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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, November 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 25, 2004 South gets second chance against Lakers By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Call it destiny, fate or just plain coincidence. The South Medford High football team, which has roared to eight straight victories and owns an overall record of 10-1, gets a chance to avenge its only defeat of the season when it meets Lake Oswego in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A state playoffs on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Lake Oswego High. "You don’t often get second chances in life, and especially in sports, but we’re lucky enough to get another shot at Lake Oswego," says South Medford coach Bill Singler. The Lakers crushed the Panthers 35-9 on Sept. 17 at Spiegelberg Stadium. South Medford started the season with lengthy road trips to state champion Tigard and West Linn. It came home with a pair of wins and built an early 9-0 lead against Lake Oswego, but fatigue set in during the second half and the Panthers absorbed a lopsided defeat. Advertisement Since then, South Medford ran the table in the Southern Oregon Conference and has romped to a pair of playoff victories, 41-14 over Madison and 49-16 over McNary. Lake Oswego, meanwhile, stubbed its toe against Three Rivers League rival Clackamas but the 10-1 Lakers have won all their other contests, including 28-14 and 14-7 decisions over South Salem and Sheldon, respectively, in the playoffs. One thing is for certain: Neither Singler nor Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury believes the earlier game has any relevance now. "The way they played against McNary last week shows how far they’ve come," Coury says. "When you dominate a playoff team like they did, it’s a little scary. "We know we’re in for a dogfight." In the win over McNary, South Medford scored touchdowns on its first four possessions, amassed 520 yards of offense, didn’t suffer a turnover and had just two penalties. "That was a very clean game for us," says Singler. Friday’s game will match teams with similar personalities and strengths. Both the Panthers and the Lakers boast quick, swarming defenses. Both pride themselves on robust running attacks. And both are unafraid to unleash their strong-armed quarterbacks. For South Medford, senior Jon Weaver has completed 130 of 202 passes for 1,945 yards, 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He was nearly perfect last Friday, hitting on 10 of 13 attempts for 207 yards and four scores, including 48- and 40-yard strikes to senior wide receiver Dan Chancler. The previous week, Weaver was 14 of 22 for 241 yards and two TDs. He hasn’t thrown an interception in the postseason, and has only one pick in his last 140 attempts. "I question whether there’s a quarterback out there who’s playing any better than Jon is right now," says Singler. "He has taken his game to another level these past few weeks." Lake Oswego’s Nick Lomax has compiled comparable stats. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior, a son of former NFL standout QB Neil Lomax, has connected on 121 of 216 attempts for 2,013 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. "Our first objective is to stop their running game, but we think Lomax is the best quarterback we’ve seen this year head-to-head," says Singler. "He’s a big, strong kid who sets up quickly and makes good throws." Lomax’s only poor performance came in the Lakers’ 10-6 loss to Clackamas on Oct. 22 when he was ill. "He was in the hospital for two days early that week and hooked up to an IV," says Coury. "We probably shouldn’t have played him." Lomax isn’t the Lakers’ best player, though. That distinction belongs to tight end/safety Kevin Maher, a 6-2, 200-pound senior who was named the offensive player of the year in the Three Rivers League. Maher also earned first-team honors at safety. South Medford fans might remember Maher in the earlier game against Lake Oswego when he made a spectacular one-handed catch along the sideline and then ran over two defenders on the way to a 47- yard gain. In the Lakers’ win over Sheldon, Maher intercepted two passes and showed his versatility by throwing a touchdown pass on a trick play in the fourth quarter to win the game. "He’s a kid who can dominate a game on either side of the football," says Coury of Maher. "He’s got great speed and great instincts. I would think he’s one of the best players in the state." What worries Singler is that Lake Oswego has two other marquee receivers in senior Ryan Hilliard and senior J.T. Coury, the coach’s son. "Their receivers are similar in talent to the ones we had two years ago," says Singler. "They have several guys who can beat you." Along with Maher, the Lakers’ other top defensive players include end Kyle Schollander, linebacker Travis Buskuhl, nose guard Syd Barag and cornerbacks Dallas Hogensen and Charlie Olson. Lake Oswego is yielding just 250 yards and 10.8 points per game, numbers that are superior to South Medford’s 267 yards and 17.4 points allowed. But the Panthers might be the hottest team in the state right now, and they’d like nothing better than to show the Lakers how far they’ve come since that September shellacking at Spiegelberg. 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 ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities