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Quick-striking North next faces Crater By DON HUNT If opening night was an accurate barometer, it's going to take a good defense on its best night to slow down North Medford's explosive football team. The Black Tornado rang up 525 yards of total offense on the way to a 40-6 victory over Eagle Point last Friday, and no fewer than than five players performed big roles: Junior tailback Phil Ouellette ran for 163 yards on 15 carries, showcasing his catlike quickness and shiftiness. Quarterback Nate Mayben completed 12 of 15 passes for a jaw-dropping 250 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Wide receiver Mike Olson caught five passes for 133 yards. Tight end Colby Gonzales caught just two passes, but one of them went for 54 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Ken Halpin ran for only 15 yards, but he caught five passes for 91 yards and scored twice. And that's to say nothing of kicker Kelly Brown, who booted four extra points, two field goals (from 30 and 40 yards) and hammered the ball inside the 10-yard line on every kickoff. Much ado was made of the Black Tornado's talented skill players in the preseason, and they lived up to their reputation on opening night. Now the Tornado is host to Crater Friday (7:30 p.m.) at Spiegelberg Stadium, and coach Rod Rumrey is seeking more of the same. In other games involving SOC teams, South Medford (0-1) travels to Eagle Point (0-1), Ashland (0-1) ventures to Marshfield (1-0), Klamath Union (0-1) journeys to Grants Pass (1-0) and Roseburg (1-1) is at home against Redmond (1-0). "We have some guys capable of making the big play," Rumrey says. "And they certainly did that last Friday. "But as good as it looked, we still have a lot of room for improvement." Specifically, Rumrey wants the Tornado to refine its inside running attack. Halpin saw little daylight between the tackles against Eagle Point. "Our offensive line had some breakdowns, which isn't surprising since a lot of those guys were seeing their first action on varsity," Rumrey says. "(Left guard) Justin Braehmann had a great game, and the whole line did a nice job of pass blocking, but we need to attack a little harder on running plays." Rumrey also wants a better start from Mayben. "The first play of the game last week he called a play we don't have," Rumrey says. "He was a little too pumped up. But Nate obviously did some good things once he settled down." Crater, meanwhile, is coming off a 23-10 victory over South Medford following a season-opening 35-0 loss to Central Catholic. Comets coach Randy Heath knows his defense will have its hands full against the Tornado. "We've got to eliminate the big plays and make them earn what they get," Heath says. "You've got to stop Halpin and Ouellette first and foremost, but our defensive backs have to be disciplined and not get burned by play-action (passes)." Crater's defense, fortified by tackle Anders Vetsch and inside linebackers Tanner Hillyer and Scott Toney, has performed well in each of its two games. The Comets gave up only 192 yards in total offense to Central Catholic and 209 to South Medford, and they're allowing just three yards per rush. "We talked about being more aggressive and more emotional on defense last week and I think we accomplished that," Heath says. "But we're going to have to step it up another notch against North. They're a very explosive team and we can't let their offense be on the field all night." Crater quarterback P.J. Price has gotten off to a slow start -- 9-of-32 for 199 yards in two games -- but Heath isn't about to consider a change. "He was a lot more comfortable in the pocket last week than the week before," Heath says. "He completed a 35-yard pass on his first attempt, and he had a touchdown pass that was called back." It's the penalties that Heath is most concerned about: The Comets were whistled 16 times for 120 yards against South, and they had a rushing touchdown nullified as well as the Price TD pass. "We've got to clean that up," Heath says. SOUTH MEDFORD AT EAGLE POINT --Both teams are eager to get into the win column following opening-night losses. Eagle Point quarterback Nick Rouhier struggled in his varsity debut at signal caller, completing 3-of-13 passes for 58 yards. Coach Mike Johnston senses a big improvement from the three-sport standout Friday night. "He didn't get much time last week to show what he can do," Johnston says. "He'll be fine." Johnson says the Eagles were by no means manhandled physically by North Medford but were often out of position on defense, leading to big plays by the speedy Tornado backs. "We've just got to play a little smarter," he says. South Medford is looking to solidify a running attack that produced only 74 yards on 25 attempts against Crater. KLAMATH UNION AT GRANTS PASS -- The Cavemen's rugged defense gave up just 48 total yards in a 31-0 romp over Redmond last week and that's bad news for Klamath Union, which lost to crosstown rival Mazama 34-26 on opening night. REDMOND AT ROSEBURG -- Redmond returns starters at 16 of 22 positions from last year's team that won the Intermountain League, but can any of them muscle up to Roseburg? The Indians average nearly 270 pounds along the offensive line. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.