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North fields new faces against Eagles By Don Hunt Despite a lot of new faces on defense and at quarterback, North Medford was picked to finish second in the Southern Oregon Conference football race. The Black Tornado gets its first chance to back up that preseason billing Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium when it meets Eagle Point in the season-opener for both teams. In other games involving SOC teams, Ashland (0-0) hosts Roseburg (0-1), Crater (0-1) entertains South Medford (0-0), Grants Pass (0-0) is at home against Crook County (0-0) and Klamath Union (0-0) meets cross-town rival Mazama (0-0) at Modoc Field in Klamath Falls. All games begin at 7:30 p.m. North Medford went 8-3 a year ago and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where it lost to eventual state runner-up Sprague. Despite all of the losses to graduation, the talent pool hasn�t dissipated. Still, coach Rod Rumrey can�t help but be worried about a defense that returns only two starters. "We can be a very good defensive team," Rumrey says. "We�ve got a lot of kids who played part-time last year, and now those kids have to step up." The Tornado must also replace two-year starting quarterback Nate Mayben. Senior Kevin Forman, who spent last season on defense, gets the call. "He�s becoming more comfortable and getting more confidence with every snap," Rumrey says. "He�s had his best practices this week." Forman doesn�t possess Mayben�s quickness or scrambling ability, but he�s accurate on both short and long passes and is a threat to run, Rumrey says. Forman has a couple of advantages: throwing to first-team all-conference wide receiver Mike Olson and operating behind an experienced offensive line that features first-team all-conference guard Justin Baehmann, second-team all-conference center Dan Crawford and honorable mention all-conference tackle Scott Myers. The line figures to create ample running room for senior tailback Phil Ouellette, who earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season while rushing for nearly 700 yards and five touchdowns. "Phil has stepped it up a notch," Rumrey says. "I think he�s ready to go." Senior Curt Stout and junior Justin MacLauchlan will alternate at fullback. The Tornado offense could encounter stiff resistance from an Eagle Point defense that boasts six returning starters, including second-team all-conference tackle Blake Cam and second-team all-conference linebacker James Mannenbach. "It�s a good group," Eagles coach Mike Johnston says of his defense, which shut out Grants Pass through one period of play at a jamboree last week. "I think we�re going to be tough to run against, especially on the inside. We�re pretty physical in there with Cam and Mike Brabbin. Cam, a state champion in wrestling, weighs 265 and Brabbin goes 295. Like North, Eagle Point will also go with a first-year starter at quarterback. It likely will be 6-foot, 195-pound senior Kyle Gray, though junior Robert Slayton and sophomore Tyson Nelson could also see action. The Eagles also have a new tailback in junior Victor Shelton, a tough inside runner who can also break the long one. "We threw the ball well at the jamboree but had trouble running it," Johnston says. "Our offensive line lacks experience. We�re hoping it comes together Friday night." SOUTH MEDFORD AT CRATER � South Medford is considered by many to be the most improved team in the SOC, but the Panthers suffered a blow a couple weeks ago when three-year starting quarterback John McKay broke the thumb on his throwing hand in practice. Boomer Marshall, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore, inherits the job. "The fortunate thing is that it happened early enough that we could get Boomer ready to play," South Medford coach Bill Singler says. "You hate to lose an experienced kid like McKay, but Boomer is very mature for a sophomore. He doesn�t panic. He�s used to winning. And he�s definitely got some skills." The Panthers, 1-8 the past two seasons, are hoping for a breakthrough in Singler�s third season. They return seven starters on defense, four on offense and boast of a superb sophomore class, led by Marshall and wide receiver Ryan Benson. Along with Marshall, the Panthers are looking for a big season from senior tailback Jimmy Maddox, a converted wide receiver whose 38 catches led the SOC a year ago. Crater opened its season a week early and dropped a 28-20 decision to Mountain View of Bend last Friday. But coach Randy Heath liked the way the Comets fought back from 14-0 and 21-6 deficits to make a game of it. "Once we woke up, we played very well," he says. Quarterback P.J. Price had a rough debut, completing only 4 of 17 passes for 12 yards. But he had six passes dropped during the rain-plagued game, Heath says, and showed his running prowess by gaining 46 yards on six carries. Heath also had a touchdown run called back. CROOK COUNTY AT GRANTS PASS � First-year Grants Pass coach Jeff Weiss is hoping for a great deal of improvement from last week�s jamboree, in which the Cavemen struggled offensively, gaining a total of just 55 yards in 24 plays against Eagle Point and Willamette. "Our timing wasn�t very good and we missed a lot blocks," Weiss says. "Those are things we obviously need to correct." The Cavemen were 8-4 last season, including a 31-0 romp over Crook County. The Cowboys of Prineville went 2-7 a year ago and lost their starting quarterback in the summer with a serious knee injury. MAZAMA AT KLAMATH UNION � Mazama beat the Pelicans 34-26 in a wild game last season and owns a 2-1 edge since the two Klamath Falls schools renewed their rivalry in 1997. 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