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When the heat is on, North is cool By Don Hunt Each week in practice, North Medford High football coach Rod Rumrey reserves 30 minutes or so for his team to go over its two-minute offense. One assistant coach keeps the time, another spots the ball. But until last Saturday�s 29-28 victory over Churchill in the Class 4A state semifinals, the Black Tornado hadn�t been forced to use its no-huddle, hurry-up attack for more than a month. "The last time I can remember using it was against Klamath Union (on Oct. 2) at the end of the first half," says Brent Barry, the Tornado�s offensive co-ordinator. "But even then we didn�t really get into it because one of our backs went 65 yards for a touchdown on a trap play two plays in." And that�s what makes North Medford�s come-from-behind win over Churchill so impressive. All three of the Tornado�s offensive touchdowns covered 60 or more yards when it was in the no-huddle mode, including two scores in the final 6� minutes that wiped out the Lancers� 28-15 lead. North Medford isn�t a team that hangs its hat on the passing game, let alone the two-minute offense. But quarterback Kevin Foreman and receivers Mike Olson, Brian Weeks and Travis Poulton executed it to near-perfection with a berth in the state championship game on the line. "You�ve got to give Foreman a lot of the credit," Barry says. "He�s smart, athletic and a cool customer under pressure. "Whether it�s passing the ball or running it, he makes big plays." Barry, a star quarterback at South Medford in the late 1980s, calls plays from the press box. He relays them to Rumrey on his headset, and Rumrey uses hand signals to get them to Foreman. With defenses getting a little tougher each week, the Tornado has leaned more heavily on its senior signal-caller. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Foreman has passed for 612 yards and seven touchdowns in four playoff games after totaling 930 yards and 14 scores during nine regular-season games. He has also run for 638 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, including a 7-yard scamper for the winning score against Churchill. Foreman struggled much of the way last Saturday � as did the entire offense � but excelled when it counted most. "He�s got this never-say-die attitude that rubs off on the rest of us," Tornado tight end Travis Poulton says. "He won�t let anybody think negative thoughts." Neither will Rumrey, who has witnessed his share of improbable comebacks during 30 years of coaching. "We keep telling our players that even with one minute left you can get a lot done," Rumrey says. "You can go the length of the field if you play it smart." Ironically, the Tornado ran its no-huddle offense so well at the end of the game that it left Churchill with nearly two minutes on the clock. And all the Lancers needed was a last-second field goal. But the North Medford defense held firm. Foreman admits he would like to see the Tornado air out its offense a little earlier and a little more often Saturday in the state championship game against Jesuit. And Barry admits his QB might have to. "It�s tough to win if you can�t run," Barry says, "but we�ve certainly got the personnel to put the ball up." � � � This reporter inadvertently omitted one of the best teams in Black Tornado history last week when I failed to mention the 1962 squad that went 11-0 and won the state championship. That team posted eight shutouts, allowed just 20 points all season and was ranked third nationally. Its quarterback was Dan Miles, who went on to stardom at Southern Oregon University and has been the basketball coach at Oregon Tech for the past 29 years. 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 � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.