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Click Here 42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 31, 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 December 16, 2003 Something’s wrong in decision to fire Weiss Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Call me stupid, but I’m having a hard time understanding why Grants Pass High School administrators fired head football coach Jeff Weiss last week. Weiss posted a 23-16 record during his four seasons with the Cavemen, and he twice led them to the state playoffs. A winning ledger of 59 percent isn’t going to get you into the Oregon state coaching hall of fame, but it shouldn’t get you fired, either. And apparently, it did. Grants Pass athletic director Tom Blanchard said Weiss’ dismissal didn’t involve wins and losses. He also said, "I’ve been doing this for about 18 years, and I have a pretty good feeling that we need to get a little bit more out of our program than we’ve been getting." Advertisement And that’s where I have trouble comprehending this. If it isn’t more wins and more state playoff berths and deeper runs into the playoffs, then what is it? Blanchard insists there is no black cloud, and if you know Weiss, who serves as a counselor at the high school, you’d have a hard time believing he did anything immoral or unethical to justify his ouster. An informed source tells me the decision to fire Weiss came from further up the administrative ladder than Blanchard, and that Blanchard wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. As a former head coach of the Cavemen, Blanchard knows firsthand what the job entails. In 14 seasons as the head coach, Blanchard posted an 86-55 record with eight playoff appearances. His winning percentage of 61 was only slightly higher than Weiss’, and his record through his first four seasons — the length of Weiss’ tenure — was 17-21. There are people in Grants Pass who think the Cavemen should be winning their share of Southern Oregon Conference championships, but they don’t realize how difficult it is to beat the top one or two teams in the league. Blanchard, who claimed only one SOC title, was 2-12 against former Ashland coach Jim Nagel and 3-11 against Roseburg coach Thurman Bell. Currently, the top two programs are North Medford and Roseburg, and Weiss had a win over each team and played the Black Tornado tough in three of four matchups. Ultimately, Weiss’ undoing may have been his failure to beat South Medford, where he served as defensive coordinator prior to taking the Grants Pass job. The Panthers stunned GP 14-9 in the final regular-season game of 2000 to steal a playoff berth from the Cavemen, rolled to a 48-27 victory in 2001, squeezed out a 14-7 win in 2002 and, this past season, claimed a 9-6 overtime decision that also cost Grants Pass a playoff berth. "Except for us, I think Jeff has beaten the teams he was supposed to beat and lost to the teams that had more talent, except that he knocked off North Medford and Roseburg once each," says Bill Singler, the South Medford head coach. "What do people want? "I think what you’re seeing is a win-at-all-costs mentality that has filtered down from the pro and college levels. It looks as though there’s a group over there who wanted him out because they think someone else can do better. "Maybe they’ll find that guy, but I can tell you, it’s not going to be easy to fulfill those expectations." Coaching aside, Weiss was also one of the class acts of the Rogue Valley. Armed with a quick wit and a great sense of humor, he was a favorite among fellow coaches and the media. He’ll land on his feet somewhere. CONSIDERING THE budget crunch Oregon schools find themselves in these days, Grants Pass may have a hard time bringing in a coach from outside its district to replace Weiss, especially if the vote to reject the tax surcharge passes in February. IT DIDN’T TAKE Rob Folsom long to establish his dominance on the wrestling mat. Just one week removed from the state championship football game, and with only a couple practices under his belt, Folsom earned most valuable wrestler honors at the Coast Classic in North Bend last Saturday. "I find that incredible," says South Medford coach Ken Thompson, whose Panthers host North Medford Thursday in a dual meet. "It just shows the kind of athlete he is." Folsom competed at 160 pounds, 20 pounds under his playing weight in football. 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. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times