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Photo from Mail Tribune files Ashland quarterback Jimmy Werbin (13) met the last of his goals when he was chosen first-team all-conference. Werbin heads SOC grid all-stars By DON HUNT Ashland High football coach Jim Nagel asks each of his players to establish three goals prior to the season. Quarterback Jimmy Werbin vowed to master the Grizzly playbook, he promised to get in the weight room more often than last year and he set his sights on being named first-team all-conference. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior reached all three objectives, and he went one step further by being named co-offensive player of the year in the Southern Oregon Conference. Werbin shares the honor with Roseburg quarterback Kevin Linderman. Roseburg tackle Byron Rinaker was selected SOC defensive player of the year and Tom Blanchard of Grants Pass was chosen coach of the year. "I never really thought about winning the MVP award," says Werbin, who completed 101 of 183 passes for 1,573 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in leading the Grizzlies to a 9-0 record during the regular season. "I basically just wanted to perform my job and lead our team to wins." Werbin threw three touchdown passes on opening night when the Grizz pulled out a 20-14 victory over Hermiston, but through three games his numbers were mediocre: 28 of 62 for 378 yards, six TDs and four interceptions. But then came the senior's breakthrough game. Against the then-unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Roseburg Indians, Werbin completed 18 of 30 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in leading Ashland to a 35-21 upset win. "That game was sink or swim for Jimmy and he came up big," Ashland coach Jim Nagel says. "We knew all along he had the physical tools; it was just a matter of him developing some confidence." As the season progressed, Werbin improved in subtle ways. He began to follow through more, adding zip to his passes. He began to step up in the pocket, enabling him more time to search for secondary receivers. And he learned to simply throw the ball away when nobody was open and he had another down to work with. "Now that I've been out there for nine or 10 games I'm not as nervous as I was in the beginning," Werbin says. "I can miss my first four or five passes and just shake it off." Werbin did exactly that in the Grizzlies' 23-7 state playoff victory over McKay last Friday. He started off 0-for-5 and then hit three straight, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kris Pavilionis. Werbin finished the night 13 of 29 for 179 yards and three TDs. Linderman, meanwhile, became the first Roseburg quarterback in several years to earn offensive player-of-the-year honors. The 6-foot, 185-pound junior completed 60 percent of his passes (70 of 117) for 1,203 yards, 14 touchdowns and just five interceptions. With Roseburg periodically struggling to run the ball, Linderman gave the Indian offense just the spark it needed. "We turned him loose the second half of the year," Roseburg coach Thurman Bell says of Linderman. "We had some good receivers and Kevin can air it out, so we said, `Hey, why not throw it?' "I'm sure some people think I've lost my mind." Rinaker, the defensive player of the year, was hobbled by a shoulder injury the first few games, but the 6-foot, 230-pound senior played like a man possessed the final month of the season. "No one has been able to run the ball to his side the past four or five games," Bell says. "Byron is strong, he's quick and he's about half-ornery out there. If he were a couple inches taller, he'd be a major-college recruit." Ashland and Roseburg dominated the first-team all-star balloting. Both the Grizzlies and the Indians had five players chosen to the first-team offense and three selected to the first-team defense. Ashland tight end/defensive end Austin Mason was one of three individuals who were named to the first-team offense and the first-team defense. The others were Crater wide receiver/defensive back Mike Jacobs and Eagle Point running back/defensive back Sean Johnston. The closest race came at running back, where Crater's Brad Ralph, Eagle Point's Johnston and Klamath Union's Danny King edged out North Medford's Ken Halpin and Grants Pass' Chuck Martin. King led the SOC in rushing with 1,017 yards while Ralph was second (977) and Johnston third (933). Center Matt Haight was the lone North Medford player selected to the first team, although the Black Tornado did have eight players chosen to the second team. Blanchard's coach-of-the-year honor was well-deserved. Grants Pass was picked to finish sixth in a preseason poll of the SOC coaches, but the Cavemen wound up tied with North Medford and Roseburg for second. The all-star team was selected by the coaches at a dinner in Medford last week. SOCfootball all-stars First-Team Offense * SCHOOL* Ht.