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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 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 Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley 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 October 19, 2004 Nagel still has magic touch at college level Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Jim Nagel is back spending his autumn afternoons partaking in his favorite pastime — coaching football. Nagel, who led Ashland High to three state titles, 16 state playoff appearances and an overall record of 170-58 during a brilliant 20-year stint, stepped down as the Grizzly coach following the 2002 season and retired from his athletic director job last June. If the right opportunity came along, Nagel said, he might one day return to coaching. And so when Linfield College head coach Jay Locey called and asked Nagel if he’d like to coach the Wildcat quarterbacks this fall, Nagel couldn’t resist saying yes. "I was out of football for only one season, but I really missed it," Nagel, 58, says. It’s probably no coincidence that Linfield quarterback Brett Elliott leads the nation in passing at the NCAA Division III level. Elliott, a Lake Oswego High graduate who started eight games for Utah two years ago before breaking his wrist and transferring to Linfield, has thrown for 2,199 yards and 25 touchdowns in just five games. His average of 439.8 yards per game passing leads every level of college football. Advertisement The Wildcats are 5-0 and average more than 40 points per game. "This Linfield team has so many uncanny similarities to a lot of my Ashland teams," Nagel says. "We’ve got good speed and quickness, a great quarterback, some very good receivers and a line that’s not real physical but does a good job of pass protecting." As he did at Ashland, Nagel sits in the press box during games. He analyzes defenses and suggests to Locey what plays might work." "Jay calls the plays, but he’s been very open to my ideas," Nagel says. "Some of the stuff we’re doing is very similar to what we did at Ashland. We’ve added, blended and modified what Jay has done and what I’ve done. "It’s been a lot of fun." Linfield trailed Southern Oregon 24-12 midway through the second period last Saturday, but Elliott responded by completing 32 of 53 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns as the Wildcats rallied for a 56-34 win. Locey is thrilled to have Nagel, who coached at San Jose State and New Mexico State prior to going to Ashland, on his staff. "Jim has been a tremendous asset to our program in a short amount of time," Locey says. "He has refined and fine-tuned our passing game, and I’d be crazy not to listen to him when he’s up in the box. He’s already made several great calls this season that have resulted in big plays." Nagel’s move to Linfield was made easier by the fact that his daughter attends the school. However, he still calls Ashland home. He heads south to see his wife whenever possible. Nagel also continues to follow the Grizzlies. He watched them play Rex Putnam in their season-opener and North Medford on Sept. 24, the weekend Linfield had a bye. Once the season ends, Nagel will return home and serve as Linfield’s recruiting coordinator in Southern Oregon and Northern California. CROSS COUNTRY runners have plenty to worry about as they take the starting line of a race. Competition aside, they must guard against side aches, falling down on slippery slopes, shoes slipping off and how their bodies might react on an unusually hot day. For Cascade Christian High’s Jefferson Horn, there is something far more ominous: bee stings. Horn is extremely allergic to the flying insects. While on a religious mission in Mexico City last summer, Horn got stung and had to be rushed to a hospital. The previous year, he was stung on a golf course in Klamath Falls. Horn gave himself a shot of Epinephrine — a hormone that helps relax muscles in the respiratory system and helps keep a person’s body from going into shock — but it wasn’t enough. He began to have trouble breathing before a state police trooper arrived on the scene and gave him a second shot that probably saved his life. Without the shots, Horn would stop breathing, go into shock and ultimately encounter cardiac arrest and die, says his mother, Louise Horn. "It’s pretty scary," she says. "It’s no way for a kid to live, but it’s something he has to deal with." While out on training runs, the younger Horn keeps two shots of Epinephrine — or EPI pens, as they’re called — in a fanny pack that he wears around his waist. More are stored away at the homes of friends he frequently visits. Beginning this week, Horn will begin receiving allergy shots to desensitize him to bee stings. He’ll need the treatments over the next five years but still may have to carry the EPI pens his entire life, Louise Horn says. Jefferson Horn is Cascade Christian’s No. 2 runner on the boys team and hopes to advance to the Class 2A state meet. Last year, he finished 10th at district — three spots out of state qualifying. 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