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--> --> Oct. 26: Grizz notch second SOC win By Bobby Heiken Ashland Daily Tidings CENTRAL POINT - After two weeks of turnovers, penalties and missed tackles, the Ashland High football team put everything together Friday night for a 32-22 victory over Crater. The win improved Ashland to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the Southern Oregon Conference. Crater fell to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in the SOC. "This helps put the young guys on the right track," said Grizz running back Ty Haggard who rushed for 156 yards and a score. "We want to end things the right way. We showed tonight what happens when the team comes together." It was Haggard - who is playing with a severely injured shoulder - that got things started for the Grizzlies. The senior back ripped off a 43-yard touchdown run with 9:50 to play in the second quarter to give the Grizzlies a 7-0 lead. That score lit a fire under both offenses - which put points on the board for the next four possessions. Crater took the lead briefly at 8-7 when Dan Casey capped off a 12-play, 64 yard drive with a 9-yard run with 3:48 left in the half. Ashland answered as Haggard had runs of 14 and 19 yards to set up a 1-yard plunge by junior Jared Hall on his first carry of the season, giving Ashland a 13-8 advantage at the 1:27 mark of the second quarter. It took Crater three plays to regain the lead as junior quarterback D.J. Beatty found junior wideout Andrew Norum from 42 yards out and a 16-13 Comet lead with under a minute to play. But that was more than enough time for the Grizz. A reverse on the kickoff and runback by Charles Dotterrer gave the Grizz a first down at the Crater 21. Three plays later senior quarterback Cameron Voget rolled out and found a diving Ryan Decker in the end zone to give the Grizz a 20-16 halftime lead. The Grizzlies still had to come from behind one more time. With 5:59 to play in the third quarter, Crater embarked on a 62-yard, 11-play drive that resulted in an 18-yard scoring play from Beatty to Norum for a 22-20 Comet lead. But Ashland would not be denied. A 50-yard return on the ensuing kickoff by senior Eddie Griffin and some powerful running by Haggard set up a 15-yard scoring strike from Voget to Griffin to give the Grizzlies the lead for good at 26-22 with 9:23 to play. For good measure, the Grizzlies added a 15 yard Torrance George touchdown catch with 39 seconds to play to ice the game. "We knew we had to bring it all week," Haggard said. "The offensive line knew it had to be done with them and they stepped up. They blocked like I haven't seen all year. It showed that the hard work in practice all week paid off." Decker led all Grizz receivers with four catches for 42 yards. Crater was paced by Casey's 148 yards on 33 carries. Norum added 153 yards on 10 catches. "Ty did a very nice job running the ball and the offensive line did a great job," Grizz head coach Jim Nagel. "This is a nice win but we've got a big test next Friday." The Grizzlies host conference champ and second-ranked Roseburg to close out the season. The Indians rolled to a 44-0 victory over Klamath Union Friday night. "I hope this gives us some confidence," Haggard said. "We've just got to bring it." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing