In the wake of a lopsided loss last Friday, there has been no pity parties or dwelling on the moment for ninth-ranked South Medford.
The Panthers didn’t stack up against top-ranked Sheldon during their Week 6 showing, and there’s no shame in that.
Instead, the focus has been on not making one game determine what has already been a standout season for South Medford, which was looking to triple its win total from the previous season in last week’s top-10 clash.
“We have licked our wounds from the Sheldon game and actually practice has gone pretty darn well,” said South Medford head coach Bill Singler of the mood this week. “The kids understand that they’ve had a really good season up to this point and the game got away from us at Sheldon, and a team like that can do that to you when you’re a little undermanned.”
“I just felt like we needed to get off to a good start and we didn’t do that,” he added, “and it just was a landslide from there.”
The Panthers stand 5-1 overall and 3-1 in South/Central Football Conference play entering another expected challenge Friday against Grants Pass (4-2, 2-2) at Mel Ingram Field. The Cavemen have their own throw-away game in South Salem but otherwise have been highly competitive in the debut season under coach Brad Page.
“They’re confident and rightfully so,” said Singler. “They played North Medford very tough and had a chance to win that game two weeks ago (in a 20-14 defeat) and got a nice road win against North Salem last week (18-14). I’m sure they look at us as being a little vulnerable from the Sheldon game, and it’s always a donnybrook over there. We expect that and we’ve got to put our best foot forward.”
Last year’s win for South Medford was its 17th in the last 22 meetings of the series, and fifth in the last six against the Cavemen. A win would go far in securing a top-5 league finish in the SCFC and a spot in the state playoffs for either team.
And then there’s the simple nod to tradition when it comes to Medford and Grants Pass rivalries.
“A Grants Pass-Medford rivalry, whether it’s North or South, is always a barn-burner,” said Singler. “The last time we played over there, in what is one of the great venues for football, we had to go three overtimes, so it’s never easy. But if we draw on history a little bit, we’ve had some success over there in the past.”
To give itself a chance at a key road victory, South Medford will have to do a better job of giving senior quarterback Deacon Edgar time to operate on offense. Edgar was under duress throughout the Sheldon game and the Panthers were held scoreless for the first time in the regular season since 2014 and fourth time overall in that span.
Edgar has completed 90 of 132 passes for 1,299 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions — three coming last week against the Irish. The senior has also run for 215 yards and seven TDs.
Grants Pass boasts its own returning QB in senior Jace Blanchard, who has been the backbone to his team’s offense by completing 80 of 171 passes for 1,108 yards with 13 TDs and nine interceptions.
The teams also mirror each other with big-time playmakers at the receiver position, with South Medford senior Andrew Walker coming in with 30 receptions for 526 yards and seven TDs and GP senior Jackson Tunick at 31 catches for 572 yards and eight scores.
“It looks like they’re just playing real hard and got off to a good start to the season to give them some confidence,” said Singler. “We’ve seen them throughout the summer and in passing league and we know what a good group of skill kids they have. Tunick is having a great season as a receiver and is a real threat anytime they throw the ball. Our secondary obviously is going to be tested.”
Trevor Reeves has rushed for another 373 yards and four TDs on 94 carries to help the Cavemen be balanced on offense, with Gage Blay supplying a steady complement, while injuries have led the Panthers to utilize more of a committee approach with Ryder Scheid (239 yards), Dylan Espinosa (130 yards) and Will Greenwood (116 yards).
Minus seven players who had played in the last couple weeks against Sheldon, South Medford expects to get a few back for Friday’s game. More important, though, will be the ability to show more competitive fire than a week ago.
“We’ve just got to worry about ourselves and we’ve got to bring some energy to this game,” said Singler. “This has got to be a game that’s important to the team and important to the seniors, and hopefully we can get off to a good start.”
Have a story idea? Reach sports editor Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, khenry@rosebudmedia.com or via Twitter @Kris_Henry
Andy Atkinson / Mail TribuneSouth Medford’s Andrew Walker looks for extra yards on a pass during the 1st half at Spiegelberg Stadium in Medford earlier this season.