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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 28, 2005 Singler finding comfort zone as South Medford’s QB By DON HUNT Mail Tribune With three games under his belt as the starting quarterback at South Medford High, Kyle Singler seems on the brink of breaking out. Is tonight the night? Singler, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound junior who sat out the first part of the season with a knee injury, has put up credible passing numbers: 33 of 63 for 445 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also run for two scores. But Panthers head coach Bill Singler — Kyle’s uncle — has kept the playbook fairly conservative as the younger Singler gradually finds his groove. Advertisement That could change at 7 tonight when South Medford plays host to Eagle Point at Spiegelberg Stadium. In tonight’s other Southern Oregon Conference games, North Medford (4-3, 3-1 SOC) visits seventh-ranked Roseburg (4-0, 6-1) and Crater (4-4, 1-3) travels to Grants Pass (3-5, 2-2). Ashland (4-4, 1-4) hosts Klamath Union (6-2) in a nonconference game. Five of South Medford’s eight games have been decided by a touchdown or less, a situation created in large part by an offense that averages an SOC-worst 19.1 points per game. Coach Singler says he saw his nephew’s confidence grow last Friday when the younger Singler completed 13 of 21 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown and ran 17 times for 79 yards and two TDs during a 28-14 win over Ashland. Kyle Singler also intercepted two passes from his safety position on defense — giving him four in the last two games. "He’s going through a process right now that most kids go through in the preseason," Bill Singler says. "He’s learning to play quarterback on the fly, but you can see his confidence grow each time he takes the field." Kyle Singler is eager to throw the ball downfield more often. The Panthers haven’t made a lot of big plays this season, but they’ve got some fast receivers in seniors Jared Adamson, Kelly Kline and Tony DeSimone. Adamson is the SOC’s third-leading receiver with 471 yards on 22 catches and four touchdowns and DeSimone is seventh with 260 yards on 24 catches and two touchdowns. "We have the capability of putting a lot of points on the board," Kyle Singler says. "We have some playmakers. Our biggest problem has been that we haven’t finished our drives." The Panthers, 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the SOC, can take a big step toward securing their fifth state playoff berth in the past six years with a win over Eagle Point. They enter tonight’s game as healthy as they’ve been all season. Ryan Odell and Ken Licea, a pair of senior running backs and linebackers, returned to action on a limited basis during last week’s win over Ashland. Both have been sidelined much of the season with knee injuries. "Those two kids give us some depth on both sides of the ball," coach Singler says. Odell is likely to spell Dan Welcome — the SOC’s fourth-leading rusher with 641 yards and three touchdowns — at running back. The two backs also could be in the game at the same time. "We’ll go with some two-back sets," coach Singler says. "It makes our offense more versatile." Eagle Point, meanwhile, has lost four of five games since a 3-0 start, but the Eagles remain a dangerous team with their talented skill position players. Junior quarterback Brandt Nevin leads the SOC in passing with 1,536 yards and 12 touchdowns; senior wide receiver Mychal Williams is No. 1 in receiving with 734 yards on 38 catches; and junior tailback Kris Butler ranks sixth in rushing with 575 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Eagles’ bugaboo has been their league-high 27 turnovers and minus-10 turnover ratio. "We keep putting ourselves in tough situations," Eagle Point coach Harry Hedrick says. "And it’s not just the turnovers. We’ve also fumbled a lot of snaps that have put us in long-yard situations." The Eagles continue to lead the SOC in total offense at 337 yards per game. CRATER AT GRANTS PASS — Craig Dolmage is expected to return to Grants Pass’ lineup and that’s good news for the Cavemen. The junior tailback, the SOC’s leading rusher with 821 yards, sat out last Friday’s 27-3 loss to Roseburg with bruised ribs. With both teams boasting rugged defenses — Crater ranks No. 1 in the SOC and Grants Pass No. 3 — yards and points could be hard to come by. Linebacker Cody Clark draws most of the headlines for the Comets, but Callan Hartzer earned MVP honors for his efforts during last Friday’s 42-21 win over Klamath Union. Hartzer led the team in tackles and, on offense, he ran for 138 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown and caught four passes for 71 yards and another TD. Neither team is out of the hunt for a state playoff berth although the Comets, with three league losses, need a victory and help from other teams. "This game is going to have a playoff atmosphere," Crater coach John Beck says. "And that’s exciting for us because these kids haven’t been in that situation before." KLAMATH UNION AT ASHLAND — Four straight losses have put a damper on Ashland’s once promising season, but the Grizzlies can still salvage a winning campaign with a victory tonight and another one next Friday against Crater. Senior quarterback Sam Littleton should return to action after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Klamath Union soared to a 14-0, first-quarter lead against Crater last week but ran out of gas and lost 42-21. The Pelicans also lost wide receiver Mark Brooks — who snagged a 65-yard touchdown pass against the Comets — to a broken leg. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Singler finding comfort zone as South Medford�s QB ">[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. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s