* Wt.* Yr.* C -- Matt Haight * N. Medford* 6-0* 212* Sr.* C -- Roger Walsh* Ashland* 6-0* 220* Sr.* G -- Ryan Schorovsky * Ashland* 6-1* 240* Sr.* G -- Buck Forrest * Roseburg* 6-1* 235* Sr.* T -- Richie Charles * Roseburg* 6-2* 230* Sr.* T -- Robin Knebel * Roseburg* 6-2* 230* Sr.* TE -- Austin Mason * Ashland* 6-2* 194* Sr.* WR -- Jay Kuester * Ashland* 5-10* 150* Sr.* WR -- Mike Jacobs * Crater* 6-3* 194* Sr.* RB -- Brad Ralph * Crater* 5-11* 175* Sr.* RB -- Danny King * K. Union* 5-8* 165* Sr.* RB -- Sean Johnston* E. Point* 5-11* 175* Sr.* QB -- Kevin Linderman* Roseburg* 6-0* 185* Sr.* QB -- Jimmy Werbin* Ashland* 6-1* 185* Sr.* PK -- Ryan Holt* Roseburg* 6-0* 150* Jr.* OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR -- Jimmy Werbin, Ashland, and Kevin Linderman, Roseburg. First-Team Defense * SCHOOL* Ht.* Wt.* Yr.* DL -- Jake Leair * G. Pass* 5-10* 215* Sr.* DL -- Ryan Hansen * Ashland* 6-3* 217* Jr.* DL -- Byron Rinaker * Roseburg* 6-0* 235* Sr.* DE -- Austin Mason * Ashland* 6-2* 194* Sr.* DE -- Grant Slagle * G. Pass* 5-10* 165* Sr.* LB -- Joel Smith * Ashland* 5-10* 200* Sr.* LB -- Jamie Norton * Roseburg* 6-1* 195* Sr.* LB -- Len Nuanez * G. Pass* 6-0* 190* Jr.* DB -- Chuck Martin * G. Pass* 5-10* 165* Sr.* DB -- Sean Johnston * E. Point* 5-11* 175* Sr.* DB -- Ryan Poe* Roseburg* 5-10* 185* Sr.* DB -- Mike Jacobs* Crater* 6-3* 194* Sr.* P -- Luke Schoneberger* S. Medford* 5-11* 190* Sr.* DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Byron Rinaker, Roseburg. COACH OF THE YEAR -- Tom Blanchard, Grants Pass Second-Team Offense * SCHOOL* Ht.* Wt.* Yr.* C -- Tyler Smith * Crater* 6-5* 170* Sr.* G -- Jesse Gelsinger * N. Medford* 5-11* 218* Sr.* G -- Ben Holtey * Ashland* 5-10* 206* So.* T -- Brian Backstrom * N. Medford* 6-0* 228* Sr.* T -- Brent DeLaGrange * G. Pass* 6-7* 280* Jr.* TE -- Pat Anderson * Roseburg* 6-0* 185* Sr.* WR -- Jed Brewer* Roseburg* 5-10* 160* Sr.* WR -- Kris Pavilionis* Ashland* 5-8* 150* Sr.* RB -- Joel Smith * Ashland* 5-11* 200* Sr.* RB -- Ken Halpin * N. Medford* 6-0* 190* Jr.* RB -- Steve DeClerck* N. Medford* 5-10* 184* Sr.* QB -- Nate Mayben* N. Medford* 5-9* 160* Jr.* PK -- Sean Schorovsky* Ashland* 6-2* 185* Jr.* Second-Team Defense * SCHOOL* Ht.* Wt.* Yr.* DL -- Anders Vetch Crater* Crater* 6-3* 200* Sr.* DL -- Jesse Gelsinger* N. Medford* 5-11* 218* Sr.* DL -- Tyson George * Ashland* 6-0* 204* Jr.* DE -- Paul Kralik* S. Medford* 6-3* 195* Sr.* DE -- Matt Daniken * Crater* 6-1* 181* Sr.* LB -- Tanner Hillyer* Crater* 5-10* 190* Jr.* LB -- Matt Bray * E. Point* 5-9* 160* Sr.* LB -- Diego Apodaca* N. Medford* 5-9* 178* Jr.* DB -- Tate Mellbye * N. Medford* 6-2* 167* Jr.* DB -- Dustin Michalek * Roseburg* 6-2* 180* Sr.* DB -- Ryan Morrison * Roseburg* 5-10* 185* Sr.* DB -- Kris Pavilionis* Ashland* 5-8* 150* Jr.* P -- Jim Pickrel* N. Medford* 5-10* 165* Sr.* HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE C -- Allen Bone, Roseburg, 6-0, 235, Sr.; Dereck Ely, Grants Pass, 6-0, 255, Jr. G -- Blake Cam, 6-0, 235, So.; Cameron Fjarli, Crater, 5-6, 236, Sr.; Brian Backstrom, North Medford, 6-0, 228, Sr. T -- Nick Bakke, Ashland, 6-3, 200, Sr.; Burke Thomas, Crater, 6-3, 235, Sr.; Kylen Franson, Klamath Union, 6-3, 210, Sr. TE -- Pat Anderson, Roseburg, 6-0, 185, sr.; Mike Keith, Eagle Point, 6-0, 190, sr.; Paul Kralik, South Medford, 6-3, 195, sr. WR -- Mike Newmann, Eagle Point, 6-2, 180, sr.; Glenn Monti, Klamath Union, 6-2, 188, sr.; Josh Johnson, Crater, 5-10, 163, sr.; Zac Driskell, North Medford, 5-9, 142, sr.. RB -- Luke Schoneberger, South Medford, 5-11, 190, sr.; Chuck Martin, Grants Pass, 5-9, 165, sr.; Tanner Hillyer, Crater, 5-10, 190, jr.. QB -- Cory Restvedt, Grants Pass, 5-11, 170, sr.; John McKay, South Medford, 6-1, 170, so. PK -- Kelly Brown, North Medford. HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE DL -- Blake Cam, Eagle Point, 6-0, 235, so.; Roger Walsh, Ashland, 6-0, 220, sr. DE -- Brent Rhodes, North Medford, 6-0, 205, sr.; Kalen Larson, Eagle Point, 6-0, 180, jr.; Kylen Franson, Klamath Union, 6-3, 210, sr.; Scott Toney, Crater, 5-10, 200, jr.; Jason Brownell, North Medford, 6-0, 180, Sr. LB -- Mike Nork, Klamath Union, 5-11, 175, sr.; Brent Johnson, North Medford, 6-0, 185, sr.; Zach Hassell, Ashland, 5-11, 185, jr. DB -- Andrew Smith, Klamath Union, 5-11, 170, jr.; Jeremy Parkerson, South Medford, 5-9, 150, sr.; Kevin Johnston, Eagle Point, 5-9, 140, jr.; Kelley Jantzer, North Medford, 6-2, 184, sr.; Jim Pickrel, North Medford, 5-10, 160, sr.; Matt Lee, Crater, 5-10, 178, sr.; Robbie Lesher, Grants Pass, 5-9, 150, jr. P -- Kirk Roberts, Eagle Point, 5-10, 165, jr. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,