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Lower to take soccer ability to next level By Don Hunt Pat Lower admits it wasn't easy passing up a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Washington. It's a good school with a nationally-ranked program. And when he visited the campus recently, former South Medford High and current Huskies star Bryn Ritchie took a special interest in him and made sure he felt comfortable. But in the end, Lower felt compelled to go where his heart told him to go - and that was St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. Lower, a senior at South Medford who helped the Panthers to a 12-3-1 record, the Southern Oregon Conference championship and a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals this past season, has given an oral commitment to St. Mary's. The official signing date doesn't arrive until the first week in February. "Washington flew me up to Seattle and it was an amazing campus," Lower says. "I liked the school and everyone was real nice, but for me, St. Mary's just seemed like a better fit." For one thing, Washington has more than 30,000 students while St. Mary's has a little over 2,000. Lower didn't want to get lost in a sea of humanity simply walking to class. But beyond that, he took a liking to St. Mary's coach Steve Rammwell, who took over a struggling program this fall and, Lower believes, has the wherewithal to turn it into a winner in the next couple years. "I first met him at a (Olympic Developmental Program) regional tryout in Idaho last July," Lower says. "He's a real down-to-earth guy. I think I'll fit in there real well." Lower also expects to get on the field more quickly at St. Mary's than he would have at Washington. For the Gaels, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound striker will be looked upon to control the ball as well as score. "They have a lot of skilled players, but they're looking for a big striker who can hold the ball up so the rest of the team can get into transition offense," Lower says. "That's one of the main things they want me for." Although Lower has a lot of natural ability, he was also one of the hardest workers on the South Medford team. A four-year varsity player who broke into the Panthers' starting lineup late in his freshman year, Lower has been to numerous soccer camps and played on several Olympic development teams. You'll also frequently see him out running - usually five miles at a pop at a sub-seven minute pace. "I remember one time in the spring of his sophomore year he ran by the soccer field while I was putting on a camp," South Medford coach Dave Potter says. "He said he was doing a half-run. I had no idea what that meant, but he explained that it was a half-game, or 40 minutes. "And let me tell you, he was running at a fast clip." Potter believes Lower will excel in college, not only because of his work ethic but also because the college game necessitates more strategical play than the high school game. "And that fits him, because Pat does not play ragged soccer," Potter says. Lower will get about half of his expenses paid by the soccer scholarship and hopes to get most of the rest funded with academic grants. He carries a 3.85 grade-point average at South Medford. SPEAKING OF GRADES , the Panthers were recently honored as the top boys academic soccer team in the state with a team GPA of 3.65. Ryan Wallenberg and Cory O'Neill have 4.0s and 15 of the 19 players have GPAs of 3.5 or higher. THE OREGON SCHOOL Activities Association made its reclassification and redistricting changes official at a meeting in Wilsonville on Monday. At the Class 4A level, St. Mary's of Portland will leave the Metro League and join the Mt. Hood Conference, Hood River Valley will move from the Mt. Hood Conference to the Intermountain Conference and Lebanon will leave the Valley League for the Midwestern League. Two Class 4A schools - North Bend and Gladstone - are dropping to 3A, while current 3A schools Reedsport, Bandon, Myrtle Point, Clatskanie, Waldport and Grant Union are dropping to 2A. WANT TO KNOW the most popular sports for high school boys and girls? The top five among boys are football, basketball, track, baseball and soccer (in that order). For girls, it's basketball, track, volleyball, softball and soccer. Football has more than one million participants, nearly double that of any other sport. The figures come from a survey gathered by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.