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Watch for bottleneck in boys race By Kris Henry Even more so than in years past, the Southern Oregon Conference boys soccer title appears up for grabs as the season swings into gear today. Three teams are favored to fight for the SOC championship, while three others appear destined to duke it out for the fourth and final state playoff spot. SOC Coaches� Poll 1. North Medford (4)........................44 2. Klamath Union (3).......................42 3. South Medford (1).......................41 4. Ashland.......................................30 5. Roseburg.....................................24 6. Grants Pass................................21 7. Crater..........................................14 8. Eagle Point....................................8 Past SOC champions 1983 � Grants Pass 1984 � Ashland 1985 � Klamath Union 1986 � Ashland 1987 � Klamath Union (9-0) 1988 � North Medford (8-1) 1989 � Ashland (7-1) 1990 � South Medford (6-0-2) 1991 � South Medford (8-0) 1992 � Klamath Union (7-1) 1993 � South Medford (8-0) 1994 � North Medford (7-1); Mazama forfeits title 1995 � South Medford (8-0) 1996 � South Medford (8-0) 1997 � South Medford (8-0) 1998 � South Medford (6-1), Ashland (6-1), Grants Pass (6-1) 1999 � Ashland (7-0) 1999 Final Standings 1. Ashland (7-0) 2. South Medford (5-2) 3. Klamath Union (5-2) 4. Roseburg (4-3) 5. North Medford (4-3) 6. Grants Pass (2-5) 7. Crater (1-6) 8. Eagle Point (0-7) Noteworthy Goalkeepers provide a definite safety net for SOC teams this season, with only North Medford and Crater having new faces man the net. Returning in goal are Kyle Hadley (South), Thomas Ussary (Eagle Point), Noah Shields (Ashland), Matt Lamont (Grants Pass), Phil VanBuren (KU) and Alex Williams (Roseburg). Crater sophomore Scott Malone doubles as the football team�s place-kicker and punter. Malone did not play soccer last season, opting instead for the gridiron. Roseburg�s Steve Kaser is the lone newcomer to the SOC coaching ranks, but he�s not new to the sport of soccer. Kaser has 15 years of coaching at various levels of soccer. The first round of this season�s Class 4A state playoffs is Oct. 31. The No. 4 SOC representative plays the Midwestern League�s No. 4, with the winner playing the Valley�s No. 1 in the Nov. 4 second round. The SOC�s No. 3 representative plays Mt. Hood�s No. 1 on Nov. 4, while the SOC�s No. 2 team takes on the Three Rivers League�s No. 3 representative. The SOC champion plays its opener Nov. 4 against the Pac-9 Conference�s No. 3 team. The state championship game will be Nov. 18. SOC In 1999 Playoffs First round � No. 4 seed Roseburg defeated Central Catholic 2-1. Second round � No. 1 seed Ashland shut out Bend (2-0), No. 2 seed South Medford denied Lincoln (2-0), No. 3 seed Klamath Union lost to Barlow (2-1) and Roseburg was eliminated by Wilson (3-2). Third round � South shut out North Salem (2-0) and Ashland edged Tualatin (3-2). Quarterfinals � The Panthers edged South Eugene (1-0) and the Grizzlies beat Corvallis (2-1). Semifinals � Mountain View eliminated South (8-1) and Jesuit edged Ashland (2-0). "It�s pretty obvious there are three teams that are the class of the league this year in North Medford, South Medford and Klamath Union," says Grants Pass coach Scott Gottula. "It�s going to be a game of who can find the right combinations (to claim the SOC title)." North Medford barely finished ahead of South Medford and KU to take the role of favorite into the 2000 campaign. The Black Tornado received four first-place votes and 44 points in the coaches� poll, with the Pelicans earning three first-place votes for second at 42. South received the other top vote and 41 points. The Black Tornado�s bevy of returning players makes it a force to be reckoned with, while the Panthers offer a talented blend of returners and newcomers and the Pelicans might boast the best player in the league in senior Alex Casey. Although ninth-year North coach Rich Garcia fails to see his squad as a clear-cut favorite, he does acknowledge this year�s cast of Tornado players has the tools to get the job done. "I think top to bottom, this is one of the best groups I�ve had since �95 or �96," says Garcia. "Both of those teams took me deep into the playoffs, and that �96 team made it into the state