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Oregon Bowl rife with SOC players By KRIS HENRY Rod Rumrey isn't being too biased when discussing his expectations of the coming Les Schwab Oregon Bowl, he's just being realistic. With 10 of the 36 players on the South roster coming from the Southern Oregon Conference, the North Medford High coach has a special insight on 52nd annual Class 4A all-star football game. "These SOC kids definitely should have a little say in who wins that ballgame," says Rumrey, who will be one of five coaches for the South team. Former Ashland High quarterback Jimmy Werbin earned MVP honors last year in leading the South team past the North team, 28-7, at Civic Stadium. The South squad will boast another strong-armed SOC quarterback to lead the way for this year's game, with North Medford's Nate Mayben likely to start the July 1 contest. The all-star game's location is tentatively set again for Civic Stadium in Portland, but Rumrey says possible renovation of the site could move the game to Hare Field in Hillsboro. Mayben will have the luxury of settling in behind offensive linemen Tyson George of Ashland, Mike DeLaGrange of Grants Pass and Robin Knebel of Roseburg. "It's going to be pretty interesting with linemen like DeLaGrange, Knebel and those guys," says Rumrey. "When Mayben's in there, he's going to have a tough time seeing over guys like that. At least he'll have them on his side and not have them chasing him around like he's used to during the season." Other SOC players chosen for the all-star game include John Bracken and Kenny Halpin of North Medford; Scott Toney of Crater; Matt Brock of Roseburg; Kevin Johnston of Eagle Point; and Len Nuanez of Grants Pass. The emphasis of the game is on having fun and getting to know other top players in the state. The annual summer football classic was formerly known as the North-South Shrine Game. "I've talked with coaches who have been involved (in the Oregon Bowl) and they said they really do a lot of neat things for the kids," says Rumrey, whose last experience in the game was 1994. "Last year the kids were doing something fun every night. "I know in the past the kids that I've talked to who have been involved have had a tremendous amount of fun. They meet guys who end up being possible lifelong friends." Beyond friendships, the real attraction for the players is to show which part of the state plays the best football, while possibly making a name for themselves in the process. "There's always one or two kids who come out of that game making a strong impression," says Rumrey. Three of those possibilities wore the red and black for the Tornado this past season, carrying North Medford to second in the SOC and into the state playoffs. Mayben has had a strong line in front of him during his tenure as North quarterback, but he should be even more of a threat thanks to the added beef of the SOC trio, along with Jeff Livingston of Sprague, Josh Pan of Crescent Valley, Josh Evans of Churchill and Leroy Heard of Hermiston. "In the last two years, Nate has had two outstanding seasons for us," says Rumrey. "We've been the No. 2 representative from the SOC the last two years, and Nate has had a lot to do with that." Mayben capped his career at North as the single-season record holder for passing yardage (1,947) and touchdowns (18), setting both marks this past season. A standout baseball player for the Black Tornado, Mayben stands to continue his career in that sport instead of football. Halpin and Bracken both have desire to play football at the collegiate level, with the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Bracken already signed to a partial scholarship at Western Oregon. Halpin hasn't settled on a college yet, so the Oregon Bowl could be very pivotal for the North running back and defensive back. "This could be a very good opportunity for him," Rumrey says of Halpin. "If he goes into that game where he hasn't made a decision, he could open some eyes and really set himself up." Halpin holds most of the career receiving records at North. He's the all-time leader in receptions (67) and yardage (1,287). "He's been our fullback, but we've tried to get him the football any way we could the past two years," says Rumrey. "He could be a slotback receiver in college." Bracken won't be the biggest body on the defensive line for the South squad, but he might be the quickest. "John definitely has the height and the speed to compete," says Rumrey. "The speed of that game won't bother him. John's the kind of guy who can keep up with those guys." OREGON BOWL ROSTERS SOUTH Offensive line -- Jeff Livingston, Sprague; Josh Pan, Crescent Valley; Josh Evans, Churchill; Tyson George, Ashland; Mike DeLaGrange, Grants Pass; Robin Knebel, Roseburg; Leroy Heard, Hermiston. Defensive line -- Trent Sears, Mountain View; John Bracken, North Medford; Scott Toney, Crater; Matt Brock, Roseburg; Jarrod Garcia, Bend. Offensive backs -- Tom Hackenbruck, Mountain View; Andy Michaelis, Bend; Seth Lacey, Churchill. Defensive backs -- Kyle Grove, Sprague; Kevin Johnston, Eagle Point; Kenny Halpin, North Medford; Kevin Richmond, South Albany; Ben Johnson, Corvallis; J.R. Benavidez, Marshfield; Riley Jenkins, South Salem; Wayne Snider, Willamette; Matt Taylor, McNary. Defensive linebackers -- Doug Cox, Bend; Todd Lewis, Marshfield; Jake Miller, Mountain View; Len Nuanez, Grants Pass. Receivers -- Ryan Peterson, Sprague; Latham Wood, South Eugene; Chris Bristow, Redmond; Bret Hughes, McKay; Devin Brewer, Sheldon; Marcus Ward, Sprague. Quarterbacks -- Nate Mayben, North Medford; Trevor Woods, Marshfield. Coaches -- Robin Hill, Sprague; Jerry Hackenbruck, Mountain View; Rod Rumrey, North Medford; Craig Walker, Bend; Kent Wigle, Marshfield. NORTH Offensive line -- Mike Shiley, Beaverton; Sean Magee, Lake Oswego; Jacy Jointer, Jefferson; Jordan Edwards, West Linn; Jake Roberts, Centennial; Ryan Sturmer, Tigard. Defensive line -- Duston Hummel, Beaverton; Jon Guidoux, Westview; Joel Meyer, Silverton; Kevin Holcomb, Hood River; Dylan Benson, Glencoe; Jeremy Jackson, Wilson; Sean Stronach, Lincoln. Offensive backs -- Eric Hillison, Beaverton; Palmer Butler, Jefferson; Joey McCallum, West Linn; Kelley Bertrand, Newberg. Defensive backs -- Mitch Meeuwsen, Forest Grove; Curt Bryant, Canby; Erik Lewis, Jesuit; Stephen Clayton, Westview; Brinton Smith, Madison; Jon Knokey, Lakeridge; Rodney Cook, Gladstone. Defensive linebackers -- Gabe Button, Central Catholic; David Bergeron, Lakeridge; Dan Ward, Sandy; Charlie Floberg, Jesuit; Rob Mamula, West Linn. Receivers -- Austin Allen, Beaverton; Brad Satran, Tigard; Dustin Hewitt, Central Catholic; Issac Frederick, David Douglas; Aaron Trimm, Marshall. Quarterbacks -- Joe Wiser, Tigard; Brett Elliott, Lake Oswego. Coaches -- Fauston Riley, Beaverton; Joe Bushman, Central Catholic; Ron Chappell, West Linn; Frank Geske, Tigard; Tim Price, Jefferson. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA