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Tornado storms to head of the class Despite winning their first four games by an average score of 49-6, a few questions remained unanswered about North Medford High�s football team heading into last Friday�s game at Roseburg: How would the Black Tornado stand up to one of the state�s best teams on the road? How would quarterback Kevin Foreman, a first-year starter on varsity, perform in a pressure-packed game? Foreman had done everything right to this point, but with North Medford�s running game and defense dominating its previous opponents, he was under very little duress. How would the Tornado�s defensive line fare against a Roseburg offensive front that outweighed it by 25 pounds a man? As most everyone knows by now, North Medford earned straight A�s in all categories, and the result was a stunning 31-0 victory. Those in the know weren�t particularly surprised by the verdict, but the margin of victory sent shockwaves across the state. The defeat was Roseburg�s worst since a 42-7 loss to Grants Pass in 1994, and it marked the first time in 72 games that the Indians have been shut out. In 25 years of covering high school football in Southern Oregon, I can never recall anyone dominating Roseburg so thoroughly. Remember, this is a program that has won six Southern Oregon Conference championships and four state titles under veteran coach Thurman Bell. The Indians had a little bit of success running up the middle, but North Medford�s cat-quick defense pounced on the Indians every time they tried to run wide, and Roseburg quarterback Adam Hazel was sacked eight times. "They�ve got tremendous quickness across the board and they play with great intensity," said Bell, whose team finished with just 62 yards in total offense. "If they keep playing like that, I�m not sure anyone can beat them." Some are comparing this team with the �93 squad that won the state championship. Frankly, I think it�s better. It�s not better at every position, but it�s better defensively. It�s better at quarterback. It�s better at wide receiver. And it�s better at place-kicker, where Kelly Brown is having a big impact. Brown not only thumped a 41-yard field goal that gave North Medford a 17-0 lead early in the third period Friday, but his kickoffs continually put Roseburg in poor field position. The Indians started at their own 21-, 11-, 23-, 21-, 20- and 33-yard lines following Brown�s towering boots. It�s tough enough driving 40 or 50 yards on North Medford�s defense. Going 80 or more is even tougher. Foreman, meanwhile, proved that he can perform superbly in the clutch. On North Medford�s second play from scrimmage, he rumbled 24 yards on an option play. During the same drive, he put the ball on the money for a 13-yard pass to Brian Weeks on a third-and-nine play. Late in the second period, with North Medford holding a 7-0 lead, he hit Mike Olson on a crossing pattern for a 32-yard gain on another third-down play that led to the Tornado�s second touchdown and a 14-0 halftime lead. Foreman did suffer his first two interceptions of the year, but one of them was on the final play of the first half when he attempted a home-run ball. "I was a little nervous at the start of the game, but our offensive line is like a security blanket to me," said Foreman, who has now thrown for nine touchdowns and run for seven in North Medford�s five games. "I got hit hard a couple times, but most of the night I never got touched." Another element of this team that I like is the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator John Beck, now in his third season with the Tornado, is giving opponents fits with his blitz packages. Offensive coordinator Brent Barry, head coach Rod Rumrey�s son-in-law, is keeping defenses off balance with some clever play-calling. An example came early in Friday�s game when backup tailback Justin MacLauchlan dashed 16 yards on a reverse to the Roseburg 1-yard line on a third-and-12 play. Fullback Curt Stout scored on the next play. Rumrey picked up another fine assistant this fall when he landed Dave Jacobs, a longtime assistant at Crater who has also been a head coach. Jacobs is coaching the defensive line. North Medford�s biggest obstacle at this point is overconfidence. The Tornado has reason to feel good about itself, but there�s still a long way to go before the playoffs even begin. Games still remain against Grants Pass and Ashland, a team North Medford hasn�t beaten since the 1993 state championship game. And no team is ever a lock to win a state title. A spate of bad luck, a key injury or two � it doesn�t take much in the fickle world of football to have everything blow up in your face. But through five games, the Tornado has played like a champion. You can 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 � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.