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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 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 Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest 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 March 9, 2004 Crater gets the right man for the job Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Former Grants Pass High football coach Jeff Weiss said last fall that if a proven coach ever took over at Crater, look out. "That school is a sleeping giant," Weiss said. The giant is about to awaken. Taking over a football program that has been woeful for the better part of two decades is like being dropped on a lost and sinking ship in a rough sea. And being asked to lead it safely back to harbor. John Beck is the new captain of the sinking Comet vessel, and if anyone can get this program to quit taking on water and begin to sail smoothly, it’s him. Advertisement A inexhaustible worker who knows the game and works well with kids and coaches, there is little doubt that Beck will resurrect this once prideful program. When will it happen? When will the Comets break their losing-record streak that has reached nine years? Or their state playoff drought that has extended to 19 years? Next season? Probably not. But don’t be surprised to see the Comets win three or four games in 2004 and be competitive in all but two or three others. "I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re in every game they play," says Weiss. "He won’t have the kids to the (skill) level he’d like, but I guarantee you he’ll have them prepared." Before Beck was hired, Crater administrators huddled with a knowledgeable consultant, a former football coach, athletic director and principal in the Rogue Valley. One of the things he told them was that if a football coach is ever going to win at Crater, he’s going to need as much support as he can get. Administrators, assistant coaches, players, parents, fans, the gas station attendants at the downtown Bi-Mor station — everyone needs to get on the ship and help bail out the water. None of the helpers are more important than the assistant coaches, and Beck already has begun to build his staff. Two of his aides at North Medford — defensive backs coach Chris Parnell and wide receivers coach David Douglas — will be on the Crater sideline in the fall. Others are expected to follow. A program has virtually no chance of winning without a qualified head coach, but the best head coach in the world can’t effectively work with 50 to 100 players on a daily basis and then scheme a game plan by himself. When Jim Nagel won three state championships at Ashland, his staff was among the best in the state. Ditto for Beck and Rod Rumrey, his predecessor at North Medford who won a state title in 1993 and was runner-up in 2000. Beck also wants to spruce up the practice facility at Crater, improve the weight room and at some point replace the darkest field lights this side of a Coleman lantern. Because of the numbers needed to play the game and coach it, football is the hardest sport to excel at. But the fact that other Crater programs have flourished — the wrestling team claimed its fourth straight state title last month and the baseball team won a state championship in 2000 — suggests that this is a school that simply needs the right man to lead its football team. The last time that happened was in 1981, when the district hired Larry Baker. In his first year, the Comets lost their first four games, then won three of their final four. In his second year, they went 5-4. In his third year, they went 6-4 and made the state playoffs for the first time in school history, then followed with two more playoff berths, along with the school’s lone SOC championship in 1985. So it can be done. And what makes it all the more doable is that Central Point is a growing community. New homes that are affordable to working-class families are springing up everywhere, and the district’s increasing enrollment figures mirror the phenomenon. While folks in Central Point are ready to dance in the streets, those in the North Medford district are left with a void. Who will fill it? The Black Tornado football job is one of the most coveted in the state because of the program’s constant supply of superlative athletes, its rich history and huge fan base, not to mention a stadium that is superior to many small colleges. North Medford athletic director Mike Kay says the school will act quickly but sensibly. An ideal candidate would be a younger man with a proven track record as a head coach. Someone like Bo Yates, who turned around the program at Pendleton and is now doing the same at West Salem. Or Sean McNabb, who won three straight Class 3A state titles at Scappoose until his run ended last season. Short of that, there are qualified people locally. There is Rumrey, who turned around the Tornado’s fortunes in the late 1980s and elevated the program to one of the state’s best over the next decade. Now 56, Rumrey returned as a volunteer assistant coach last fall and seems to have his batteries charged for another go at it. Reached at his home Monday, Rumrey said: "I can’t say too much about this situation, other than to say how much I care about Black Tornado football and the kids involved in it. "I really feel for the kids right now. I know they’ve got to be a little confused, and now is the time for someone to reassure them that Tornado football is going to be fine." There is Brent Barry, a son-in-law of Rumrey’s who was a finalist for the head coaching position when Beck got it in 2001. There is Mark Hodges, North Medford’s head track coach who called the plays for the Tornado the past two seasons and is credited with the development of quarterback Beau Hovland. Hodges is a former defensive coordinator at South Medford and was a finalist for the head job there when Bill Singler was hired in 1998. There is Weiss, who was inexplicably fired at Grants Pass despite posting a 23-16 record and two state playoff berths in four years. Nagel’s name has also been bandied about, but he said Monday he wasn’t interested. This coaching change is one of the more intriguing ones to hit the Rogue Valley. And at least one more is sure to follow. 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