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49 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 13, 2003 Suspensions alter SOU’s makeup for season finale By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Following the indiscretion of 14 seniors last Saturday night, the Southern Oregon University football team finds itself in a less-than- ideal situation as the Raiders head to La Grande this weekend for their season finale against Eastern Oregon. Due to a violation of team and departmental rules by the senior group, which included 10 starters, the Raiders (4-4) will go in search of a record-tying fifth straight winning season with an undeniably new look. "We had some guys who made some poor decisions," says eighth-year SOU head coach Jeff Olson, who suspended the seniors for Saturday’s game. "Playing without any of them is going to be too many." Advertisement Olson says the violations were committed following last Saturday’s 40-28 victory over Western New Mexico University and ensuing six-hour bus ride to El Paso. The Raiders spent the night in Texas, then chartered a plane to Portland Sunday morning. The "team violations" allegedly involved incidents of slight alcohol use, of which SOU has a zero-tolerance policy, and an unauthorized visit to nearby Juarez, Mexico. "I can’t change what’s happened, and I’m not going to try," says Olson. "It’s an embarrassment, but we have to move on with the guys who have committed themselves to the program." Chief among those eligible to play Saturday against Eastern Oregon (4-5) are senior tailback Dusty McGrorty and the entire starting offensive line of Jason Woody, T.J. Woodley, Aaron Hayman, Todd Wesolowski and Marc Garcia. Slotback Bobby Poeltl rounds out the typical offensive regulars, along with senior placekicker/punter Steve Baker. As the heart of SOU’s offense, Olson hopes their presence will lessen the load on first-time starters quarterback Justin Despotakis, fullback Curt Stout, tight end Jared Leeper and receivers Carl Dice and Chris Hill. "We’re minus some guys, but believe it or not, we have a resilient group," says Olson. "The guys we have here are going to go battle this weekend, no matter what." As understudy to senior signal-caller Dan Woodward, Despotakis has seen limited action on the field this season. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound redshirt sophomore has played in five games, completing 9 of 12 passes for 72 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Junior Brandon Griffith, who was Woodward’s backup last season, is also expected to see time at quarterback against Eastern Oregon. Stout has also played in five games this season as a backup to McGrorty, rushing 30 times for 162 yards, but will be seeing his first action at fullback in place of senior Michael Robinson. Dice and Leeper have played in eight and six games, respectively, for the Raiders, with Dice ranking third on the team behind senior Andrae Thurman and Poeltl with 13 receptions for 190 yards and a TD. Leeper is fifth on the team behind senior Heykel Aouriri with five catches for 72 yards and a TD. SOU’s defense was hit hardest by the suspensions, causing a shakeup at eight of the 11 positions. Starters Floyd Watson and Dustin Mari will be joined on the defensive line by redshirt freshman Willis Cooley, who has nine total tackles this season in seven appearances. Cooley replaces senior Garret Gelker, who amassed a career-best 11 tackles, three sacks, recovered a fumble and deflected a pass intercepted by Toby Walker in last Saturday’s win. Linebacker David Zauher will be asked to move to the inside on SOU’s second line of defense in place of senior Brett Ekart, with first-time starting sophomores Dave Pettersen and Chad Harrell taking over at outside linebacker for senior Ryan Gilmore. Strong safety Mike O’Brien moves to free safety to offset the loss of senior Gabe Raso, with redshirt freshman Nick Coursolle inserted at strong safety. Junior Toby Walker, a starter at cornerback all last season and part-time starter this season, will be inserted at the rover position for senior Keith Lawson, while starting cornerback Kellan Quick will be joined by Mario Vital on the opposite side of the field in place of senior Sedric Ashley. In all, SOU will be without five of its top eight tacklers. Still, Olson is optimistic his team will be ready to challenge Eastern Oregon on Saturday. "I’m anxious to see this group go," says the coach. "In an unfortunate circumstance, this group has really come together. If there’s an upside, it’s the amount of leadership that has surfaced from some of the new guys." As one of the team captains and suspended seniors, Gelker says he hopes something positive comes from the negative experience. "Everybody makes mistakes, and we made one and we have to pay the consequences," says the 26-year-old All-American. "I’m torn up because I let the coaching staff down, the players, SOU, Ashland, everybody down. But with all that aside, I have to accept whatever punishment comes my way because I broke the rules. "If any good comes out of this, it’s that the younger guys can learn from our mistake and never have to go through this." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times