Document text
Relentless Gelsinger grinds on and on By DON HUNT No matter the task, regardless of the assignment, you can trust Jesse Gelsinger to take care of business. In the classroom, he carries a 3.7 grade-point average. On the day the SAT tests were given, he scored an eye-catching 1,220 (out of a possible 1,600). In his family's art publishing business, he built a Web site that earned him an award. And on the football field, the senior offensive guard and defensive tackle is perhaps North Medford's best player. "I can't ever recall a linemen being the most valuable player of one of my teams," says Rod Rumrey, now in his 11th season at the helm of the Black Tornado and in his 28th season as a coach. "But that could very well change this season. "Jesse Gelsinger is the blood and guts of this football team." The Tornado (6-3) will meet Westview (8-1) in a first-round state playoff game tonight (7:30) at Hare Field in Hillsboro. North is a couple of naps and a lot of chitchat from home, and it's in enemy territory. But with a leader like Gelsinger, the Tornado's worries are few. In a season in which North players have dropped like flies because of injuries, Gelsinger has been its Rock of Gibraltar. He is the only starting offensive lineman to not miss at least one game, and he's one of the few defensive linemen to take virtually every snap. "People say how tough it is to play both ways, but I love being in there the whole game," Gelsinger says. "And mentally, it's a lot easier to keep your focus when you're in there from start to finish. "When you're standing on the sideline, you can get cold and not be into the game the way you should be." The Tornado is expected to have its hands full tonight against Westview, the state's No. 8-ranked team. Rumrey has told his troops that the formula for winning is to control the ball and the clock, and the only way that will happen is for the offensive line to take care of business. And that's fine and dandy with Gelsinger. He and his fellow linemen -- center Matt Haight, guard Frank Silva and tackles Brian Backstrom and Ryan Stegall -- have paid the price for just this moment. "There was a dozen of us that hit the weights five days a week last summer," Gelsinger says. "We invested a lot of time, all reaching for a common goal, and now we're here to reap the rewards." At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Gelsinger is not a big lineman by today's standards. But all those visits to the weight room have made him strong -- he can bench press more than 300 pounds and hoist 450 pounds on the squat rack -- and no one on the team out-hustles Jesse G. Never was Gelsinger's hustle more evident than during last week's 42-0 victory over Eagle Point when he leveled an opposing player 20 yards upfield that enabled tailback Steve DeClerck to complete an 86-yard touchdown run. "I came from the backside and my job is to find somebody and knocked them down," Gelsinger says with a shrug. "On that play, I had to move up the field a little to find somebody. "When you spring a running back for a touchdown, it's the greatest feeling." Gelsinger is equally active on defense. "He's one of those kids who keeps pursuing and keeps making an effort until the final play of the game," Rumrey says. "He never quits." A friendly, easygoing, well-spoken sort off the field, Gelsinger admits he enjoys the unpleasantries in the trenches. "It's just real nice to be able to go out there and hit somebody," he says. "Football has to be one of the best stress relievers in the world. You don't see very many football players punching out walls." Gelsinger has been known to punch a keyboard or two, though. He has had his hands in his family's art publishing business for several years and designed a Web site last summer that won an award in the Mail Tribune. "I hope to own my own business someday," says Gelsinger, who will major in marketing when he heads off to college next year. "My parents have owned their own business for a long time, and a lot of my relatives have businesses, too. "I've been to a lot of trade shows and stuff like that." And don't be shocked if Gelsinger buys a restaurant or two when he gets a little older. He's been taking a cooking class at school this term and, as of this writing, none of his servings have been lethal. "Football players have got to eat," he explains. As of now, Gelsinger dishes it out best on the football field. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,