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South back happy to shift gears photo by Drew Fleming Maddox off and running for Panthers By Don Hunt Jimmie Maddox picked a good time to make his starting debut at tailback for South Medford High. Helped along by an experienced line and further augmented by the opening-game exploits of sophomore quarterback Boomer Marshall, Maddox ran for 161 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown in the Panthers� season-opening 36-21 victory over Crater last week. Playing on a team that had won just two games the past two seasons, and moving to tailback from wide receiver, Maddox wasn�t expected to match strides with the top backs in the Southern Oregon Conference. North Medford�s Phil Ouellette, Roseburg�s Conway Bixby and Brandon Hamada of Grants Pass were the ball carriers with superior reputations and impressive track records. But the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Maddox finds himself the leading rusher in the SOC after Week 1. "I was really surprised to come away with that many yards," Maddox says. "I knew I was having some success, but I was a lot more concerned about us winning the game than with what I was doing personally." Maddox played tailback in middle school and at the ninth-grade level, but was moved to wide receiver his sophomore year. He led the SOC in receptions last season with 38 but welcomed the opportunity to return to what he feels is his natural position. "We had some other guys to run the ball the last two years," Maddox says. "I was happy to help the team out wherever I could, but it feels great to be back running the ball." Maddox, who also plays full time on defense at strong safety, isn�t the biggest or the fastest running back in the SOC. But he gets to holes quickly, follows his blockers without fail and showed last week that he can pick up the tough yards. "He never missed a weight-training workout and he was there for all the summer stuff ," South Medford coach Bill Singler says. "And that really showed last Friday. He had a number of 4- and 5-yard gains that looked like they were going to get stuffed at the line of scrimmage. "Jimmie is one of those guys who didn�t grow much after junior high. He�s been a little undersized the last couple years, but not anymore. He�s put on about 10 pounds since last season, and he�s a lot stronger." Maddox is the first to admit that his productive outing last week had as much to do with Marshall�s passing and South�s improved offensive line as it did anything else. Marshall completed 15 of 22 attempts for 177 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his varsity debut, while the line, led by veteran guards Ben Vandagrift and Dan Gregory and tackle Scott McClain, excelled throughout. The Panthers finished with 425 yards in total offense, by far their greatest output in Singler�s two-plus seasons at the school. "The offensive line did a heck of a job," Singler says. "We beat them (Crater) to the punch, and Jimmie took it from there. "And it obviously helps to have a passing game and balance things out.�� The victory removed a big burden off Singler�s shoulders and was especially gratifying to Maddox, Gregory, quarterback/wide receiver John McKay and tight end Bjorn Johnson, the Panthers� quartet of three-year starters who have been through the school of hard knocks. "We put in a lot of work in the off-season and now we have proof that it meant something," Maddox says. "And this is only the beginning." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA