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HAZE Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 10, 2002 South looks to snap losing skid to Roseburg By DON HUNT Mail Tribune South Medford football coach Bill Singler has said repeatedly that his team won’t reach the upper echelon of the Southern Oregon Conference until it beats Roseburg and North Medford. The Panthers’ only two losses last season came against those schools, and Singler is collectively 0-8 against the Indians and the Black Tornado since taking over the South Medford post in 1998. The Panthers travel to Roseburg Friday night looking to turn the tables on one of its nemesis. "This is the best team we’ve had in my five years here and we feel good about our chances," says Singler, whose team stands 3-0 in the SOC, 4-1 overall and has won four straight since a season-opening loss to Canby. "But we know it’s not going to be easy." South Medford hasn’t beaten the Indians since 1994 and hasn’t won at Roseburg’s home field since 1992. But rarely have the Panthers’ chances seemed so good. Roseburg has put together back-to-back victories over Crater and Eagle Point since a stunning 49-6 loss to North Medford on Sept. 20, but the Indians (3-2 overall, 2-1 SOC) aren’t the same team they were a year ago when they won the SOC title and went unbeaten in the regular season. They lost 32 seniors from that 2001 squad and veteran coach Thurman Bell is now starting underclassmen at eight positions on both offense and defense. "We’ve made a lot of improvement since that North Medford game but I don’t know if we’re good enough yet to compete with a Grants Pass or a South Medford," Bell says. "I guess we’ll find out Friday." It’s not that the Indians are devoid of talent. Tailback Jake Dorsey leads the conference in rushing with 624 yards, senior Nick Trowbridge is one of the better receivers in the SOC and tackle Steve Jorgensen was a second-team all-conference performer a year ago. But the Indians have struggled on defense — they’re giving up 321 yards and 21.4 points per game — and their passing attack was almost non-existent until last Friday’s 35-15 victory over Eagle Point. Junior quarterback Kerry Hall and senior Scott Moyer combined to complete 9-of-15 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles. With Hall a better runner and Moyer a superior passer, Bell has alternated the two QBs all season. "We spent a lot of practice time last week throwing the ball and it paid off," Bell says. "We know we can’t be one-dimensional against the better teams in this league." The Indians may have to put a lot of points on the board to keep up with the Panthers, who lead the SOC in scoring at 37 points per outing. Senior quarterback Boomer Marshall fuels the South Medford attack. He has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,090 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Ryan Benson leads the Panthers in receiving with 20 catches for 319 yards and three TDs, but their most lethal threat has been Thom Whiteaker, who is averaging 27.9 yards per catch on 17 receptions and leads the SOC in scoring with eight touchdowns. The Panthers are hoping their other deadly weapon — senior tailback Andres Reed — has a breakout game. Reed had 48 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown during last Friday’s 37-0 victory over Crater — his first game back in three weeks following a knee injury. "He (Reed) made a comment last week that things didn’t feel the same, but I think he’s on the verge of busting out," Singler says. "I told him if he plays at a high level then things will happen. He’s just too good of an athlete." South Medford’s abundance of talented skill position players worries Bell. "They’ve been making big plays on everyone — there’s just no way to stop all those skill players," Bell says. "The bottom line for us is we need to find a way to get across the goal line ourselves." And that could happen, since South Medford ranks last in total defense, yielding 361 yards per game. However, the Panthers have buckled up considerably since giving up 528 yards and 43 points in an opening-game loss to Canby, and are coming off their first shutout in Singler’s four-plus seasons at the school. End Travis Phillips, safety Logan Boyd and Benson — a linebacker on defense — have led the way during the Panthers’ defensive resurgence. "The kids on defense are starting to play at a high level," Singler says. "They’re running to the ball with more energy." A South Medford victory would keep the Panthers in good position to win their first SOC championship since 1991. But beating Roseburg on its home field has never been easy for the Panthers, or anyone else, for that matter. "They’ve had the edge on us psychologically in the past, but we can’t worry about that now," Marshall says. "We’ve just got to go up there and give them our best shot. "If we do that, we’ll win." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S