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South rolls past EP photo by Drew Fleming By Don Hunt There was an old-fashioned shootout at Spiegelberg Stadium on Friday night. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, a young Marshall named Boomer ruled the town. Sophomore quarterback Boomer Marshall completed 17 of 26 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns to lead South Medford to a 26-12 victory over Eagle Point. In the process, the Panthers ran their record to 2-0 for the first time since 1996 and set up a Southern Oregon Conference showdown with unbeaten crosstown rival North Medford next Friday. "They put seven or eight guys in the box and dared us to throw," said Marshall, who completed his first six passes. "That was fine with us. The line gave me great protection and the receivers made some great catches. "It was a fun night." Marshall had to keep firing in order to outduel Eagle Point quarterback Kyle Gray, who himself had quite a night. Gray, a senior, was 18 of 37 for 250 yards and two touchdowns. In two games, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Marshall has completed 34 of 48 passes for 558 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception, dazzling numbers for a first-year varsity performer. "Boomer had another great game � what can you say?" South Medford coach Bill Singler said. "Like I�ve said before, he�s prepared himself for this moment and he expects to be successful. "He�s big, he�s smart and he throws a very catchable pass. There are times in practice where he doesn�t seem to throw the ball hard enough, but in a game he gets a little more mustard on it. "The kid is just a winner." Marshall and the South offense wasted no time getting started. The Panthers drove 65 yards in seven plays the first time they had the ball, scoring on a 2-yard run over left tackle by Jimmie Maddox. Later in the first period, Marshall and tight end Bjorn Johnson hooked up on a beautifully executed screen pass that covered 64 yards for another score and a 14-0 Panther lead. Johnson caught the ball in the left flat, got a crushing block from tackle Scott McClain and took it the distance down the left sideline. "We put that play in during summer camp at Redmond, but tonight was the first time we�ve used it in a game," said Johnson, who finished with three catches for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns. "It worked just like you�d draw it up on the blackboard." South Medford dominated most of the first half and nearly went ahead by three touchdowns just before the intermission. The Panthers had the ball first-and-goal at the Eagle Point 1, but two illegal procedure penalties pushed them back and then Marshall was intercepted in the end zone. Given new life, the Eagles went to work in the final 54 seconds of the half. Gray connected with split end Greg Horn four times for 76 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown strike with eight seconds remaining. The extra point failed, but instead of trailing 21-0 at the half, the Eagles were down just 14-6. "That put us back in the game and gave us an opportunity to win it in the second half," Eagle Point coach Mike Johnston said. "But we just couldn�t stop them from making big plays." South Medford�s John McKay made a leaping interception of a Gray pass to start the second half at the Panther 49. Nine plays later, Marshall fired an 11-yard bullet in the end zone to Johnson between a pair of Eagle Point defenders. The kick was blocked, leaving South with a 20-6 advantage. The next time the Panthers had the ball, Marshall launched a bomb down the left sideline that fellow sophomore Ryan Benson caught on his fingertips and, despite stumbling, took the rest of the way for a 50-yard touchdown. "We�ve been doing that since the second grade at Jefferson Elementary," Marshall said. "Ryan�s a great receiver. That ball was a little overthrown, but he still caught it and went the distance." Eagle Point scored once in the fourth period as Gray hooked up with Horn for a 16-yard touchdown with 5:26 to play. The Eagles drove to the South Medford 25 in the final minute but the Panthers� Caleb Burns sacked Gray for an 8-yard loss, then time ran out. Horn had a superb night, finishing with 12 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns. But the young gun � Marshall � was the man of the hour. 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