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69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 16, 2004 North Medford�s Josh Casebere (20) has a two-game rushing total of 339 yards to easily lead the SOC. Casebere and the Black Tornado square off against top-ranked Clackamas on Friday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli His time to shine North tailback Josh Casebere finally getting his chance as the Tornado’s offensive star By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Josh Casebere was the best-kept secret on the North Medford High football team last season. Casebere routinely racked up 100-yard games as the tailback on the Black Tornado junior varsity team, but under the lights on Friday nights he rarely got a chance to play. The reason? North Medford had Rob Folsom, who racked up 1,325 yards and 14 touchdowns in earning first-team, all-conference and third-team, all-state honors, and Willy Brown, an exceptional backup who ran for 520 yards and eight scores. Advertisement Casebere would have started for a lot of teams, but he never complained, knowing that his time to shine would arrive in 2004. "I got punished as the scout team tailback going against guys like David Faaeteete and Brian Jiminez," says Casebere, referring to last season’s defensive stalwarts who helped North Medford to a runner-up finish in the Class 4A state playoffs. "But those guys made me better. I learned to run low and run hard." Now that he has the opportunity to be the Tornado’s featured back, Casebere is running wild. The diminutive, but strong-as-an-ox senior slashed and dashed for 179 yards on 17 carries in North Medford’s 35-31 season-opening victory over Lakeridge on Sept. 3, then went for 160 yards and two scores in a 45-28 win over Central Catholic last Friday. Casebere has also snared screen passes of 40 and 65 yards and taken them to the house. His two-game rushing total of 339 yards easily tops the Southern Oregon Conference. "I’ve waited three years to be in this position," says Casebere, who was also a reserve running back as a sophomore in 2002. "I did a lot of extra work in the summer to get ready for my chance." Casebere is listed at 5-foot-7 and 168 pounds in the North Medford program, but he admits to being 5-6 and 160. His forte is his speed — he’s run the 100 meters in 11.4 seconds and the 40-yard dash in 4.5 — but strength is a close second. Despite his small physique, Casebere has bench-pressed 260 pounds and hoisted an even more impressive 500 pounds on the squat rack. Only a couple of beefy linemen — 6-2, 270-pound Lorenzo Arenas and 6-1, 290-pound Johnny Vaigafa — have squatted more on the North Medford team. "He’s a lot more powerful than he looks," says North Medford coach Rod Rumrey of Casebere. "He’ll break tackles and run right over you if he gets the chance." That’s precisely what happened to a Central Catholic defensive back last Friday when Casebere barreled over him near the goal line to complete a 14- yard touchdown run. "I thought about juking him but I was almost to the end zone and decided to just run over him," says Casebere, who is also a starting defensive back for the Tornado. Casebere credits Rumrey for a good deal of his development. Rumrey served as the Tornado running backs coach last season, then took over the head position this season when John Beck went to Crater. Rumrey was also North Medford’s head coach between 1988 and 2000. "He had so many drills that helped us get better," Casebere says. "He taught us to stay low, run hard and hang on to the ball. And if you weren’t doing things right, he’d let you know." During his first stint as North’s coach, Rumrey coached Matt Miller, Kerry Curtis, Mat Davis, Nate Philo, Ken Halpin and Phil Ouellette. All of those backs either won SOC rushing titles or earned first-team, all-conference honors, or both. Casebere seems to be following in their footsteps. "The thing that I like best about Josh is his work ethic," Rumrey says. "You look at what he’s done in the weight room and out on the track to get faster, and then you look at what he does in practice, and it’s impressive. "Even when he’s banged up, he’ll sneak into a line and get some extra reps." When you finally get to be the main man in the North Medford backfield, you’ll touch the ball every chance you get. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, 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 © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities