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South Medford runs over Del Norte By DON HUNT South Medford High quarterback Boomer Marshall felt like a kid in a candy store Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium. Everywhere Marshall looked, a talented teammate stood, ready to take a handoff or catch one of his passes. Marshall completed 11 of 16 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, Andres Reed ran for 100 yards and two scores and Rob Brown added 83 yards rushing and one score as the Panthers romped past Del Norte High of Crescent City, Calif., 43-19, in the season-opener for both teams. South Medford led 43-0 with 4:49 remaining in the third period before coach Bill Singler cleared his bench. "Our receiving corps is amazing and we've got two great running backs," Marshall said. "We've got a lot of weapons, and tonight was just the start. We're going to get better." The Panthers advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in six years last season and now look at themselves as a title contender in the Southern Oregon Conference. Judging by their performance in Game 1, who's to argue? They return most of their skill position players and welcomed a couple more aboard Friday night, including wide receiver Ryan Heil. The speedy senior caught three passes for 43 yards, including a nifty catch for 23 yards and a touchdown late in the first half. Heil, an all-conference basketball player, hasn't been out for football since he was a freshman. "That was the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had," Heil said of his TD catch. "It felt awesome." Heil showed both acceleration and athleticism on the play as he blew past the Del Norte secondary on a post pattern and then tipped the ball from his left hand into his right as he crossed the goal line. "The ball was a little behind him but he still came down with it - that's the kind of athlete Heil is," Marshall said. "It's great to have him out here." Marshall also hit Jonathan Wright on a 23-yard touchdown pass and finished the night throwing to five different receivers despite sitting out the fourth quarter. Reed, meanwhile, scored on a pair of 9-yard runs in the first half and added a 25-yard touchdown gallop in the third period. The 5-11, 185-pound junior needed just seven carries to total 100 yards. "Last year was a learning experience for me," Reed said. "Tonight I went out there with confidence. The line blocked great and I just ran my hardest on every play." South Medford needed only four minutes to move 58 yards for its first touchdown. Brown rambled 33 yards on the Panthers' first play from scrimmage and then Reed went 16 yards and then nine yards for the score. The Panthers got lucky on the PAT attempt as Wright picked up a bad snap from center and sprinted to the left corner for an impromptu two-point conversion. The Del Norte defense stiffened for the remainder of the first quarter and into the second, and the Warriors threatened to score and possibly tie the game when they drove from their own 44 to the South Medford 8. But on fourth down, South cornerback Dave Henneman intercepted a Flynt Pierce pass in the back of the end zone. South Medford then drove 80 yards in eight plays, with Reed again scoring on a nine-yard run. The key plays on that drive were a pair of 18-yard passes by Marshall, one to Heil and the other to Eric Fisher, who made a spectacular catch on a crossing pattern to advance the ball to the Del Norte 9. Cory O'Neill's PAT kick made it 15-0 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. Del Norte went nowhere on its next possession, and when punter Travis Coulson dropped the snap he was buried by a host of Panthers at the Warrior 28. One play later, Marshall fired a perfect strike to Wright running up the left sideline for a 23-yard touchdown. "Their defensive backs all drifted toward (Ryan) Benson and that left Wright open," Marshall said. "It was an easy touchdown." Another Del Norte turnover led to Heil's touchdown catch a couple minutes later as South Medford scored three times in just over three minutes to take a 29-0 halftime lead. "It's good to get a win under your belt the first time out," Singler said. "I was pleased with the way we executed our offense and we made some key stops defensively in the first half." South Medford scored the first two times it had the ball in the second half to go up 43-0. "They've obviously got a quality program," Del Norte coach Tony Fabricius said. "We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, but they've got a lot of talented players that gave us trouble." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.