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CLEAR Temp: 52 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, October 12, 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 September 24, 2002 Ashland�s Matt Sharp, left, and South Medford�s Ryan Wallenberg are two of the best play-makers in the state. The Panthers are the pick to win the SOC this season, but the Grizzlies, with Sharp running the Ashland attack, are expected to challenge for th Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Conference Juggernauts South Medford and Ashland appear headed on a collision course to determine this season’s SOC champion By TIM PYLE and KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune By no means did the South Medford boys soccer team kick off this season without question marks. From last year’s squad, which finished second in the Southern Oregon Conference and 12-3-1 overall, six senior starters who were all-conference caliber departed. Included in that graduating group were two fullbacks and the goalkeeper, the three of which teamed with returning sweeper Spencer Hunter to give the Panthers one of the state’s best defenses last fall. So South Medford head coach Dave Potter wasn’t too sure what to expect in his fifth season. But wielding a drastically improved offense, the Panthers have quickly established themselves as the SOC favorite, according to conference coaches, in cruising to a 4-1-1 record entering league play today. "They’ve got the experience," Klamath Union head coach Marty Ledgerwood says of South. "They seem to be consistently scoring goals. Until someone can prove otherwise, they’re typically the top contender." Ashland (3-1), boasting first-team all-conference returnees Matt Sharp and Alex Christlieb, is a close second, while the rest of the conference appears significantly behind. "They’ve got a lot of kids back," North Medford head coach Rich Garcia says of the Grizzlies. "Eisa (Tiaa Toutou) has a very good system with their passing. ... And I think they learned a lot last year." What figures to be the match of the year in the SOC comes early — South Medford hosts Ashland at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park on Saturday at noon. Team-by-team previews, in order of predicted finish, follow. SOUTH MEDFORD — The Panthers are the SOC’s elite program, with eight conference championships since 1990. Leading the charge for a ninth crown, and first since 2000, are senior forward/central midfielder Ryan Wallenberg, senior central midfielder Daniel Hathaway, senior defensive midfielder Daniel Potter and junior sweeper Hunter, all of whom were full-time starters last year. Junior forward Corey O’Neill, senior midfielders David Lane, Kelly King and Jon Klenke, junior midfielder Josh Williams and senior fullback Jason Matthews are also key contributors. "I knew we would be better offensively," says Potter, whose team already has exploded for five goals in three of its six matches. "We lost key seniors in the fullback position (three-year starters Cody George and Adam Walport). So that’s the question mark, is what do we do there?" Matthews, a reserve in 2001, has entrenched himself as the answer at one marking back spot. Senior Carson Sheaffer and junior Eric Rubey are rotating at the other. "By gosh, they’re delivering," Potter says of the replacements for George and Walport. "If we have a schedule for them, they’re on schedule." Junior Geordan Neville is South’s new goalkeeper, but he may not need to be too brilliant if the Panthers can continue their early-season offensive surge. "We’re doing things now that we’ve been working on for the past two years," Potter says of his offense. "It’s taken that long." ASHLAND — In Sharp, a short, stout bowling ball of a player, the Grizzlies have one of the best play-makers in the state. His possessive and distributive skills make the Ashland attack go, whether he’s serving as a withdrawn forward or an attacking central midfielder. "He’s the kind of leader or quarterback of the group," says Tiaa Toutou, who is in his fifth season directing the Grizzlies. "He’ll kind of direct traffic for us." Christlieb, a physical and vocal force at stopper, keys the defense. "Christlieb is very strong in the air, very dominant and forceful," Tiaa Toutou says. "And we’ve started attacking through him in the back. He draws opponents to him, then switches the ball." Skilled sophomore striker Fabian Garcia-Flores, senior forward/outside midfielder Fletcher Beaudoin senior midfielder Trevor Peterson, senior outside fullback Jacob VanAusdall and senior sweeper Brook Golling are also both talented and experienced. Junior Tony Laughlin has replaced senior Joshua Dunn, a second-team all-SOC selection last year who is likely lost for the season due to a recurring shoulder injury. "I think our defense and our midfield is capable of holding anybody," Tiaa Toutou says. "The key is just to show up and play our game. It’s as simple as that, because we’re a well-rounded team." KLAMATH UNION — The defending SOC champions and state runner-up lost 10 seniors and returns just three starters. Ledgerwood, in his second season, is depending upon senior forward Ricardo Guerrero and senior central midfielders Tyler Casey and Zach Tucker to carry an inexperienced squad. "I think we’re in the playoff picture," Ledgerwood says. "Where, is a good question." Emerging from the shadow of 2001 SOC MVP Luis Garcia, Guerrero has scored in every match for the 3-2 Pelicans