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Heat hopes home edge pays off By KRIS HENRY For a change, the Southern Oregon Heat will catch a break tonight when it takes on the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in a non-conference National Indoor Football League tilt. Not only does the Heat have home-field advantage, but two of the Greyhounds' (3-2) top players won't make the trip from Wheeling, W.Va., because of work conflicts. Since Southern Oregon (1-4) plays its games Thursdays at the Inferno instead of the typical league schedule of Friday and Saturday contests, work responsibilities can become an obstacle for visiting teams. That apparently will be the case tonight for Ohio Valley running back Billy West and veteran free safety John Jenkins. West rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns in Ohio Valley's 76-13 rout of the Mobile Seagulls last week. Jenkins' experience will also be missed. The 6-foot, 190-pound safety has professional experience with Steel Valley of the Indoor Football League and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Losing West and Jenkins for the road trip puts a dent in the Greyhound armor, but the cupboard is far from bare for a team that allows a league-best 22.2 points per game and scores 43.6 points of its own. "They've got a good offensive line, a good defensive line and their defensive backfield is chock-full of athletes," says Heat co-head coach Larry Jobe. "All around they're a pretty good football team." Ohio Valley quarterback Jose Davis completed 4 of 7 passes for 104 yards last week before giving way to backup Mike Armour in the second half. Armour tacked on 80 yards on 6-for-13 passing to close out the rout. Tailback Dwayne Schulters, who rushed three times for 19 yards and a TD last week, is questionable with a sprained ankle. Primed to step in should Schulters be unable to play is Birdie Dockery, who moves to running back from his slot receiver position, and Donald Dorsey, who has missed the last two games to concentrate on college exams. Diallo Johnson and Bunny Jefferson proved to be the prime weapons on the outside for Ohio Valley last week, with Johnson catching five passes for 87 yards and Jefferson hauling in three for 75 yards, including a 40-yard TD hookup with Davis. While the Greyhounds are coming off their most lopsided win of the season, the opposite is the case for the Heat, which was thumped 65-22 last week at Yakima. Through five games, Southern Oregon is averaging 22 points per game - second worst in the NIFL to the River Cities Locomotives (17.6 points per game) - and has allowed an average of 41.4. At the Inferno, the Heat has struggled in the second half, scoring just three points in three games. Southern Oregon will once again be without the services of quarterback and co-head coach Eric Vanderwegen, who reinjured his right pectoral muscle against Yakima. In his stead, David Douglas will move back to quarterback from his receiver position. Southern Oregon is 1-2 with Douglas at the helm. Despite the change, Jobe says he expects the Heat to rise to the occasion tonight. "We're over the funk from last week and ready to move on," he says. "We've got some new wrinkles and new twists for our Heat fans." Ticket prices have been lowered for the remainder of the Heat's home schedule. For more information, contact the Heat ticket office at 245-0507 or 1-866-SOR-HEAT. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.