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Reed gives South a leg up in the SOC By Don Hunt Most of the South Medford fans were long gone midway through the fourth quarter of last season�s state playoff football game against Churchill. And who could blame them? Churchill was leading 50-0 and the temperature had dipped to about 20 degrees on a frigid November night in Eugene. Thus, only a handful of spectators were still in their seats when tailback Andres Reed dashed 49 yards for South Medford�s only touchdown. Reed finished the night with 83 yards on 14 carries, and although many of them came at garbage time, the game served as a springboard to stardom for the wet-behind-the-ears sophomore. "That game proved to me that I could play at a high level," Reed says. "And it motivated me to work hard in the offseason." One year later, Reed is the leading rusher in the Southern Oregon Conference for the ninth-ranked Panthers, who meet No. 2 Roseburg at Spiegelberg Stadium tonight in a battle of unbeatens. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Reed has racked up 729 yards, scored 10 touchdowns and is averaging an eye-catching 10.3 yards per carry for the Panthers, who are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1994. South Medford coach Bill Singler could see the raw talent that Reed possessed when he entered high school two years ago. He saw him leap and stretch several inches over the rim in basketball. He saw him outrun nearly everyone on the track. He saw him make the kind of cuts in football that are rare for a high school player. But Singler also saw someone who went through the motions in practice and spent little time in the weight room. "He was 14 years old when he came here," Singler says. "He was a young kid who really didn�t have any idea what kind of potential he had, and it took him a couple years to figure things out." Reed was annoyed he didn�t play more last season, but now realizes he wasn�t ready for full-time duty. "Coach Singler had it all planned out," he says. "He kept telling me I�d play more if I worked harder. I started to push myself on special teams and pretty soon I was out there running the ball and playing some defense." Reed took his new work ethic to the track last spring, and more good things happened. He won the 200-meter dash at the district meet, finished third in the 100 and ran on the Panthers� 4x100 relay team that set a district record. "Track helped my speed and my endurance," Reed says. "And it made me more confident as an athlete." Reed made virtually all of the summer weight-lifting and conditioning workouts, and by the time he showed up at fall camp he was a 6-foot, 187-pound bundle of muscle and speed. Reed weighed 171 pounds as a sophomore. As a running back, Reed has learned to accelerate through holes, keep his pads low and put a move or two on linebackers and defensive backs. "It�s a process," Singler says. "You don�t just show up one day and lead the league in rushing the next." Reed credits Rob Brown for springing him loose on many of his long runs. Brown lines up at fullback in the Panthers� two-back sets and often spells Reed at tailback. Brown, a senior, has run for 250 yards and one touchdown. Reed and Brown also serve as the Panthers� starting inside linebackers. "Rob has to be one of the best blockers in the league," Reed says. "He takes a lot of pride in it. He loves to block and I love to run � it�s a good combination." While most of his teammates are able to relax when they head home after practice and on weekends, Reed has other responsibilities, namely helping to care for his four younger brothers and four sisters. Cook, baby-sitter, taxi driver, bedtime storyteller � those duties are more demanding in some ways than football. But as he does on the field, Reed takes them in stride. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.