|
North, South battle for city bragging rights and a trip to the state playoffs By DON HUNT Self-pride, team pride and city bragging rights have been the elements at stake when North Medford and South Medford have clashed on the football field. Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium, you can add another coveted ingredient to the mix: A trip to the state playoffs. In perhaps the most meaningful game in the 15-year history of the Black and Blue Game, the 7-1 Panthers meet the 6-2 Black Tornado in front of what is expected to be a near-capacity crowd of about 7,000. A victory by South Medford would advance the Panthers to the playoffs as the No. 2 representative from the Southern Oregon Conference and eliminate the Tornado from contention. A victory by North would create a three-way tie for second between the Tornado, the Panthers and Grants Pass - assuming the Cavemen defeat Eagle Point. That scenario would necessitate a coin flip to determine which two teams advance to the postseason and which team stays home. "This is what high school football is all about - a couple of cross-town rivals going at it in a big game," South Medford coach Bill Singler says. "Both teams are playing at a high level right now and with the playoffs at stake it just adds to the excitement." North Medford enjoys a 10-5 edge in the series that dates to 1986, and has won four games in a row in the matchup. But it's been a long time since the Tornado has met a South Medford team as good as this one. The Panthers, who are ranked seventh in the latest Class 4A poll, are an offensive juggernaut. They lead the SOC in total offense at 421.5 yards per game and in scoring offense at 38.5 points per contest. They feature the SOC's top-ranked quarterback in Boomer Marshall, who has thrown for 1,882 yards and 20 touchdowns, and the top receiver in Ryan Heil, who has 42 catches for 845 yards and 15 TDs. The Panthers will also showcase a strong running game led by Andres Reed, the SOC's No. 2 rusher with 918 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing one full game and most of another with an ankle injury. Throw in fullback Rob Brown and wide receivers Ryan Benson, Eric Fischer and Jonathan Wright, and the Panthers might have the top set of skill position players in the state. "They're very deep at the skill positions and they can hurt you in so many ways," North Medford coach John Beck says. "They're so balanced between the run and the pass that you've got to respect both. Our defense is in for a challenge, that's for sure." South Medford is also coming off its best performance of the season - a 48-27 victory over Grants Pass in which the Panthers led 34-6 in the third period after scoring touchdowns on seven of their first nine possessions. Marshall passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns and Reed ran for 176 yards and another score, and Heil, Benson, Fischer and Wright each had four or more receptions. But the most telling statistic was the Panthers' third- and fourth-down conversion rates. They went 8-for-14 in the former and 4-for-4 in the latter to keep drives alive. "That was our best game offensively," Singler says. "We were very efficient and our line played great. But we've got a whole different challenge Friday." Indeed, the Panthers are running into a team that has won four straight games since back-to-back losses to Roseburg and Grants Pass, and one that leads the SOC in total defense at 182 yards per game. The Tornado has also excelled in special teams with three kickoffs and one punt returned for touchdowns over the past three games, not to mention a blocked punt for another score. "Our kids knew what the task was after the Grants Pass game - that we had to win out to make the playoffs," Beck says. "We've had a sense of urgency every week since then, but we've still got one more to go." Along with its renewed resolve, the Tornado also made some personnel changes last month. It moved Travis Poulton from wide receiver to quarterback, Justin MacLauchlan from tailback to wide receiver and Manny Alegria from the bench to tailback. Poulton has worked his way up to fourth in the SOC passing efficiency rankings and is coming off his best game, an 11-for-15, 223-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Tornado's 36-15 victory over Eagle Point last Friday. "He's gotten a little better each week at reading defenses," Beck says. Wide receiver Brian Weeks also had a breakout game for North last Friday, catching seven passes for 163 yards and one TD. Alegria, meanwhile, has rushed for 617 yards and 10 touchdowns since breaking into the starting lineup four games ago and has added three more scores on kickoff returns. Both teams come into the game relatively healthy. South Medford tackle David Ballard, who missed the Grants Pass game with a shoulder injury, is expected to be in the starting lineup for the Panthers. North Medford guard Dan Johnson suffered a dislocated kneecap last Friday and remains questionable for this week's game. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com |
|
Mail
Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
| Dow
Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy
| Contact
Us |
