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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 1, 2005 George takes control of South’s offense Panthers confident that backup QB can get the job done in season opener against Tigard By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Tommy George admits he’ll be a little nervous when he takes his first snap as South Medford’s starting quarterback Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium. But once George makes a handoff or throws his first pass, he’ll settle in for the task at hand: attempting to lead the Panthers to a season-opening victory over Tigard. George, the Panthers’ backup signal-caller, is being pressed into starting status because of a knee injury to Kyle Singler that is expected to sideline the 6-foot-8 junior for the first three games. "It’ll be a little nerve-wracking at first, but I’m going to go out there and just pretend I’m throwing the ball around to my buddies in my back yard," says George, a 6- 0, 165-pound senior who guided the South Medford JV team to an 8-1 record last year. "I was really ticked when Kyle got hurt, but for me, this is like a dream situation." George won’t impress fans with a strong arm or dazzle them with his foot speed. But South Medford head coach Bill Singler, an uncle of the injured player, says George is an accurate passer and a heady player who knows the Panthers’ offense inside and out. Advertisement "I’m really pleased with Tommy," coach Singler says. "He’s never doubted himself and he’s proved to the rest of the kids in practice that he can get the job done. "He’s been in our system for three years; he knows what’s going on." George might have surprised some onlookers when he gunned a pass 50 yards downfield in practice this week and hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Harthun in stride for a touchdown. "He has a good high school arm," Singler says. In an effort to simulate game conditions, Singler put South Medford’s first-team defense against George in practice this week and peppered him with blitzing linebackers. "He handled it fine," Singler says. "He made good decisions." George, who carries a 3.55 grade point average in the classroom and snared a 4.0 last quarter, says he picked up a lot of information and subtleties while observing former South Medford quarterbacks Boomer Marshall, Ryan Fiegi and Jon Weaver. "You learn a lot just hanging around those guys, listening and keying in," George says. If coach Singler has his way, George won’t be overburdened with responsibilities Friday. The Panthers will surround him with a strong supporting cast that includes running backs Dan Welcome and Sean Enloe, tight end Tony DeSimone and wide receivers Harthun, Kelly Kline and Jared Adamson. Singler says Kline reminds him of former South Medford standout Tom Whiteaker. "He (Kline) isn’t as big but he has that same quickness and expressiveness," Singler says. "He’s had a great camp." Singler is also excited about Welcome, a 5-7, 185-pound senior who is likely to get a good number of carries Friday because incumbent tailback Ryan Odell, like Kyle Singler, is out with a knee injury. Odell, who ran for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns a year ago, is expected to miss two games. "Dan Welcome has stepped up as one of the leaders of this team," coach Singler says. "He practices as hard as anyone I’ve ever coached." Tigard, meanwhile, is somewhat of a mystery to the Panthers. The Portland-area school ran out former head coach Frank Geske for violating the Oregon School Activities Association practice limitation rule last spring. It hired Mitch Sanders, who posted a 38-22 record in six years at Hood River Valley. Sanders ran a double-wing offense at Hood River and was the coach of Jacobe Krizman in 2003 when Krizman set a single-season state rushing record with 2,844 yards. Singler doesn’t think Tigard’s base offense will be the double wing, especially after the Tigers hired former NFL quarterback Neil Lomax to help scheme its attack. "We’ve got to be prepared for it, though," says Singler, whose team edged the Tigers, 24-21, in overtime in last year’s season opener. "We’ll have to react to whatever they throw at us." Tigard boasts three of the state’s top players in offensive tackle Mau Nomani, defensive back Jarard Davis and wide receiver Gunnar Cederberg. Nomani, a 6-6, 290-pound senior, is the most highly recruited lineman in the state with offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Nebraska and Brigham Young. "Our team is athletic and experienced," says Sanders, noting that several of his players were members of the 2003 state championship squad. "We know we’ve got a challenge on our hands, but our kids are looking forward to making the trip to Medford and playing in Spiegelberg Stadium. "We’re treating this like a playoff game." EXTRA POINTS: Kyle Singler’s rehabilitation is on schedule for him to play in South Medford’s opening Southern Oregon Conference game against Crater on Sept. 23, coach Singler says. The younger Singler, who suffered torn cartilage in his right knee at a basketball camp in July, has been working out in a pool, doing light jogging and light weight training ... George’s backup Friday will be Ben Weaver, the younger brother of Jon Weaver. Ben Weaver, a 5-11, 180-pound junior, also plays wide receiver, running back and defensive back ... a junior varsity game will precede Friday’s varsity contest. The former begins at 3 p.m., the latter at 7. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail George takes control of South�s offense ">[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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