and owns 11 goals overall. "This is his team this year," Ledgerwood says. "He started as a freshman and had been playing alongside Luis for three years. ... This year, he’s come out and taken a leadership role, and he’s always had a nose for the goal." NORTH MEDFORD — The Black Tornado has finished among the top four in the SOC and advanced to the postseason in all but one of Garcia’s 10 complete seasons. This year’s team expects to continue that trend despite having just two returning starters and four lettermen back overall. "If I do what I’m supposed to do and plug in the personnel at the right spots, I think we’ll be a very good team," Garcia says. "I look at us being a top-three team." Junior stopper Richard Snapp and junior central midfielder Ian Norgan are the lone starting holdovers from a 2001 squad that went 8-5-2 overall and claimed fourth in the conference. Senior central midfielder Andres Kendig also received significant playing time on that team. Senior Jorge Castro and sophomore Luis Cabrera have been productive up front so far for North, but the defense has struggled. "My main concern is to make sure my defense grows up fast," Garcia says. Sophomore Devin Torrey and senior Alex Meyer have been splitting time at goalkeeper, while junior sweeper Erik Higgins, sophomore Jeremy Bilodeau and seniors Brandon Driver and Todd Rufener join Snapp as the Tornado’s primary defenders. Sophomore Branden DeLuca, senior Matt Schneider and sophomore James Kidwell are more starters in the five-man midfield. "We’ve been losing because of mistakes," Garcia says. "I think we’re gonna be fine." ROSEBURG — The Indians lost a few cogs from last season’s 6-6-2 team, but they return several key components for the 2002 campaign. Junior Dave McLaughlin, a first-team all-SOC fullback a year ago, and senior Sean Hirtle anchor a solid defense that has propelled Roseburg to a 4-1 mark in the preseason. Taylor Stone, a junior who has been with the Indians varsity squad since his freshman year, senior captain Ben Martch and Sam Driver, a three-year letterman, spearhead the Roseburg offense. The Indians get a boost from a favorable schedule. Roseburg hosts South Medford, Ashland and Klamath Union — the top three in the preseason coaches poll. "It’s hard to say what we’ll do in the conference this year," head coach Steve Kaser says. "It’s going to be a very competitive league, and I think it’ll come down to us stepping up (if we want to make the playoffs)." CRATER — Seven returning senior starters have bolstered a Crater team that finished 6-8 last season. First-year head coach Chris Gallegos takes over after two seasons assisting at Phoenix and is pleasantly surprised at the strong start the Comets have had in non-conference play. "We don’t really have any superstars on the team," says Gallegos, whose Comets improved to 5-1 after a 1-0 victory over Thurston on Saturday. "Our strength has been our teamwork and the way these guys have really come together." Senior sweeper Todd Sesock and senior center halfback Scott Malone should play a major role for the Comets during the SOC slate. Also making an impact early on has been senior center forward John Bowers, who came into Crater’s first set of practices sick and then was injured shortly into the non-conference schedule. "So far it’s been pretty exciting," says Gallegos of his jump from Class 3A to the 4A level. "It’s just a different experience, but it is exciting to be at the top of the heap." GRANTS PASS — Jekyll and Hyde is the way head coach Scott Gottula sums up the Cavemen’s non-conference performance. Following a convincing 8-0, season-opening victory, Grants Pass was bitten by the injury bug and dropped five straight games. A 7-0 win over Marshfield closed out the 2-5 start. "We still haven’t seen everybody back at full strength," Gottula says of his team’s injury woes. "We start off with an 8-0 win then just go south. Our game against Ashland (to open conference play today) will be first time to see all our kids. "But they are good competitors. That’s what could make us dangerous is that we’ll be playing with nothing to lose." Only one member of last season’s 2-5 conference finish returns, senior Sten Erickson. The central midfielder was a second-team all-SOC performer a year ago, but that’s where the experience ends. Defensively, Grants Pass is led by junior Bobby Divine, who, along with Erickson, has missed time with injuries. Replacing goalkeeper Matt Lamond, now second on the depth chart at Oregon State, is senior Scott Daniels, who also missed significant time due to injury. "We’re not very physical, and that’s one of our weak points," Gottula says. "We like to think, though, that if we get the opportunity to make something happen, then we’ll do it." EAGLE POINT — A mix of experience and youth comprise an Eagles squad that finished non-conference play at 1-5. Coach Coco Ortiz is hoping for a reversal of fortune from last year, when Eagle Point went 4-0-2 heading into SOC play, only to finish the lone winless team in conference action. Senior forward Rich Cruz highlights the experienced side of the Eagles, while sophomores Brian Lew and Justin Morton make up a talented-but-inexperienced duo in the midfield. "We’re working for the future," Ortiz says. "That’s the reason we recruit some of these younger kids. We need to continue building from the lower grades." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 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