{prep preview for sept. 11}

South Albany at Thurston
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Springfield
Records: South Albany 1-0, Thurston 1-0
The Rebels take a step up in competition after getting past Willamette last week.
Thurston, last year-state runner-up, won 55-35 at Corvallis last week.
South will have to put up big numbers to beat the Colts.

{first day of middle school through the years}

{6th grade}


{7th grade}

{8th grade}

{first day of eighth grade}

first day of school picture taken in car after school.

madison and ashley

{south albany stuns willamette}

papa and kyler.....zac's best friend.

lane stutzman and zac hunter during the national anthem.

team captains: zachary, kyler, brycen, and lane

It was a tale of two halves at South Albany Friday night.
After allowing a touchdown late in the third quarter to visiting Willamette to make it 20-0, junior Bryce Stutzman scored an 86-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to spark a 21-0 Rebels rally over the final 15 minutes of play to win the season opener, 21-20.
Stutzman, who is the focal point in South Albany's new offense, was the spark and the flame for the Rebels as the tailback amassed 143 yards on 34 carries.
On the game's opening drive, Stutzman had a 70-yard scoring run called back on a holding penalty. That followed an offensive pass interference call on the previous play, thus negating 101 total yards.
The penalties killed South's early momentum, but Stutzman knew his team would rebound.
"I think (the penalties) were a big reason why we struggled. It's tough to go and score a touchdown and have it called back," Stutzman said. "It hurt us early ... but the defense in the second half really came to play. They really brought our team back and special teams came up in a big way to help us win."
Stutzman got into the end zone again on a 9-yard run with under eight minutes remaining to get the offense on the board.
But South would take the lead thanks to a defensive stand which forced the Wolverines to punt.
As the kick left the foot of Willamette's Jacob Hughes, the lanky T.J. Gibson slipped through a seem to block the kick before senior Brandon Campo landed on the ball in the end zone.
"We've put in time everyday on special teams ... we actually didn't call for a punt block on that play, we called for a return ... but when you are 6-4 and you got long arms, that is a pretty easy thing to do," coach Tony Matta said of Gibson.
The second-year head coach knew there were bugs to work out in his new offensive scheme but he credits Friday night's turnaround to his entire team's resilience.
"Every week I tell these guys something bad is going to happen and how you react to that is going to dictate how well you do ... you have to be able to overcome the adversity during the game," says Matta. "They came out and battled and that is all they have to do."
Before Stutzman could grind out the final minutes, South's defense had to do its part.
Inside the Rebels' 10-yard-line, defensive back Zac Hunter broke up a fourth-down pass attempt in the endzone. It was the senior's second drive-ending play of the game but he says it was a total team effort.
"It was our entire defense that stepped it up in the second half," said the former quarterback in the double-wing. "We really came together as a team. It was all intensity and a great effort. The first half was not us and in the second half we played our game."
South's game will continue to rely heavily on Stutzman.
"You walk in our weight room and (Stutzman) is the hardest working guy in the room. And it shows out here when it is time to get paid," Matta said of his workhorse.
"I told Bryce that in this offense you are going to get 25 carries a night and I think he would take 45."
Stutzman's reply: "I'll take it."
South Albany 21, Willamette 20
Willamette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 0 6 0 - 20
South Albany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0 7 14 - 21
First quarter
W - Woodke 3 pass from Geyer (kick failed) 7:17, 6-0
W - Visarraga 5 run (Busenbark from Geyer) 2:22, 14-0
Third quarter
W - Hidalgo 4 run (pass failed) 3:01, 20-0
SA - Bryce Stutzman 86 kick return (Robbins kick) 3:01, 20-7
Fourth quarter
SA - B. Stutzman 9 run (Robbins kick) 7:52, 20-14
SA - Campo recovery from Gibson punt block (Robbins kick) 6:08, 21-20
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Willamette 27-135, Hidalgo 21-121, Visarraga 2-11, Mohr 3-8, Geyer 1-(-1). South Albany 41- 113, B. Stutzman 34-143, L. Stutzman 2-5, Heckman2-(-2).
PASSING: Willamette, Geyer 15-28-2 150. South Albany, Heckman 4-15-0 68.
RECEIVING: Willamette 15-150, Woodke 6-38, Haines 2-33, Koehler 2-33, Hoskins 1-25, Hidalgo 4-21. South Albany 4-68, Robbins 2-38, B. Stutzman 1-22, Gibson 1-8.

