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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, October 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 8, 2004 Idrogo’s return boosts Eagle Point Eagles meet winless Crater Comets tonight By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Credit one more week under a new defensive coordinator and the return of strong safety Nate Idrogo with fortifying an Eagle Point defense that looked vulnerable just a couple of weeks ago. The Eagles have glided to a 4-0 record for the first time in 20 years, but prior to last Friday’s 26-0 romp over Grants Pass they had been yielding an average of 27 points per game. Enter Idrogo, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior who missed Eagle Point’s first two games with a concussion suffered in a car wreck. Idrogo made his presence felt a few times in the Eagles’ 41-34 victory over Roseburg on Sept. 24, but he was an omnipresent force in the win over Grants Pass with two sacks, a bundle of tackles and persistent pressure from the perimeter. "They tried to run a couple of bootleg plays (where the quarterback fakes to a running back on one side of the line and rolls out to the opposite side) and Nate snuffed them out," Eagle Point coach Harry Hedrick says. "He’s got a real knack for that." Advertisement The Eagles’ defense has now posted five straight shutout quarters — one against Roseburg and four against Grants Pass — heading into tonight’s game at winless Crater. In other SOC games, Grants Pass (1-3, 0-1 SOC) travels to Ashland (1-3, 0-2) and North Medford (5-0, 2-0) meets South Medford (3-1, 1-0) in the 19th annual Black and Blue Game at Spiegelberg Stadium. Along with Idrogo, Hedrick has been tickled with the play of inside linebackers D.J. Hill and Yoni Turcios and ends Chris Cox and Robert Eberhart, a 6-1, 235-pound transfer from Montana who also starts at offensive guard. Personnel aside, Hedrick thinks the Eagles’ defensive improvement the past two weeks has a lot to do with the team getting comfortable with new defensive coordinator Bill Taylor. Taylor coached with Hedrick for five years at Ontario High in the 1990s. "We’re probably doing more stunting and blitzing than we have in the past and that takes some time to get used to," Hedrick says. Eagle Point’s offense, meanwhile, continues to flourish behind senior quarterback Jered McClellan, who has completed an eye-catching 70 percent of his passes (54 of 77) for 713 yards and 10 touchdowns. McClellan has also run for 284 yards and seven scores. The Eagles are averaging 388.8 yards and 36.5 points per game. For the first time this season, the Eagles climbed into the top 10 in The Associated Press Class 4A state rankings — they’re tied for ninth — and find themselves as a big favorite. Does the hype worry Hedrick? "I would hope the kids remember that it wasn’t very long ago when we were on the other side of this," he says. Despite standing 0-4 and getting pounded 50-14 by South Medford two weeks ago and 42-6 by North Medford last Friday, first-year Crater coach John Beck remains optimistic. Beck told his team a story this week about Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, whose team started 0-4 during his first season. Fans clamored for Reid to play then rookie quarterback Donovan McNabb, but Reid refused. The Eagles overcame a 10-0 halftime deficit to beat Dallas 13-10 in their next outing and went on to a 5-11 record. Two years later, the Eagles advanced to the NFC championship game. "The point is, you stick to your plan," Beck says. "And that’s what we’re doing. Our kids aren’t hanging their heads." Beck notes that Crater’s four opponents have compiled an aggregate record of 15-2. The Comets’ woes can be traced to an offense that is averaging an SOC-worst 170.8 yards and 12.5 points. "Our offense has to break out, no question," Beck says. GRANTS PASS AT ASHLAND — Grants Pass is another team that must generate more offense if it expects to turn around what thus far has been a disappointing campaign. The Cavemen have scored a total of eight points in their three losses. The one bright spot during last week’s loss to Eagle Point was the hard running of Craig Dolmage, a 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore who came off the bench to gain 108 yards on 19 carries. Ashland hopes to take advantage of GP’s struggles and post its first win over the Cavemen since 2000. The Grizzlies outgained Roseburg 333-322 last week but had a couple of drives fizzle out in the red zone. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime before the Indians pulled away for a 24-7 victory. "We need to move the ball more consistently and finish off some of those drives with touchdowns," Ashland coach David Coldiron says. Grizzly tight end Jeff Skinner has racked up 413 yards receiving — the ninth-highest total in the state — on 19 catches. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. 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