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Tornado not taking winless Roseburg for granted By Kris Henry Updated: Oct 06, 2022 10:50 PM A A 4 View all photos It’s been quite a difference from one season to the next for the Roseburg football team, but North Medford head coach Nathan Chin isn’t interested in his team taking anything for granted Friday night. A year after taking the Southwest Conference by storm and flirting with its first SWC title before finishing 9-2 overall, Roseburg enters Spiegelberg Stadium winless this time around but certainly with hopes of an upset. “They still play really hard and really tough,” Chin said of the Indians. “That’s a part of their M.O. and the kids that are there do a really good job with it.” The same could be said for the Black Tornado. North Medford has been able to take care of business on both sides of the ball since entering South/Central Football Conference play, sporting a 3-2 overall record and 3-0 league mark heading into Friday’s clash with Roseburg (0-4, 0-3 SCFC). “As most people say, wins help you,” Chin said of the atmosphere in the Tornado camp. “So when we get those wins, it definitely helps us work through some of the things we were struggling with earlier. We’ve still got to be sharp and we’ve got to do things right on Friday.” Supplying key efforts in recent weeks have been North Medford offensive linemen David Fuiava, Terrell Kim, Connor Trinca, Cody Carlson and Max Aukusitino. With their steady push, the Black Tornado has been able to churn out 161 yards rushing per game and 320 total. Key beneficiaries of that line play have been senior running backs Ty Pugliano and Alexander Angulo. Pugliano has run for 525 yards and five touchdowns on 100 carries, while Angulo has provided a nice change of pace at 231 yards and one score on 30 carries. Through the air, Caiden Lacey is 63-for-99 for 657 yards with five TDs and four interceptions, with Connor Cesaro (24 catches, 226 yards, one TD) and AJ Pugliano (18 catches, 214 yards, two TDs) leading the charge. Those numbers expect to be tested depending on the health of Roseburg star lineman Tiger Black, who stands 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds and is the defensive anchor for the Indians. Black limped off on his own power in the third quarter two weeks ago with a lower leg injury sustained against Sprague when he got rolled up on while blocking on offense, and sat out last week’s 56-0 loss to Sheldon. “Tiger Black is a really good linemen on both sides,” Chin said. “You just have to be very aware of where he is and the guys up front have to do a good job of making sure you secure a guy like that up front. It will be a good challenge for our team to play against a kid of his caliber.” Roseburg has allowed an average of 228 yards rushing per game and 396 overall, but the defense hasn’t gotten much of a respite due to an offense that is mounting only 116 yards per game. Only David Douglas, at 12 points, has scored fewer points than Roseburg (17) at the 6A level thus far, with the Indians suffering shutout losses against quality opponents Mountainside, North Salem and Sheldon. Junior running back Cayden Eckel has been his team’s most effective weapon at 239 yards rushing on 63 carries, but he was dinged up in the first half last week against Sheldon and sat out the second half. The 5-foot-7, 155-pounder is able to get a little lost in traffic and use a shifty, quick burst to break out on any given play. Quarterback has been a bit of a revolving door for the Indians due to injuries and inexperience, with senior Jayce Wilder taking over last week after junior Broagan Rackley and sophomore Owen Bentea previously saw time behind center. Wilder has completed 7 of 25 passes for 76 yards with three interceptions, with Rackley 6-for-16 for 27 yards and two interceptions and Bentea 7-for-16 for 41 yards and two interceptions. Wilder, however, has scored one of Roseburg’s two TDs this season as a capable runner, with sophomore Tyler Rietmann netting the other TD. The Indians had hoped to utilize Black a little at fullback entering the Sprague game but that wrinkle never really materialized. To further put a spark into its attack, Roseburg offered up an onside kick, fake punt deep in its own zone and fourth-down play calls last week to pull out all the stops against Sheldon. “They’ve tried to throw some trick stuff out there,” Chin said, “so I think the part for our defense is just playing disciplined.” Have a story idea? Reach sports editor Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected] or via Twitter @Kris_Henry David Fuiava, North Medford football Terrell Kim, North Medford football Ty Pugliano, North Medford football Connor Cesaro, North Medford football