{new look for the rebels}

South Albany reached the second round of the 5A state playoffs in 2008, but coach Tony Matta has resisted the temptation to keep doing things the same way.
The second-year head coach is changing the Rebels' basic scheme on both sides of the ball, hoping to maximize the talent on the squad.
The Rebels are switching from a double-wing attack on offense to the I-formation. And on defense, the team is going from three down linemen and five linebackers to a more balanced four linemen, four linebackers system.
South Albany built an identity over the past several seasons as a strong running team as the Rebels improved from 3-7 in 2006 to 5-5 in 2007 and then went 8-4 in 2008.
Running backs Jesse Duke and Greg Hoover combined to run for over 2,300 yards last season. Both are now departed and Matta thinks a change in attack is the best way to replace that productivity.
Junior Bryce Stutzman, who was effective last season as one of the wing backs, is moving to the tailback slot in the new formation.
"He's an I-back kind of kid. He gets downhill quick, he's fast and he makes good decisions," Matta said.
Stutzman will run behind his brother, senior fullback Lane Stutzman, who will move to tailback on occasion to give his sibling a rest.
The key to the attack is an offensive line that Matta believes has been underrated for the past couple of seasons. The Rebels will have four seniors starting on the line, Jake Atkins, Steven Gonzalez, T.J. Chapman and Bond Sumey.
"In the last couple of years, we haven't gotten a lot of recognition, but I've felt our offensive line has been as good as anybody's," Matta said. "Our success comes from the guys up front."
Sumey will miss the first couple of games of the season as he heals from a broken foot he suffered this summer. He is expected to return before league play begins and the health of the 6-foot-6 right tackle is key for the Rebels.
At quarterback, senior Josh Heckman will start. Last year's starter, Zac Hunter, is moving to wideout and will continue to be a key starter on defense.
Matta said Hunter was a good fit at quarterback in the double wing, but Heckman is a more traditional pocket passer suited for the I-formation. The coach praised Hunter's team-first attitude and noted that Hunter suggested the switch this spring.
On defense, Matta thinks his team is talented enough on the defensive line to be able to generate pressure on the quarterback with a four-man front. In the past, the Rebels had to bring extra pressure from all over the field, but the coach thinks this unit will be able to get into the backfield, allowing the rest of the team to stay in position.
Linebacker Brandon Campo is moving from defensive end to inside linebacker and Matta expects him to have a big season. Campo was named the outstanding linebacker at the Western Oregon University team camp the Rebels attended this summer.
One of the reasons for the program's improvement is that South Albany football is a lot bigger than it used to be, in a couple of respects. In the final years of the old Valley League there were about 75 players in the entire program. This year there are 110.
And those players are getting bigger. Matta said the weight room has been a huge benefit to all of the teams at South Albany.
"I don't think you can measure it. We have kids, it's just amazing how strong they are," Matta said. "They know when they step out on the field, the court or the mat, that they will be physically as strong as the guy across from them."

- albany democrat herald

{south albany versus willamette}

first game of the year.....last first game of the year.

south v willamette tonight. can't believe my baby is a senior.

thinking good thoughts and praying for everyone to be safe.

after the embarresing game the ducks had last night my weekend can only get better from here.

calvin's home from ohsu after his surgery.

recovering at the house.

sore as can be, but getting better.

{ohsu}

heading to portland for calvin's surgery tomorrow.

good thoughts and prayers, please.