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Saints offer bit of deja vu for SOU No. 4 Carroll College heads to Ashland with a potent offense and one of the nation's top defenses By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND - Carroll College may be the most scouted team the Southern Oregon football team has faced all season. The fourth-ranked Fighting Saints (9-1) boast a downright stingy defense, an electrifying quarterback and a hard-nosed running back. The seventh-ranked Raiders (9-1) haven't seen the likes of a team with those characteristics since, well ... every day in practice. Saturday's quarterfinal matchup in the NAIA Championship Series features a mirror image on both sides of the ball for SOU, with only the names and a few national rankings providing division between the Raiders and Saints. Kickoff time is 1 p.m. Saturday at Raider Stadium in Ashland. "They remind me a lot of us," says sixth-year SOU coach Jeff Olson. "It's like we'll be playing against our own offense. They're going to run the ball to similar gaps and throw the ball down the field with a very talented quarterback, just like us. "We've got our work cut out for us," adds Olson. "They do it all. It's certainly a much different challenge than we had last week. When you get to this level, the stakes get higher and teams just get better and better." The similarities between the two programs is uncanny. Pick a statistic, and you'll most likely find each team rated in the top-20 for that category. In fact, it's that way in eight of the 16 NAIA categories, although that doesn't include the three areas where SOU is rated and Carroll College is not. Carroll College leads the country in rushing defense after holding foes to 51.7 yards per game. The Fighting Saints are also fourth in total defense, allowing 232.6 yards per game. In contrast, SOU is ranked eighth in rushing yards per game (101.2) and eighth in total defense (260.5 ypg). Most of the Saints' numbers can be deceiving, however, considering they played teams like Montana State-Northern and Rocky Mountain College twice this season. The Raiders beat those two teams by a combined 98-13 margin, racking up gaudy offensive and defensive statistics as well. Offensively, the Frontier Conference champions from Helena, Mont., offer a varied attack with senior quarterback J.D. Emmert, junior receiver Casey Fitzsimmons and running back Mike Morris. Emmert is rated No. 3 in passing with an average of 246.3 yards per game. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound QB set a school passing record with 3,597 yards in leading his team to the NAIA semifinals last season. Emmert is coming off a 20-for-25, 188-yard performance in last week's 45-27 first-round win over 12th-ranked Valley City State. He has completed 220 of 335 passes for 2,463 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions entering Saturday's game. "J.D.'s got great composure and all those intangibles you don't see on paper," says Carroll coach Mike Van Diest. "He's got a great presence about him and doesn't get flustered or let a bad throw bother him." Emmert's favorite target is Fitzsimmons, a 6-4, 235-pound tight end who has hauled in 61 passes for 681 yards and four TDs. Fitzsimmons ranks 10th in receiving this year after hauling in 70 passes last year. Key to the Saints' attack is the kind of balance they can get with senior running back Mike Morris, who garnered offensive MVP honors last weekend with a 194-yard, three-touchdown performance. Morris (5-9, 205) has rushed for 980 yards and 11 TDs on 204 carries for Carroll, while also catching 32 passes for 293 yards and five TDs. Morris ranks 12th in the nation in scoring. "We just try to utilize Mike in many different ways to get him the ball," says Van Diest. "He's just a real tough kid who comes to work every day. He's not a fancy runner. He can run inside the tackles and has enough speed to get around the perimeter. He also has great leg strength and can break a lot of tackles." Sharing some of the rushing load is junior Heath Wall (6-2, 202), who has 406 yards rushing and four TDs on 110 carries. Much like the Raiders, however, it's the Carroll College defense that provides the team's foundation. Leading the charge is All-American linebacker Joe Horne (5-9, 180). The senior has a team-high 89 tackles to go with 31/2 sacks. Helping solidify the Saints are linebackers Nick Garreffa (5-11, 190) and Cory Perzinski (6-1, 200) and strong safety Luke Lagomasino (5-10, 206). Lagomasino is second on the team with 61 tackles and has a team-high four interceptions, while Garreffa has 59 tackles and 31/2 sacks and Perzinski has 58 tackles and three sacks. "We've given up some big plays the last couple weeks but our kids run to the ball real hard and have done a good job this year of finishing their tackles," says Van Diest. Providing a steady push are linemen Brandon Sheahan (6-3, 245), Justin Sell (6-5, 235), Chuck Hayter (6-0, 235) and Matt Ventresca (6-0, 235). Hayter, who was named the defensive MVP last weekend, is second on the team to Sell with five sacks, while Sheahan has four and Ventresca boasts a team-high eight tackles-for-loss. Junior tackle Tyler Maxwell (6-2, 270) also provides a formidable force inside. 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.