Document text
57 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 7, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 14, 2004 Panthers prepare for GP’s unorthodox offense By DON HUNT Mail Tribune The single-wing offense has been out of vogue for more than 40 years, but Grants Pass High football coach Tom Blanchard has brought it out of mothballs. Troubled that his Cavemen were struggling to move the ball through the air following the season-ending knee injury to quarterback Nolan Morgan on Sept. 17, Blanchard abandoned more conventional sets for the single wing. The Cavemen employed the run-oriented attack briefly during a 26-0 loss to Eagle Point on Oct. 1, then went to it almost exclusively during last Friday’s 34-6 victory over Ashland. What will they do Friday when they host fourth-ranked South Medford at Mel Ingram Field? South Medford coach Bill Singler is dying to know. "They’re a difficult team to prepare for right now, because we don’t know what they’re going to do," says Singler, whose team stands 2-0 in the Southern Oregon Conference and 4-1 overall. "Will they come out in the single wing, go back to the fly offense that they were using or do something entirely different? Advertisement "They’re obviously trying to find themselves offensively." In other SOC games Friday, eighth-ranked Eagle Point (5-0, 3-0 SOC) travels to Ashland (0-3, 1-4) and Crater (0-5, 0-3) ventures to Roseburg (3-2, 1-1). North Medford (2-1, 5-1) has the night off. In the single wing, the ball is snapped directly to a player in the backfield, who then takes off upfield or hands it to a teammate. The main beneficiary of the new — or old, depending on your viewpoint — offense has been Craig Dolmage, a hard-running sophomore who gained 108 yards on 19 carries against Eagle Point and then exploded for 196 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns against Ashland. Senior Pat Allen also had a productive outing against the Grizzlies, amassing 141 yards on 18 carries and one TD. All told, Grants Pass (2-3, 1-1 SOC) racked up 366 yards rushing against Ashland while completing just one pass for 3 yards. Singler is impressed with the 6-foot, 190-pound Dolmage. "He’s a strong and explosive runner who runs through arm tackles," Singler says. But whether the Cavemen can play smash-mouth football against South Medford, which features one of the better defenses in the state, remains to be seen. Led by linemen Rick Imhausen, Ben Koziol and Noah Brennan, linebackers Justin Meyer, Ryan Odell and Jon Lang and strong safety Kyle Singler, the Panthers are allowing only 104.8 yards per game on the ground. "I would think they would have to pass the ball at some point," coach Singler says. Kyle Singler, the coach’s sophomore nephew, had a sensational game last Friday when the Panthers defeated cross-town rival North Medford, 28-21. The younger Singler had touchdown receptions of 25 and 22 yards and was a huge force on defense. "Big-time players rise to the occasion in games like that and Kyle is a big-time player," the coach says. "That was definitely his best all-around game." Ditto for South Medford quarterback Jon Weaver, who passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns. With both defenses flexing their muscles this fall — Grants Pass replaced South Medford as the No. 1 stopping force in the SOC this week — Singler isn’t expecting a lot of points to go on the board. And if recent history is a guide, the game will be close. Four of the past five contests between South and GP have been decided by a touchdown or less, including last season, when the Panthers squeezed out a 13-6 overtime victory. EAGLE POINT AT ASHLAND — Eagle Point piled up a season-high 354 yards rushing during last week’s 26-6 win over Crater and will likely try the same tactic against an Ashland team that is banged up on defense. Eagles quarterback Jered McClellan is the No. 2-ranked passer and rusher in the SOC. He’s completed 69 percent of his throws for 813 yards and 11 touchdowns and he’s run for 377 yards and eight scores. The Eagles have big games on the horizon against the two Medford schools but coach Harry Hedrick doesn’t think his team will overlook the Grizzlies. "Four (league) wins has been the magic number for a team getting to the playoffs in recent years and right now we’ve got three," Hedrick says. "This game means a lot to us." Ashland will welcome back standout tight end Jeff Skinner, who missed last week’s game with a concussion. CRATER AT ROSEBURG — Roseburg coach Thurman Bell doesn’t think his team has been physical enough the first half of the season. The Indians have struggled to run the ball and their defense is allowing an SOC-worst 334.4 yards per game. They used last week’s bye in an attempt to toughen up. "I just don’t think we’ve been physical enough. Maybe we just don’t have very many physical kids," Bell says. Where the Indians have excelled is in the passing game. Roseburg quarterback Brett Stephens has thrown for 1,012 yards, 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Crater continues to struggle on offense, averaging just 182.6 yards and 8.6 points per game. The Comets managed a season-high 230 yards against Eagle Point last week, but squandered a long drive with an interception and wound up with only six points. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [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 Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s