Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 14, 2004 Mason makes it work By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Morgan Mason isn't comfortable talking about himself. Sitting in an empty seat above Walter A. Phillips Field prior to Wednesday's practice, Mason struggles to find the right words to explain his sudden emergence. Then again, few could. At just 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, the senior linebacker has established himself as the best play-maker on the defensive side of the ball for Ashland and one of the best in the Southern Oregon Conference. His coaches believe Morgan may be the class of the SOC linebackers, and biased though they are, they may be right. Mason leads the Grizzlies with 43 tackles - that's 17 more than anybody else on the team, even though Mason missed most of last Friday's game against Grants Pass with a sprained wrist. "I think it just goes with finding the ball and good coaching," he said. It's probably a little more than that. Mason seems to be an unblockable force once the whistle blows. He can shoot the gaps in the blink of an eye, run down ball carriers from across the field and even drop back into pass coverage. On the rare plays in which he does not make a tackle, he's usually in the pile, or on it, or taking out a blocker or two on his way to it. The Grizzlies (1-4, 0-3 SOC) will need Mason to do all of those things and probably a little more Friday night, when they host eighth-ranked Eagle Point (5-0, 2-0 SOC). It's a game Ashland desperately needs. The Grizzlies are still holding out hope for a state playoff berth, even though their odds are lotteryesque, at best. In order for the Grizzlies to have a shot, they'll have to finish the season with wins against Eagle Point, fourth-ranked South Medford and Crater. Still, Grizzly head coach David Coldiron says there's reason to believe. "I told them, 'This is not the way we wanted it, but three (wins) equals a coin flip,'" Coldiron said, referring to the SOC's tie-breaking system in the event of a three-way tie for third place. "And the other thing we told them was, 'We still have a chance of getting a winning season, something they haven't done here in four years.' That's something to be proud of too, even if we lose the coin flip." But first, Mason and the rest of the Grizzlies will have to find a way to knock off the Eagles, who were the talk of the SOC until South Medford stunned previously No. 1-ranked North Medford last week. "I know it's a must-win and we're just going to go out there - we feel confident and the plays are coming together," Mason said. "I think we'll do a good job with the defense we've got going." Having Mason back won't hurt either. Without him, the Grizzlies were trampled by a much bigger, much more physical Grants Pass team that amassed 366 yards rushing en route to a 34-6 blowout. While Mason's absence was just one of many factors that contributed to the Grizzlies' demise - Ashland also played without top offensive threat Jeff Skinner - Grants Pass' game plan may have made it the deciding factor. The Cavers used a power running game to dominate the line of scrimmage and eventually wore out Ashland's defensive front. Coldiron expects to see more of the same this week, as teams continue to attack the Grizzlies' perceived weakness. "They're no dummies," Coldiron said. "They're going to try to do what's successful against us, so we're anticipating seeing a lot of hard running football. But we can't forget that they can throw the football too, and they will throw the football." In last week's win over Crater, the Eagles' two running backs - Cody Schwietert and Nate Idrogo - combined for 218 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the second half alone, as Eagle Point flexed its muscles in rainy, windy weather. Friday's Ashland forecast calls for clear skies, which should help the Grizzlies. Ashland has relied heavily on its passing attack this season. Grizzly quarterback Sam Littleton has thrown for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns, but the run support has been nonexistent. While Ashland is averaging 212 yards of passing offense per game, its per-game rushing yardage is just 66.4. On the bright side, Skinner may return this week from the concussion he suffered Oct. 1 at Roseburg. That, along with Mason's comeback, is enough to give Coldiron and company a glimmer of hope. "I'm an optimistic coach so I always like our chances and I really believe in our kids," Coldiron said. "I believe if we play our kind of football the way we can - I think we can match them up." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams