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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 9, 2005 South hoping for better results against West Linn By DON HUNT Mail Tribune South Medford’s Southern Oregon Conference championship football team of 2004 came equipped with many attributes, not the least of which was emotion. Panthers coach Bill Singler is hoping his 2005 squad, which looked flat during a season-opening, 41-21 loss to Tigard last Friday, will ramp up its passion tonight when it plays host to West Linn at Spiegelberg Stadium. "We got beat by a much faster, more athletic team last week, but from the opening kickoff, I thought we lacked the emotion and passion that last year’s team had," Singler says. "This is a different team with a lot of different players. Overall, these kids aren’t as emotional. But at some point, you need to have some bounce in your step and show a little esprit de corps." The Panthers yielded a whopping 457 yards passing and 602 yards of total offense to Tigard and will be looking for a vastly improved defensive performance tonight. Singler says most of South’s defensive troubles could be linked to Tigard quarterback Nick Meermeier, who rolled up the ninth-best single-game passing yardage total in state history. But the Panthers were also shuffling players in and out of their secondary and, in some cases, from one position to another. Advertisement "We’re still trying to figure out who plays what position the best," Singler says. Offensively, South Medford did some good things despite playing without starting quarterback Kyle Singler and starting tailback Ryan Odell, who continue to be sidelined with knee injuries. Backup quarterback Tommy George, in his first varsity start, completed 14 of 19 passes for 166 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. South Medford’s running game, however, generated just 39 yards. Singler believes that senior tailback Dan Welcome, who twice fumbled away the ball against Tigard and finished with just 23 yards on 11 carries, will perform much better tonight. "That was his first start and he was a little nervous," Singler says. "But our line needs to give him more room to operate if we’re going to be successful in the running game." West Linn, meanwhile, will be playing its season opener under 11th-year head coach Ron Chappell. The Lions are fueled offensively by running back Brendan Pitts, a 6-0, 185-pound senior who led the Three Rivers League in rushing last season with 1,044 yards and 20 touchdowns. "He’s a slashing kind of runner," says Chappell. "He’s got good speed — not outstanding — but he’ll break tackles and get the extra yardage." Senior end Rick Hennessey (6-0, 195) heads up West Linn’s defense. CRATER AT LINCOLN — Crater inaugurated the John Beck era with a 21-7 loss to Lincoln last season. The Comets are vastly improved, as evidenced by their 30-19 victory over Marshfield in their season opener. But they figure to have their hands full with a Cardinals squad that advanced to the state quarterfinals last year and was picked as co-favorite (with Grant) in the Portland Interscholastic League this fall. Lincoln’s strength is on defense, where first-team, all-PIL linebacker Michael Johnson roams. Crater’s defense is no slouch, however, and the Comets’ offense, with senior quarterback Brian Theis coming off a 275-yard, four-touchdown performance through the air, is itching to prove that Game 1 was no fluke. EAGLE POINT AT MADISON — Eagle Point raised some eyebrows with its dominating, 41-21 win over South Salem last Friday. The Eagles amassed 24 first downs and 421 yards of offense, with speedy tailback Kris Butler (123 yards rushing, three touchdowns) leading the way. Senior quarterback Brandt Nevin shot to the top of the SOC quarterback efficiency ratings with an 11-for-13, 145-yard, two-touchdown performance. "Most of the passes he threw came off play action and were set up by our ability to run the ball," Eagles coach Harry Hedrick says. "If we can stay with that formula, we’re going to have a lot of success." Defensively, the Eagles, led by their fine linebacking corps of Tyler Chase, D.J. Hill and Shane Bei, held South Salem to 180 yards. Madison advanced to the state playoffs last season but lost 19 of 22 starters, along with head coach Tracy Jackson, who moved on to Hood River. REX PUTNAM AT ASHLAND — It’s too early to draw too many conclusions, but Ashland has obviously moved up a couple notches under first-year head coach Charlie Hall. The Grizzlies looked sharp in their season-opening, 24-7 win over North Salem and were especially impressive on defense, yielding just 156 total yards that has them No. 1 in the SOC. Sam Littleton passed for 200 yards and one touchdown and also ran for a score last week, but the more notable statistic was the Grizzlies’ 116 rushing yards. Last season, they averaged just 79 yards per game on the ground. Rex Putnam, which has yet to play this season, has posted a 4-5 record for four straight years. The Kingsmen are penciled in for a seventh-place finish in the Three Rivers League. They’re led by Joevonte Mays, a 5-8, 180-pound running back who might be the fastest player in the TRL, and linebacker Akeem Olaboade. Putnam edged the Grizzlies, 13-9, last season. LAKE OSWEGO AT GRANTS PASS — One week after losing 28-7 to ninth-ranked McNary, Grants Pass squares off against 12-ranked Lake Oswego, which lost 16 starters to graduation but always seems to reload under 14th-year coach Steve Coury. The Lakers are led by Gabe Miller, a 6-4, 230-pound senior who is considered by many to be the top linebacker in the state. Miller, who plays fullback on offense, has gotten scholarship offers from Oregon and Oregon State. Tailback Will Darkins and Miller give Lake Oswego a lethal 1-2 punch at running back. Grants Pass coach Tom Blanchard is more concerned about his team after it totaled only 205 yards of offense in its opener. Junior quarterback Ryan Peterson labored through a 2-for-11, two- interception, 17-yard passing performance in Game 1, but Blanchard is sticking with him for at least another week. "He just needs to calm down and play football," Blanchard says. "He had a good training camp and he’s got ability." ROSEBURG AT CLACKAMAS — Two of the state’s heavyweights clash in this dandy nonconference matchup as fifth-ranked Clackamas plays host to 10th-ranked Roseburg. Senior tailback Jimmy Zhu took over the SOC rushing lead after Week 1, gaining 163 yards in the Indians’ season-opening 25-7 victory over Willamette. Senior quarterback Brett Stephens wasn’t as sharp, completing just 8 of 22 passes for 97 yards, although he did manage a 19-yard touchdown pass to Mickey Schmorde. "He (Stephens) made some bad throws, but we also had some broken routes, some dropped balls and some breakdowns in pass protection," Roseburg coach Thurman Bell says. "We’ve got all new receivers, and it shows." Clackamas rolled to a 38-21 win over Roseburg last season. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail South hoping for better results against West Linn ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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