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DNS FOG Temp: 40 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, November 22, 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 September 28, 2002 South Medford running back Logan Boyd rumbles past Eagle Point defenders in Friday night�s game. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Eagles can’t keep up with Panthers Omnipresent Benson steps up big on both sides of the ball By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Ryan Benson had grown a little tired of all the talk about how South Medford’s defense is among the worst in the Southern Oregon Conference. The senior linebacker/wide receiver played as if he had a chip on his shoulder Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium, and he helped fuel the Panthers to a 52-27 victory over Eagle Point. Benson picked up a fumble and rambled 30 yards for a touchdown just 4 minutes into the game. After the Eagles tied it at 7-7, Benson caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from South Medford quarterback Boomer Marshall. Three plays later, Benson belted Eagle Point quarterback Tyson Nelson from the blind side on a blitz, the ball popped loose and South Medford’s John Swanson fell on it at the Eagles’ 11-yard line. Sophomore tailback Logan Boyd scored on the next play, giving the Panthers a 21-7 lead. And Benson wasn’t done yet. He intercepted a Nelson pass on Eagle Point’s next possession, setting up a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Marshall, and picked off another pass late in the first half. "Our goal was to come out and dominate this game on defense, and that’s what we did," said Benson, who collected three of Eagle Point’s five turnovers and had a hand in a fourth. "This is the first time this season that we had the fire you really need to be a good defensive team. "We got after people." No one more so than Benson, who roamed sideline to sideline until leaving early in the fourth period with the Panthers leading 45-14. Benson also did his part offensively, catching five passes for 94 yards. "Benson has been an unsung defensive player for the past two years, but tonight people saw how good he is," said South Medford coach Bill Singler, whose team improved to 2-0 in the SOC and 3-1 overall. "He’s very active and he has a nose for the football." That sixth sense came in handy when he deflected an option pitch by Nelson, picked the ball up on one bounce and ran untouched to the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. "That’s the kind of play a linebacker dreams about — blowing up a play, causing a fumble and then taking it to the house," Benson said. Eagle Point came right back to tie the game at the 5-minute mark of the first period when Nelson led the Eagles on a 77-yard, seven-play drive capped by his 13-yard strike to Mike Cutts. But then came the Marshall-to-Benson connection that saw Benson slip past the Eagle Point secondary on a post route, and the Panthers never trailed again. Marshall hooked up with Thom Whiteaker for a 52-yard scoring strike in the third period and finished the night 12-of-20 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Marshall also scored twice on quarterback sneaks. "I think they blitzed on every play," Marshall said. "They were bringing six and seven guys and that allowed our receivers to get into one-on-one situations." Boyd, getting his second straight start in place of the injured Andres Reed, added 85 yards rushing on 20 carries, and senior fullback Josh Gandee chipped in with 74 yards on 10 attempts. All told, South Medford racked up 465 yards of total offense. Eagle Point wound up with 327 total yards, but the five turnovers crippled the Eagles’ efforts. "You can’t turn the ball over five times against a team like that and expect to win," Eagle Point first-year coach Harry Hedrick said. "I liked the way we kept fighting back, but we turned it over so much we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win." Hedrick lived up to his reputation as a riverboat gambler when his Eagles pulled off a triple-reverse pass for a touchdown midway through the second period. Nelson handed the ball to an Eagle Point slotback and eventually got it back, then fired a 75-yard TD strike to Bryan McClellan. The score reduced South Medford’s lead to 28-14 and pumped some life into the Eagles. But the Panthers answered with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Marshall’s 1-yard sneak and a 35-14 halftime lead. "That’s the sign of a mature team — to answer that trick play with a long drive for a touchdown," Singler said. "That took the wind out of their sails." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, 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