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51 °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 5, 2004 North, South teams host state playoffs Spiegelberg is the site of three Class 4A games, followed by Holy Bowl football By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Looking for something to do Saturday? Look no further than Spiegelberg Stadium. From morning through the evening, the venerable stadium with the new artificial turf will bustle with soccer and football activity. Three Class 4A boys and girls state playoff soccer matches headline the schedule. They will be followed by the Holy Bowl football rivalry between St. Mary’s and Cascade Christian at 7 p.m. The action starts at 11:30 a.m. when the North Medford girls host Westview in the first round of the soccer state playoffs. Next it will be the South Medford girls against Newberg at 2 p.m., then the North Medford boys against Southridge at 4:30 p.m. Advertisement The boys game was scheduled for Hoffbuhr Field at North Medford, but it was moved because of poor field conditions. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $4 for children. One ticket is good for all three soccer matches. The stadium will then be cleared for the football game. In other soccer playoffs involving area teams, Southern Oregon Conference champion Ashland hosts Springfield in a boys game at 1 p.m. at North Mountain Park, and the Phoenix girls entertain Pleasant Hill at 11 a.m. at Colver Field. Also, the South Medford boys travel to Woodburn. The SOC teams are entering the state playoffs somewhat blind. In years past, they played busy nonconference schedules against Eugene- and Portland-area teams and gained an indication of how they stacked up. But the SOC beefed up its conference schedule so teams played each other twice this season. As a result, they lost their nonconference games. "With the home-and-home schedule, you get lulled into a bit of complacency," says Dick Darcy, coach of the North Medford girls team that won the SOC title and is 13-1. "Then you get into the playoffs and get a real dose of reality. It hurts us. We have to overcome that and play the game as well as we can." Cindy Jolly, his coaching counterpart at South Medford, agreed. "Not knowing how the rest of the state plays and not being out of league is detrimental," she says. "But, hey, that’s the way it is, and there’s not anything that’s going to change it." The SOC teams aren’t completely in the dark. Darcy and his players are familiar with other teams from winter league play. Jolly’s Panthers defeated Canby last season, 3-0, and Canby tied Newberg, the Pac-9 Conference’s No. 3 team, this year. Rich Garcia, coach of the North Medford boys, knows something about Southridge, Saturday’s foe, because the two teams met in last year’s playoffs. Westview, says Darcy, is a senior-oriented team that lost only 3-1 to third-ranked Jesuit. The Wildcats are the fourth-place team from the Metro League. "I imagine they’ll be a real challenge to us," says Darcy. The Black Tornado enters the playoffs healthier than it has been all season. It is led by midfielders Amber Whitol and Emily Gross, defender Jennifer Standifer and goalkeepers Caitlin Seeley and Katy Kunkle. But Darcy has been impressed with his whole team. "These girls, front to back, are the best balanced and best team I’ve coached here in nine years at North," he says. "When we make substitutions, there’s no drop in the quality of play." That said, the South Medford girls aren’t too shabby, either, with their only two losses coming to the Black Tornado as the Panthers were SOC runners-up. All Jolly knows about Newberg is it has "one senior who is phenomenal," she says. Not knowing about the other team means the Panthers can focus on their own game, says Jolly. But she will identify the Tigers’ best player and assign stopper Amy Furlan to mark her. "She’s quick, fast and very good," Jolly says of Furlan. Emma McConnell leads South Medford in scoring with eight goals, followed closely by Chelsie O’Neill with seven. Jill Walport has amassed eight assists. Seniors Kaylyn Knutson and Kelsey Corbin will also be counted on for leadership. "Those girls are really getting jelled," says Jolly. "It’s phenomenal. From the halfway point of the SOC to now, we’re so much stronger, it’s amazing." Garcia’s North Medford boys went on the road last season and stunned fourth-ranked Southridge, 2-1 in overtime. The Skyhawks are the third-place team from the Metro League. "They’ve got a couple of nice players coming back," says Garcia. "They’ll be pretty tough. Any time you play a Metro team, it’s not that easy." Both teams return most players, but the Black Tornado is different this season, says Garcia, because of its improved ability to control the ball. Max Brown tops North Medford in scoring with seven goals and assists with eight. Luis Cabrera, the focus of most defenses, remains a dangerous weapon. They’ll lead the way along with goalkeeper Oscar Benitez and midfielders Devin Torrey and James Kidwell. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, 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