championship." North returns 12 players from a squad that tied for fourth in the SOC last year, and boasts a number of key newcomers that make the Tornado possibly the deepest team in the league. The key for North stands to be its leadership, with a roster dominated by 13 seniors. "You just can�t put enough value to having senior leadership," says Garcia. Those seniors enter this season with something to prove, having missed out on the playoffs last season. It was only the second time in Garcia�s tenure North that did not advance to the playoffs. "We�re going to meet the challenge, hopefully, this year," says the coach. "We learned a lot from last year." To do so, Garcia says the Tornado will rely on captains Dominic Crenshaw, Scott Jolly, Josh Grace and Ben Clark to keep the squad motivated. North will also have to rely on first-year starter Jon Cotta in goal. "The thing about Jon is he�s not a flashy keeper but he comes to work every day," says Garcia. A willingness to work hard has enabled South Medford to win or share the SOC title in four of the past five years, and coach Dave Potter says his crew has the intangibles to make a run at another title. Paced by returning starters Kyle Hadley, Corey Parks, Craig Tomlins, Josh Neville, Pat Lower and Adam Walport, South has proven leadership in key positions. That should enable the Panthers to have some success as a mostly inexperienced group cuts its teeth in SOC play. "Overall we�re going to have 10 or 11 brand new players to varsity, so we�re going to have some growing pains and surprises along the way," says Potter, "but I think we�re going to be OK." The Pelicans pose an interesting threat to the Medford schools, mainly because the majority of KU players have played varsity since their freshman campaign. With those players now juniors and seniors, the Pelicans pose a legitimate threat as Casey and Luis Garcia highlight a talented cast of 12 returners. "It will benefit us to have mostly the same players (from the past two seasons), but will it benefit us enough? I�m not sure," says KU coach Gerritt DeGroot. "One bounce is going to be the difference between who�s going to win (the SOC title) or not." Klamath Union tied for second last year with South, but was upended in the second round of the state playoffs by Barlow. Ashland easily won the SOC title last year, but lost nine starters from the group that advanced to the state semifinals along with South. The Grizzlies are led by returning goalkeeper Noah Shields. "We�re just going to try to challenge everybody each game and see where we stand," says Ashland coach Eisa Tiaa Toutou. The emergence of Scott Beaver, Brett Peterson, Jesse Hodges, Quinn Neely and Matthew Sharp should help Ashland in its bid to return to the state playoffs. Fighting the Grizzlies for the fourth SOC spot stands to be Grants Pass and Roseburg. Each team has league coaches wary on what to expect this year. "Grants Pass, Ashland and Roseburg are darkhorses in the league," says Garcia. "They�re the unknowns and could sneak up on anyone." The Cavemen feature a predominantly junior lineup, with returning starters Nevin Williams, Brian Sniffen, Andrew Purser and Matt Lamont providing the key for a well-balanced attack. Injuries have hampered the Cavemen throughout their non-league schedule, but Gottula was hopefully to have the entire cast ready for today�s game against South Medford. Roseburg features returners Chad Wilson, Alex Williams, Jered Moss and Kevin Traviss, with Traviss providing the main scoring threat on a team that has seen seven players notch at least one goal. Crater and Eagle Point round out the SOC hopefuls, with the Comets forced to replace eight starters and the Eagles looking to make strides under 10th-year coach Coco Ortiz. Heading the Comet fortunes will be top scoring threats Jason Licato and Scott Malone, who also doubles as the place-kicker and punter for the football team. Crater returns Aaron Kell, Steve Johnsen and Matt Hinchcliffe. Eagle Point returns seven from last year�s squad, led by goalkeeper Thomas Ussary and seniors Mike McReynolds and Juan Luna. The Eagle defense is an experienced one with returners Kevin Brown, Drew Curriston, Casey Murdock and Nathan Scudder. 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. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA