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Grizzlies close in on SOC crown By DON HUNT The Ashland Grizzlies can clinch a tie for the Southern Oregon Conference championship while the Grants Pass Cavemen can assure themselves the No. 2 state playoff berth with football victories on Friday night. The unbeaten Grizzlies (7-0 overall, 5-0 SOC) will be heavy favorites when they host South Medford (1-6, 1-5 SOC) at Walter A. Phillips Field, while the Cavemen (5-2, 4-1 SOC) will be slight underdogs when they travel to Roseburg to meet the Indians (4-2, 4-2) in what shapes up as the game of the week in the SOC. In other games involving SOC teams Friday, Crater (3-4, 2-3) journeys to Klamath Union (0-6, 0-5), North Bend (3-4) visits Eagle Point (2-4, 2-3) and Crook County (5-2) meets North Medford (4-2, 4-2) at Spiegelberg Stadium. If the Grizzlies need any extra motivation against an opponent they'll be favored to beat by at least three touchdowns, it's another SOC title and the No. 1 state playoff berth that goes with it. The Grizzlies are seeking their seventh conference championships in the past 12 years. "It's something we'll be talking to the kids about, most definitely," Ashland coach Jim Nagel says of the opportunity to hang another championship banner on the school's gym wall. "Winning the conference title and going to state as the No. 1 team (from the SOC) is always a main goal of ours." The Grizzlies had a bye last week and spent their practice time concentrating on fundamentals and getting some injured players healed up. "We worked a lot on our special teams, something you don't ordinarily have time to concentrate on," Nagel says. "We worked on how to break a wedge, avoid blocks, block punts, strip the ball from the ball carrier -- stuff like that." Equally important, the respite allowed wide receiver Jay Kuester (hip), linebacker Matt Contreras (knee) and linemen Roger Walsh (bruised shoulder), Roger Schorovsky (kneecap) and Ryan Hansen (neck) to regain their health. "Most of those guys could have played a game last week but they were dinged up and it was nice to be able to rest them," Nagel says. "We're healthier right now than we've been the entire season." While Ashland will be a prohibitive favorite to hand South Medford its seventh loss in eight games, Nagel is trying to convince his players that the Panthers are a dangerous opponent. South Medford is coming off a 41-13 win over Klamath Union. Ashland beat the Pelicans 50-21 the previous week. "They're playing with a lot of enthusiasm and the last few weeks they've done some outstanding things," Nagel says of the Panthers. "They'll come over here with a nothing-to-lose, everything-to-gain mentality, and if we're not ready to play we could have a fight on our hands." South Medford's offense has been stuck in first gear most of the season but shifted into high gear against Klamath Union. Fullback Luke Schoneberger rambled for 179 yards and the Panthers racked up 336 yards rushing and 401 yards in total offense, by far their highest output of the season. A new face in the South Medford huddle is Jace Johnson, a running back and defensive back who moved in from Phoenix, Ariz., three weeks ago. Johnson became eligible last week and scored a pair of touchdowns while touching the ball just three times. "It seems like every year we play South they've got some new running back or wide receiver that they unveil against us," Nagel says. "I'm always complaining to my scouts, why didn't you tell me about THAT kid?" Johnson will start at cornerback on defense Friday and will filter in at running back, South coach Bill Singler says. "He has a lot of athletic ability," Singler says. "He's quick, very intuitive and makes plays. We're trying to bring him along as fast as we can." Meanwhile, a standing-room only crowd of more than 5,000 is expected to jam the grandstands at Finlay Field in Roseburg, where the Indians desperately need a victory over Grants Pass to give themselves a realistic shot at advancing to the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 years. The Indians are coming off their most impressive effort of the season, a 42-0 rout of Crater in which they held the Comets to a minus-7 yards rushing and 56 yards in total offense. Grants Pass was almost as effective, limiting Eagle Point to 91 yards of offense on the way to a 21-0 win. The Indians rank first in the SOC in total defense, the Cavers second. They also rank 1-2 in scoring defense, with the Cavers leading the way in that category. "This will be the most physical game we've played all year and our boys will know that before they ever get on the bus," says Grants Pass coach Tom Blanchard, whose Cavers have won five straight games since starting the season 0-2. "Hopefully, we'll be able to dish out what we take in." Roseburg quarterback Kevin Linderman had the top passing performance of the season in the Indians' win over Crater. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior completed 13 of 17 passes for 293 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions and now finds himself atop the passing efficiency ratings in the SOC. "They run the veer offense as well as anyone and now their quarterback is throwing for 300 yards," Blanchard says. "That's a nightmare to even think about, but I'll leave all those problems to Grants (Martinsen, the Grants Pass defensive coordinator)." GP can assure itself the No. 2 state playoff berth with a victory and in the process would put North Medford into the playoffs as well. A win by the Indians would open the door to a three-way tie for second place between Grants Pass, North Medford and Roseburg, depending on what happens next week. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,