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Roseburg-Ashland could decide crown By Don Hunt It may seem way too early to classify Friday night�s Southern Oregon Conference opener between Ashland and Roseburg at Walter A. Phillips Field as a showdown. But history strongly suggests the winner of this game will go on to win the conference championship. It�s been that way for nine of the past 11 years. Over that span, Ashland has collected six league titles, Roseburg four and Grants Pass one. "If you have aspirations of winning the league title, then Roseburg is a team you�ve got to beat," Ashland coach Jim Nagel says. "Nothing has changed." Never mind that Roseburg opened its season last Friday with a 21-14 loss to defending Class 4A state champion Beaverton. The Indians remain the preseason favorite to win the SOC, although they must solve their quarterback problems or they could be in trouble, coach Thurman Bell admits. The Indians managed just 149 yards in total offense last week � including a measly 31 on the ground � while quarterbacks Scott Bone and Adam Hazel combined for six fumbles on exchanges from center. "The weather was bad, but Beaverton had to play in it, too," Bell says. "We weren�t able to get anything going offensively. The quarterbacks didn�t get a lot of help, but we can�t be fumbling the exchanges. Mistakes like that just ruin drives." Junior Levi Thomas, who logged some playing time in the preseason at quarterback but stuck to defense against Beaverton, has again been thrown into the mix and might even start against the Grizzlies. "Right now, I don�t know who�s going to start � we�re searching for answers," Bell says. "Who knows, we may go to the single wing." If the Indians can solve their signal-calling woes, their offense is sure to jell. Seven starters return from a year ago, including first-team all-conference tight end Joe Newton and first-team all-conference tailback Conway Bixby, who ran for more than 900 yards a year ago but was limited to 35 yards on 15 carries against Beaverton. Newton, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound junior, was one of the few Indians who had a good outing against Beaverton, both offensively and defensively. He caught four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. "He got his first start on defense and did a great job," Bell says. "He had a good game on both sides of the ball. The kid is a great athlete." The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from last season when they managed to register their 15th straight playoff appearance but dropped five of their 10 games, including a 28-0 setback to Roseburg to open the 1999 season. The Grizz looks far more potent on offense this fall, mostly because quarterback Mike Allen returns as the starter. Allen took his lumps as a sophomore last season. "Mike knows the offense much better now," Nagel says. ``We can do a lot more things. We�ve got probably twice as many plays in our package than we did at this time last year." Allen was in a battle with fellow junior Cameron Voget for the starting QB job in the preseason, but won the job at last week�s jamboree. The Grizzlies look solid at the other skill positions. Noah Hayes-McKiernan will open at fullback, Mac Contreras at halfback, Zach Williams at tight end and Ryan Goodman and Ryan Decker at wide receiver. Goodman and Decker are first-year starters on offense but have looked impressive in preseason drills. "They catch the ball more consistently than the receivers we had last year," Nagel says. "And they�ve both got good speed and quickness. They can run with the ball after the catch." Contreras has been moved from fullback to halfback to take advantage of his receiving skills. "Our passing game is improved," Nagel says. "We�re executing much better." Defensively, the Grizzlies will rely heavily on their quickness. Ben Holtey, a starter at linebacker last season, has been moved to tackle and excelled at last week�s jamboree at South Medford. "We wanted to improve our quickness up front, and Ben has allowed us to do that," Nagel says. "He and Williams have the quickness to get after the other team�s quarterback." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA