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SCL: Lost River in hands of new coach By TIM TROWER The Hill is gone, but there's still quite a mountain to climb. That's Hill as in Dave, Lost River's football coach for eight years until he turned the reins over to defensive coach Dennis Dunlea this fall. Dunlea has a tough act to follow. Under Hill, the Raiders won the six Southern Cascade League championships in a row and made the state playoffs seven times. In the last four years, they've played in two title games, winning in 1997, and made it to the quarterfinals the other time. What makes it a chore for Dunlea is that he has few returning starters -- one on offense, three on defense. "We've beaten a lot of people for a long time," concedes Dunlea. "It's payback time, you might say." Before cueing the violins, let him finish. "Oh," says Dunlea, "it won't be so bad that anybody rolls over us. It depends on how we grow up. If things go well, we could be right back in the thick of things." Speaking of thick things, consider a couple of players Dunlea has to build around: T.J. Woodley, a starting guard last year who will go both ways this season, is a 6-foot, 275-pound senior; senior Chris Mathews, a starter on the defensive line last year and another slated for two-way duty, is 6-1, 260. The other returning starters are senior defensive end Jamie Dee (6-3, 185) and senior linebacker Jeremy Carter (5-10, 175). The two big linemen are the foundation.big A running team that in the past flashed speed, Lost River will get behind its behemoths and "be a little more power-oriented," says Dunlea. Junior Eric Beasly (5-9, 150) is the quarterback. Seniors Josh McCollom (5-10, 160) and Justin Carter (5-10, 160) will be the strong backs in a power-I, and juniors Danny Hernandez (5-6, 140) and Dennis Hickey (5-9, 155) will take turns at tailback. An intriguing transfer will join junior Josh Moore (5-10, 135) as a receiving threat. Exchange student Bogden Basii of Denmark is playing football for the first time, but he has the size (6-4, 190) and athletic ability to potentially have an impact. "We put him at wide receiver because it's the least confusing position for him," says Dunlea. The confusion isn't limited to Basii. Dunlea has a lot of players who have "been involved in a lot of big games, but they're not the guys who have been making the plays. Practice is a lot different than playing in the games." BONANZA -- The Antlers' record of getting to the state playoffs in the 1990s has been stellar, having made it the past six years. Now they want a playoff win, something that hasn't happened since 1973. "We've worked extra hard to get past that first round," says second-year coach Kyle Petrick, whose team lost 45-13 to Monroe in last year's playoffs. "We want to go further. It's been a long time over here." Bonanza was 4-1 in the SCL last year but only 5-5 overall. It lost 1,600-yard rusher Andy Kness and its leading tackler and lineman, but the cupboard is stocked. The roster swells with 23 seniors and juniors, 13 of whom started. Junior quarterback Jeremy Grande (5-11, 160), senior tailback Travis Williams (5-10, 145) and senior fullback Levi Mortensen (5-10, 195) lead the offense. Senior wide receivers Jason Grohs (5-7, 135) and Ryan Case (5-10, 145) return, as does tight end Roland Scott (6-0, 170). Offensive linemen back in the fold are senior center Tony Anderson (5-10, 160) and junior tackle Toren Kern (5-11, 175). Four senior linebackers return with experience: John Fellows (6-0, 195), Matt Grant (5-10, 155), Nick Mockridge (5-9, 145) and Scott. Kern returns at defensive end and Williams in the secondary. Last year, the Antlers counted on the aforementioned Big Three. This year, says Petrick, "four or five guys on any given night can step up and do the job for us." CHILOQUIN -- A name familiar to Rogue Valley football followers has popped up on the Panthers' roster, and coach Norm Barney couldn't be happier. Former Crater High running back Henry Delaney moved to Chiloquin and will be the workhorse tailback. The senior has benched press 380 pounds since arriving and has a best, Barney says, of 430 pounds. "That probably puts him in the top 10 percent in the country of people his weight," guesses the coach. As a sophomore at Crater, he ran for 201 yards against Eagle Point and gained 540 yards despite missing two games. Two starters return on offense for the Panthers. Senior two-way lineman Nick Allen (5-10, 230) started at guard last year and junior Cliff Crosby (6-1, 160) will be the setback. Quarterback Beage Hescock (5-9, 145), a junior, started the first third of the season before being sidelined by a knee injury. Senior tackle gives Billy Jackson (6-0, 235) gives Chiloquin added size up front. Other linemen are junior guard Bob Rademacher (5-6, 145) and senior tackle Mangus Bettles (5-11, 160). Junior Vernon Miller (5-11, 215) is the tight end. GILCHRIST -- For a team that went 0-5 in league and 0-9 overall last year, the Grizzlies have high hopes. Coach Todd Holady, in his second year, returns 13 starters and isn't ruling out playoff contention. "I think we'll surprise some people, pick up some games," he says. "But I'm not going to make any bold statements." Four returning offensive linemen provide a good start: seniors Daniel Petznick (5-9, 220) and Tim Atkins (5-10, 230) and juniors Evan Smith (5-10, 195) and Andrew Knotts (6-2, 200). The bulk of the running attack will come from backs Matt DeYoung, a sophomore, and junior Brad Haynes. Linebackers Smith and Haynes will be defensive cogs, and the secondary will be manned by sophomores Adam Ernst, Jake Hunter and Dustin Fisher and senior transfer Marc Brewer. Another transfer, senior fullback Neal Conaway, comes from a 5A school in Colorado, says Holady, where, at 6-1, 200, he was considered too small. "He's definitely impressed me in practice," says the coach. FOOTBALL 99 Index Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.