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Football futures shine bright at night Photo by Jim Craven Hedrick Hornets teammates Sam McHenry, left, and Chris Casey soak in their first taste of night football Wednesday in the Black & Maroon Bowl against the McLoughlin Bulldogs at Spiegelberg Stadium. McLoughlin, Hedrick show skills in rare tilt By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Eighth-grade football players and their friends in the stands at Spiegelberg Stadium got a taste of the future Wednesday. They seemed to like how football in the big stadium was played by two local middle school teams. A crowd of nearly 1,000 saw the Hedrick Hornets sting their rivals from McLoughlin Middle School, 42-8, in the Black & Maroon Bowl at Spiegelberg Stadium. Hedrick Middle School players await their turn to play under the Spiegelberg lights. "I think it's cool that the school district let us play in the stadium, where these guys are going to play next year in high school," said Rachel Tomlin, an eighth-grade student at Hedrick. "It's going to be a lot of fun being over here for high school games during the next four years. "I'm just cheering and yelling for my team and having a lot of fun." So was Hedrick tailback Rob Folsom, who ran for 142 yards and scored four touchdowns, including punt returns of 62 and 70 yards. Hedrick stretched its record to 4-0 and defeated the Bulldogs for the first time in three years at the big stadium. "We have a big line that averages about 180 (pounds per player)," said Folsom. "Running behind those guys is like having a Suburban in front of you. They are a bunch of Mac trucks." The Hornets exploded to a 35-0 halftime lead. At that point, it was time for Hedrick students to savor the win and enjoy their presence in the big stadium that is steeped in history of great Medford football teams. "Something like this gives us a lot of school spirit," said Anna Lilly of Hedrick. "It's fun to beat McLoughlin because they are our rivals. We aren't supposed to like them, but I have a lot of friends over there, actually." "It's awesome to see your friends here at the game and enjoy the spirit," said Kadi Driver of Hedrick. "Even though we don't have cheerleaders, there's still a lot of spirit out here." So much spirit, Hedrick students booed when bruising fullback David Faaeteete of McLoughlin rumbled 35 yards for the final touchdown of the game and the only score by McLoughlin. "I tried to force-push some guys out of the way," said Faaeteete, in reference to the run. "After I got by them, I had to run the rest of the way with a cramp (in his right leg. "Hedrick has a lot of speed," said Faaeteete, who rushed 20 times for 113 yards. "That was the difference. I was disappointed we didn't get 16 points but we still played all right." Hedrick lineman Andy Card did his part in opening holes for Hornets running backs Russell Vandell and Folsom and quarterback Jeff Adams. "There's nothing better than to knock them to the ground and see them shake," said Card. "The only thing better is to see our back running for a touchdown after a good block." Vandell rushed 10 times for 150 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 59 and 42 yards. Hedrick head coach Dan Keck said his team, which is averaging 21 points per half this season, played well again. "We have a pretty good team," said Keck. "I'm fortunate to be coaching some good kids who play the game very well. Let's face it, we have a great line, two good running backs and a good quarterback. And we stop people pretty well on defense, too. "This is Medford football," said Keck. "We're supposed to be good. We are good, but I don't know how good and I'm not making any promises." Spencer Hunter, a Hedrick student, said the warmup to watching high school games at Spiegelberg Stadium next season was fun. "I know the students will be a lot more rowdy when we get here in high school, but it was still fun," he said. "We made some noise and supported our team. But it's really just a friendly rivalry here." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.