoff berth — something that’s never happened in the history of either Crater soccer program. "That was definitely our goal from the beginning — to make the playoffs," says Josh Smith, a sophomore left midfielder who serves as one of the Comets’ three co-captains. "A first-time thing at Crater High School ever? That would definitely be one of the greatest experiences of my life." It would also complete a turnaround both swift and shocking. Last fall, the Comets were 6-7 overall and 2-5 to tie for fifth in the SOC. Larry Holm retired following his sixth season in charge, and Chris Gallegos, a 1990 Phoenix graduate who had been assisting Dennis Flenner with the Pirate boys for seven years, was hired to take over. The Crater players believe that’s where the reversal began. "We’ve always had the talent," says senior central midfielder Todd Sesock, a co-captain in his fourth year on the varsity team who has scored 11 of the Comets’ 33 goals. "We haven’t had the coaching. ... (Gallegos) knows a lot more about the game. He played and everything. It helps a lot." Adds senior sweeper Scott Malone, Crater’s third and final co-captain, "From this year to last year, I think it’s just our people get along better. ... (Gallegos) switched up our lineup. He plays people where they’ll do best for the team, not where their best position is." Gallegos, himself, is surprised at how quickly the Comets have bought in to his system — and at how soon the wins have accumulated. "I assumed this would be the start of my journey and a building year," says Gallegos, who has implemented an attacking, three-forward system much like the one Flenner coaches so effectively at Class 3A Phoenix. "And (I thought it would take) probably the next couple years for the boys to understand me and my system. "They’ve picked it up quickly, and they’ve really come together as a team. Themselves, they’ve really just bonded as a group, and that’s been probably the biggest part of us being successful. It’s because of them. They’ve wanted it." In addition to Sesock, Malone and Smith, "they" are forwards Jay DeLamora (sr.), John Bowers (sr.) and Fernando Juarez (jr.), right midfielder Mike Scales (jr.) and fullbacks Erich Hangartner (jr. stopper), Misha Plotnick (sr.) and Dan Weaver (sr.). Junior Tomas Iboa is the goalkeeper, and midfielder Eric Lilligren (so.), forward/midfielder Aaron Pawol (so.) and forward/midfielder Paul Mellgren (fr.) are the substitutes. Crater went 5-1 in non-conference action before the SOC slate kicked off, but the Comets made their first bold statement on the conference’s opening day of action, Sept. 24. Facing North Medford, a program against which Crater had never earned a victory, the Comets used a 55th-minute penalty kick from Sesock to secure a 2-1 win on their home field at Dutch Meyer Stadium. "One of our first goals was to beat North," Gallegos says. "That was huge. It brought them to see reality, that they could compete with anyone." Following a 3-0 loss at Klamath Union on Sept. 27 — one of only two poor performances for Crater this fall, in Gallegos’ opinion (a 2-0 defeat at Junction City on Sept. 12 was the other) — the Comets rebounded with a 1-0, shootout victory at Ashland. That upset of the highly regarded Grizzlies has been Crater’s biggest surprise of the fall. "Beating Ashland, that was even better than beating North," says Sesock, who was honorable mention all-SOC as a forward last year. "It would have been real nice to beat South Medford, too." The Comets nearly did, extending the Panthers to overtime before falling, 4-1, on Oct. 8. Sesock had a chance to win it late in regulation. The rebound of a Smith blast that ricocheted off South goalkeeper Mike Belzberg’s hand, then the crossbar took a funny bounce as Sesock bore down on it, and he sent it high. "We had a true opportunity to win the game," Gallegos says. Panthers head coach Dave Potter, whose program is the class of the SOC with wins in 20 of its last 21 conference contests and 10 straight, came away impressed by Crater. But he says the signs were there a year ago that the Comets "were turning the corner." "Though they may not have looked competitive in record and standing, there was a world of difference from the Crater team last year in skill and talent compared to previous years," says Potter, in his fifth season with the South boys. "The pieces were coming together." With a week left in the regular season, the Comets have outscored their opposition by a 33-12 gap and put their postseason fate in their own hands. But they’re not done yet. "I’m just the guide on this journey," Gallegos says. "They’ve been working so hard and get along so well. That’s been bringing success." Success like Crater boys soccer has never enjoyed before. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 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