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Panthers romp past Crater CENTRAL POINT � Wins in the Southern Oregon Conference have been hard to come by for the South Medford football team the past couple of years. The Panthers brought experience into the 2000 campaign and looked to turn the goose eggs from previous years into some W�s. South Medford did just that in its season-opener Friday night, snapping an eight-game conference losing streak dating back to the 1998 season with a 36-21 victory over Crater at Dutch Meyer Field. The last SOC win for the Panthers was a 41-23 decision over Klamath Union, Oct. 23, 1998. "The kids were confident going into the ballgame," said South Medford coach Bill Singler. "They�ve just been waiting to explode the past few weeks." The Panthers already matched their 1999 win total with the win and turned sophomore quarterback Boomer Marshall�s first varsity start into a memorable one. The starting quarterback position was a question mark heading into the contest after senior John McKay suffered a broken thumb during daily doubles. That left Marshall, who distinguished himself as junior varsity quarterback last year as a freshman, on the spot. Marshall didn�t disappoint and set the tone early. He hooked up with McKay early in the opening stanza for a 13-yard touchdown pass to cap a 12-play, 68-yard opening drive. "He�s (Marshall) a special kid for a sophomore," said Singler. "He�s very mature for his age and just a natural leader. "When John (McKay) got hurt, Boomer was ready to step in. He got his opportunity and I�ll have to admit he played beyond my expectations." South Medford converted three consecutive Crater fumbles into scores during a 20-0 third-quarter stretch that sealed the win. The Comets trailed 16-7 after a 28-yard field goal by Jared Mulhollen but Dan Casey took the ensuing kick-off 95 yards to pay-dirt, leaving Crater down 16-13 at the break. "I thought we did a good job bouncing back from that return," said Singler. "We really regrouped and hung in there and got back into our game." The Comets went three-and-out to start the second half and Marshall and the Panthers quickly went to work. The young thrower operated a 10-play drive that ended with a 29-yard scoring strike to McKay, who was able to handle the ball well despite the injury. Crater�s following possession ended after one play with the first of three consecutive fumbles. The three turnovers helped close the game for the Panthers, but Singler thought it was how the game started that really made the difference. "I thought we came out and did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage at the beginning," said Singler. "If you hang in there both offensively and defensively then things will turn out. And they did for us." Marshall finished 15-of-22 for 177 yards and three touchdown tosses while the Comets could muster only 74 yards through the air. Senior tailback Jimmie Maddox led a ground attack that amassed 248 yards with 161 on 31 carries. Casey turned in 78 yards on only eight attempts to lead Crater in the losing cause. McKay finished with five catches for a team-high 70 yards. GRANTS PASS 40, CROOK COUNTY 0 � At Grants Pass, Brandon Hamada rushed for four touchdowns and gained 133 yards on the ground as seventh-ranked Grants Pass provided first-year coach Jeff Weiss a victory in his initial game. Hamada scored his first touchdown on a 3-yard run with 4:26 to go in the opening period. The Cavemen took over at the Crook County 3 after a bad snap on a punt and Hamada scored on the first play. Good field position at the Cowboy 38 set up the Cavemen�s second touchdown. Hamada completed the five-play drive with a 26-yard burst at 1:47 of the first quarter. Grants Pass went into halftime with a 25-0 advantage due to a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Nate Olson to Parker Lane. Grants Pass used a balanced attack that totaled 292 yards in offense, while Crook County was limited to 66 yards. Non-conference KLAMATH UNION 38, MAZAMA 12 � At Klamath Falls, Klamath Union used a powerful ground attack to build a 32-0 lead after three quarters in the annual Canal Bowl. The Pelicans rushed for 330 yards, with Brad Mejia leading the way with 124 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown. David Trujillo added two touchdowns and 90 yards rushing, while Jason Mortenson scored twice and picked up 78 yards. Landyn Trammell accounted for both Mazama touchdowns on runs of 28 and 24 yards. Trammell led the Vikings with 110 yards on 11 carries. COQUILLE 12, HIDDEN VALLEY 7� At Coquille, Hidden Valley turned the ball over five times � four on fumbles and one interception � and had eight penalties for 60 yards in a non-conference loss to the Far West League opponent. Hidden Valley trailed 12-0 at halftime as Coquille amassed 224 yards. Of the Red Devils total, 144 came on two running plays, including R.J. Buckles 84-yard touchdown run. In the second half, the Red Devils were limited to 43 yards in offense. The Mustangs scored on Josh Evans 10-yard run with 4:27 left in the game. Hidden Valley had the ball inside Coquille�s 25 with two minutes remaining, but fumbled on its final two plays, the last being on fourth down. Hidden Valley all-conference running back Nick Mason reinjured his ankle after four carries for seven yards. Evans proved to be a capable replacement with 125 yards rushing on 21 carries. Hidden Valley............................................0 0 0 7 � 7 Coquille......................................................6 6 0 0 � 12 C � Buckles 84 run (run failed) C � Gardner 20 pass from Bready (run failed) HV � Evans 10 run (Combe kick). GLENDALE 38, ROGUE RIVER 0 � At Glendale, senior running back Pat Donner scored four touchdowns and quarterback Ryan Owens passed for three and ran for another as Class 2A Glendale thumped its 3A Skyline Conference rival. Rogue River only managed 153 yards and committed seven turnovers. A 56-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Travis Bowers to Matt Branch accounted for a big chunk of the Chieftains� yards. Glendale picked up 138 yards on the ground and another 86 through the air. Rogue River...........................................0 0 0 7 � 0 Glendale...............................................14 12 12 0 � 38 G � Donner 1 run (Owens run) G � Donner 19 pass from Owens (run failed) G � Owens 11 run (pass failed) G � Donner 29 pass from Owens (run failed) G � Donner 21 run (run failed) G � Glover 5 pass from Owens RR �Branch 56 pass from Travis Bowers (Perryman kick) Class 2A CASCADE CHRISTIAN 26, RIDDLE 6 � At Riddle, Cascade Christian opened the season on a winning note with a non-conference road victory against a Big Fir League opponent. Cascade Christian.................................0 7 13 6 � 26 Riddle......................................................0 0 0 6 � 6 BUTTE FALLS 36, CAMAS VALLEY 6� At Butte Falls, Mark Lunsford and Issac Stevenson scored on the first two plays from scrimmage for Butte Falls, then the Loggers pulled all their starters. Camas Valley, which couldn�t complete the season last year, is not competing in Skyline A League play. Butte Falls added second-quarter touchdowns by Kenn Biando, Trevor Hersom and Brian Schmidt. Camas Valley...........................................0 0 0 6 � 6 Butte Falls..............................................18 18 0 0 � 36 BF � Lunsford 68 run (Stevenson run) BF � Stevenson 28 run (Lunsford run) BF � Safety, Camas Valley recovered fumble in end zone. BF � Biando 21 run (run failed) BF � Hersom 20 run (run failed) BF � Schmidt 23 run (run failed) CV � Kay 60 run (run failed) 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. 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