New June 28

By JAMIE GENTNER
Daily News Staff Writer
MONTAGUE - Several local men play against NFL-quality men in football games
for about six months out of the year, but very few people in Siskiyou County
know about it.
"People here just don't seem to know much about what we're doing," said
Montague resident Rob Walton. "We play up in Oregon, so most people don't
know that there are local guys playing at this level."
Walton, 38, and fellow Montague resident Jordan Billingsley, 18, join other
men from around Siskiyou County - including Rafael Garcia, Josh Webb, Joe
Hopper and Mark Bufton - on the semi-professional football team, the Klamath
Crusaders, from January to June (July if they make the playoffs or compete
on special teams).
The current Klamath Crusaders team was formed when the owners of the
Klamath Crusaders and the Merrill Stallions merged in 2000. One of the
partners, Don Nelson, bought out the team and remains as the primary
principle and coach of the non-profit organization today. The 2A division
team plays eight games during the regular season, and if all goes well,
there are playoffs and region titles to go for.
Many players on the team coach high school or Pop Warner teams, and several
have been on college or NFL teams. Many have even been seen in the semi-pro
league and were given the opportunity to play on teams in places like
Germany, and others have been invited to play in the NFL combine.
Walton, a 6-foot-3-inch defensive corner, moved to Montague from Oakland
and went to Butte Valley High School. He played four years of high school
football and joined the Stallions 10 years ago. He continued with the
Crusaders after the buyout and has been a player and a mentor for the
younger men on the team ever since. Walton has also coached youth football,
baseball and basketball for a combined 14 years, as well as playing
recreational basketball with COS.
"It had been a while since I had last played football, and it sounded like
fun," Walton said. "With my son starting football, I also thought it would
be a great way to help me keep up and make my coaching easier. It's nice to
know I can still compete at a higher level, and it's easier to teach."
A lot of other people know Walton can compete on the higher level as well.
He has been named to the First team All Defense nine out of the 10 years he
has played, was awarded honorable mention All-American two years ago and
will play on the All-Star team game on June 30. He was also among the top
100 players to watch named by the Great Northern Football League.
Billingsley, a 6-foot-3-inch wide receiver, was born and raised in Montague
and is a recent graduate of Yreka High School and current student at College
of the Siskiyous. He has played four years of football with Pop Warner,
three years in high school and two years with the Crusaders. He has also
helped as an assistant coach for Pop Warner for two years and has played
recreational basketball with COS for years.
"I was really sick my senior year of high school, so I didn't get to play
football. I was a little lost when I couldn't play," Billingsley said. "I
like having the opportunity now to play more. A lot of people think you have
to go to college to continue playing after high school; they don't know
about the semi-pro league. I couldn't go to a big college right out of high
school, so I'm happy this opportunity came and gave me the chance to
continue playing."
But the two men know each other from more than just their football team.
Walton coached Billingsley through Pop Warner football and has been a mentor
ever since.
"I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Rob," Billingsley said. "I
was doing my senior project with him and he told me to try out, so I went
and decided to play. He takes me to all the games and really helps out a
lot. He used to be a friend of my dad's and my coach, but now I'm better
friends with him than my dad is."
Walton said he enjoys being able to help the younger men on the team by
pulling them aside at the field or helping those like Billingsley and Webb
in Montague by meeting at the baseball park to work on their skills.
"It's been great coaching guys like Jordan throughout the years and now
continuing to play with them and help them out," he said. "I used to get
calls from him asking, 'Coach, what plays are we learning tonight?' and
stuff like that, and now I get calls to go to the movies or just hang out."
Both Walton and Billingsley like the family-like atmosphere the team
creates, especially because they've become more like family now.
"The Oregon Football League is like one big family. We go out and bang each
other up on the field, but it's friendly afterwards," Walton said. "A lot of
the guys will get together with our families and do barbecues and just hang
out. It's great that we can keep guys like this in our lives."
Both men intend to continue playing, although they are looking at the
option of playing for a different team because the 90-mile drive each way to
practice and games is rough. Playing for the Medford team is one possibility
since both men know several of the players from Pop Warner and high school.
"They tell you during your last year in high school that this will be the
last time you suit up together, but this has given me the opportunity to
suit up with a lot of the guys I played with in high school again,"
Billingsley said. "We get to be on a team together again, and it'll be fun
to just go out, play together and get to know each other better."
For more information on the Klamath Crusaders, visit their Web site at
www.klamathcrusaders.com.