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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Jackson County records a small uptick in population 10 things to know for Tuesday Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student Ashland firefighters cook for seniors at Thanksgiving feast Helicopter officials admits he falsified data Education Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student SOU Honors College team takes on Food Bank project Kiwanis club invites fifth-graders to write flag essay AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank Ashland High School: Students get schooled in interviewing Environment Don't like weather where you are? 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Ashland Calendar, Nov. 25 ... Jackson County records a small uptick in population ... 10 things to know for Tuesday ... Ashland Calendar, Nov. 25 ... PREP FOOTBALL Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Hall expects Silverton to lean on its ground-pound offense in the rain By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 2:00 am By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News Ashland High football coach Charlie Hall expected Silverton to try to exert its size advantage up front even before rain entered the equation . Now that Silverton’s home field has soaked up a week of steady moisture, a rushing attack that chews up 257 yards a game on average may be even tougher to stop. Will the Grizzlies’ defense be able to slow down that vaunted rushing attack and force the Foxes to go to the air? “That,” Hall said, “is the $40 million question.” The answer will reveal itself tonight, when the second-seeded Foxes host the 10th-seeded Grizzlies in the quarterfinals of the OSAA Class 5A state playoffs at Silverton High School. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The winner will play either third-seeded Springfield or 11th-seeded Wilsonville in next week’s semifinal round. Ashland (8-2) creamed its last two opponents by a combined score of 114-28, including last week’s 52-22 rout of seventh-seeded Hillsboro in the first round, but expects a completely different kind of game today. Silverton (10-0), the Mid-Willamette Conference champion, was ranked No. 1 in the 5A media poll throughout the regular season, is equipped with the stingiest defense in the state (only 58 points allowed) and has outscored its opponents by an average score of 42.3-5.8. Silverton hasn’t lost since falling in last year’s state semifinals to eventual champion West Albany, and the Foxes’ most competitive game so far this season was hardly competitive at all — a 14-0 win over Dallas on Halloween night. Silverton also steamrolled Marist 34-13 on Sept. 12 — the same Marist team that beat Ashland 14-8 a month later. “They’re just good,” Hall said. “They’re a team that went as far as we did last year and they’re on a mission to get back to where they were.” The Foxes most likely will try to do that tonight by handing the ball off to 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior running back Sam Kuschnick and letting him run behind a big, powerful offensive line that includes 300-pound Camryn Clokey and three more linemen listed at 250 pounds or more. It’s a strategy that’s worked pretty well so far. Kuschnick has rushed for 1,202 yards and 17 touchdowns and averages 7.6 yards per rush. “If we can hold up, especially on early downs, I think that’s gotta be the key,” Hall said. “It’s going to be a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy.” The bending could come at the expense of Ashland’s pass defense if the Grizzlies crowd the box in an attempt to slow down the Foxes. The problem is, Silverton can pass, too. Senior quarterback Cole Chandler has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,714 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. Chandler isn’t much of a threat to take off and run, but he slides away from pressure well and delivers passes on time. Ashland’s defense presents a stiff challenge, however. The Grizzlies have held opponents to 15.7 points per game and have 19 interceptions, including three last week. Dramatic turnovers like that could tilt the momentum in the Grizzlies’ favor tonight, but Hall isn’t expecting any freebies like the muffed kickoff return that helped Ashland bury Hillsboro. The Foxes, he said, are too disciplined for that. “They’re very fundamental, very sound,” he said. “They’re not going to make mistakes. They’re going to run their stuff and run it well.” Defensively, Silverton can change things up but mostly relies on a base 4-3. Hall said they’ve got solid athletes all over the field and can defend against the run as well as the pass. The numbers agree. No team has scored more than six points against Silverton in the last month, and only twice have the Foxes surrendered more than seven. Ashland is coming off one of its best offensive games of the season, a 556-yard explosion that saw Kyle Weinberg pass for 302 yards and run for another 63, and Shashi Penn amass 126 yards receiving on only two catches. Nobody in a Grizzly uniform is likely to approach numbers like that tonight, but if they can move the ball consistently and keep Silverton’s offense on the sideline, Hall says, they’ll have a chance. “They certainly respect Silverton,” Hall said of his team, “but I hope they have some confidence because they’ve played pretty well the last couple games.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected].   By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 14, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Rapid-Fire Thanksgiving Day Stat Projections for Fantasy Football Stars Nov. 25, 2014 at 2:46 pm Will Fantasy History Repeat Itself in Week 13? 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