Short week has Roseburg quickly preparing for North Eugene

There’s been no time for the Roseburg High School football team to linger on last week’s 31-24 loss to No. 5-ranked Thurston.

With a rare Thursday night kickoff against the North Eugene Highlanders looming in Week 5, the Tribe has had to speed up its weekly preparation process.

“We started things on Sunday and we’ve been speeding things up. Things are going pretty good,” Roseburg senior Kaden Austin said.

“We’ve been real clear and direct with the kids on what our expectations are,” Roseburg coach Matt Watson said. “We’ve got a process and we stick with the process, and the kids are practicing like they’re ready.”

One of the biggest concerns this week for Roseburg (2-2, 1-2 Special District 4) will be health. The Indians saw a few starters hobbled in the clash with the Colts, with the most serious being quarterback Corey Kimball.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a football game played where everyone is 100%,” Watson said. “We’ve got some owies here and there and we play with our owies, and we take our medical advice from our medical professionals and our athletic trainer.”

Kimball, who has taken reps at practice this week and is day-to-day, according to Watson, leads Roseburg’s offensive attack with 310 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. The junior has also passed for 318 yards and three scores and he’s become an adept distributor of the pigskin in Roseburg’s option offense.

“Their quarterback is just a magician with the ball,” North Eugene coach Rick Raish said about Kimball. “We’ll have to be disciplined. Look at our keys and try to tackle whoever has got the football. But I tell you what, it’s a tall task because they are really cooking and running on all cylinders right now.”

North Eugene (3-2, 3-1) has been rolling as well, winning three consecutive games.

“We’re a young team and we’ve made a couple of changes personnel-wise at different positions, which has shored up our defense a little bit and the offense is starting to click,” Raish said. “Next thing you know we’ve won three. So, you know, the kids are feeling good and the coaches are happy.”

The Highlanders outlasted Springfield 27-20 last week at Silke Field.

North Eugene utilizes a run-first offense led by sophomore running back D’Mariyae Ireland, who ran 23 times for 176 yards against the Millers and has tallied 442 yards and three scores on the ground this season.

Raish said the Highlanders have an experienced line that has helped paved the way for Ireland and power back Juan Mercado (44 carries, 229 yards).

“They set the tone for us, for sure,” Raish said.

Roseburg and North Eugene collide at 7 p.m. Thursday and won’t be the only SD4 teams playing that night. Thurston hosts Churchill in a battle of teams with no league losses. Eagle Point visits South Eugene, where both teams are fighting for their first win of the year.

Undefeated Willamette hosts winless Springfield at 7 p.m. Friday to round out the Week 5 league schedule.