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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2004 South’s O’Neill to walk on at OSU Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Linfield and College of the Redlands offered Corey O’Neill some tempting financial aid packages to attend their schools and play football and baseball, but the South Medford High three-sport standout has decided to walk on at Oregon State. "I want to aim high," says O’Neill, who plans to play both football and baseball for the Beavers. "I love to compete at the highest level. I’m going up there as a walk-on but I plan on earning a scholarship." O’Neill booted three school-record 47-yard field goals during his tenure with the South Medford football team and, overall, made good on 17 of 22 field-goal attempts and 108 of 111 extra-point tries. His kickoffs routinely sailed into the end zone. With the Beavers in the market for a kicker — Kirk Yliniemi used up his eligibility last season — O’Neill will be given the opportunity to win the starting job in the fall. Junior-to-be John Dailey, considered last season to be Yliniemi’s heir apparent, is nursing a sore back. Ross Wopat and Alexis Serna, who will be redshirt freshmen in the fall, are also in the mix. The Beavers are also expected to land current high school senior J.P. Sundquist from Service High in Anchorage, Alaska. Advertisement "By no means is that situation settled," says OSU interim sports information director Steve Fenk. "A true freshman could come in and win that job." O’Neill sent tapes to the OSU coaches and met with special teams coach Bruce Read in February. "He just said he liked my potential and to get ready for some good competition in the fall," says O’Neill. In baseball, O’Neill earned third-team, all-state honors last season as an outfielder while batting .418. He’s currently batting .333 for South Medford, which leads the Southern Oregon Conference with a 7-2 record. Even without an athletic scholarship, O’Neill should get some of his college fees paid for. He’s a 4.0 student at South Medford and is one of the school’s valedictorians for 2004. "I’m more proud of that (valedictorian) than I am of anything I’ve done in sports," says O’Neill, who has been first-team, all-conference in football, soccer and baseball. "At times, it’s been hard to keep up. I haven’t had much of a social life." James Joy, who guided the St. Mary’s High volleyball team to six Southern Cascade League titles over the past seven years, may be leaving his post to focus on his new duties as the school’s athletic director. Joy would like to keep both jobs, but the fall is by far the busiest time for an A.D., he says. "The bulk of the sports at St. Mary’s are in the fall and the volleyball team is often playing three nights a week," says Joy. "Both jobs are time-consuming, and I don’t want to cheat either one." Joy led the Crusaders to a state runner-up finish in 1999 and his volleyball teams have finished third on three other occasions. He’s also the head girls golf coach and teaches geometry, health and P.E. Rick Jackson will take over the head basketball coaching duties at St. Mary’s, replacing the retiring Tim Pflug. Jackson coached the Crusader girls hoop team last season. Jackson, a graduate of St. Mary’s and Azusa Pacific University, was an assistant coach for Dennis Murphy at South Medford from 1987-91. North Medford’s Rachel Munyon set school and meet records in the discus at the Westview Invitational track meet last Friday in Beaverton. Munyon’s throw measured 125 feet, 3 inches. Danielle Jordan also enjoyed a good day for the Black Tornado, establishing meet records in the 1,500 (4:46.44) and 3,000 (10:32.98), while David Faaeteete set a meet mark in the discus (159-11½ ). Faaeteete also had a lifetime best in the shot put with a toss of 55 feet even. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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