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Weiss is new Cavemen grid coach By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN GRANTS PASS -- Names of some of the most recent Grants Pass High head football coaches read like a who's who in the history of sport in the town. Mel Ingram. Gary Mires. Grant Martinsen. Tom Blanchard. They were all highly successful coaches in a community that loves its football and the youth who play it. A new potential coaching hero, former Southern Oregon University and South Medford High defensive coordinator Jeff Weiss, walked into the high school Monday hoping to maintain the standard. "It's an honor to be the coach at Grants Pass, and I feel I have my dream job," said Weiss, 40. "I knew Tom Blanchard was going to be retiring as football coach one of these years, and I told myself that's one job I would apply for." The search for a replacement for Blanchard, who coached the Cavemen for 14 years, came down to Kelly Marval, a longtime Blanchard assistant coach, and Weiss. Marval is expected to remain on the staff as an offensive coach and will probably be elevated to offensive coordinator. "This is a great opportunity for me," said Weiss. "Now, I have to get a staff together, meet the kids and get ready to win." Weiss acknowledged he's aware of the responsibilities and pressures that go with being the coach of the Cavemen. "Jeff will have all the help and all the support we can give him," said Blanchard, athletic director at the school. "He will be surprised how much support he gets." "Now," said Blanchard, with a laugh, "all he has to do is win more games than I did." Blanchard compiled a 86-55 record. When told what his new boss had said, Weiss winced. "I know I have to win, but I don't know about winning more than coach Blanchard did," said Weiss. "I know we have good kids here because I've seen them the last two years when I was coaching at South. We have good speed and talent. I know we're on a run of good athletes going through here." Weiss, who will teach health and weight training at Grants Pass High starting next fall, will remain on the health teaching staff at South Medford High through the school year. His loss as the Panthers' defensive coordinator will be a blow to the South coaching staff, said Panthers' coach Bill Singler. "Our loss is truly Grants Pass' gain," said Singler. "Jeff is a quality guy and a great coach. He knows the game on both sides of the ball (offense and defense) very well. "I know he has aspired to be a head coach for a long time. He and his wife (Kristeen Weiss) won't have to move far." Singler said he hasn't decided which direction he will go in replacing Weiss as South's defensive coordinator. "We hired Jeff to come here and take over our defense and teach health two years ago," said Singler. "He did a good job in both areas. We will take a hard look internally at our staff and see if there's somebody we want to move into the job, or whether we might go outside and try to find a coach who wants to come to South." While Weiss is thrilled over his new job, he regrets he won't be on hand to see South turn its program around, something he's confident will happen soon under Singler. "I'd like to be part of that, too," he said. He admitted it will be strange to be coaching against Singler, Ashland's Jim Nagel, Klamath Union's Wayne Amos and other friends he made in the Southern Oregon Conference through recruiting for SOU and as a member of South's staff. "I'm glad we don't play Grants Pass until the last game of the season," said Singler. Weiss was an assistant coach at Southern Oregon University from 1986 through '97. He coached under former SOU head coaches Chuck Mills and Jim Palazzolo and current head coach Jeff Olson. He was a running backs coach at the University of San Diego in 1984, and spent one-year stints coaching offense at four Los Angeles area high schools (Crespi High, Encino High, Chatsworth High and Taft High). Weiss said coaching defense is his speciality area. With Martinsen also retiring as Grants Pass' defensive coordinator, the Cavemen need a defensive guru, Blanchard said. "I'm figuring Jeff will coach the defense in addition to being head coach," said Blanchard. "But I don't know that for sure. It's obviously his call." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA