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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 9, 2004 Grizzlies whipped by GP By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Grants Pass went back to the stone age of football to come up with its offensive game plan against Ashland. The result was an old fashioned whoopin'. Ashland High Senior Wideout Steve Jorgensen tries to pick up a few extra yards as he sheds tacklers during the second quarter of the Grizzlies' 34-6 loss to Grants Pass, Friday night at Walter A. Phillips Field. Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings Running a variation of the ancient run-first, past-never single-wing offense - devised by gridiron legend Pop Warner in 1912 - Grants Pass gained 415 of its 418 yards on the ground en route to a 34-6 dismantling of Ashland, Friday night at Walter A. Phillips Field. Craig Dolmage and Patrick Allen each gained over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone, as Grants Pass got back to basics and spoiled the Grizzlies' homecoming game. "A lot of it had to do with momentum," Ashland head coach David Coldiron said. "We let them get momentum right away. Their offense has been struggling and next thing you know, they start breaking tackles and they start gaining momentum. � Once they grab all that momentum, it makes it hard to stop that ball rolling and get it back on the other side." The Southern Oregon Conference win improved Grants Pass to 1-1 in the SOC and 2-3 overall, while Ashland fell to 0-3 in league play and 1-4 overall. Stacking the line of scrimmage with blockers (and usually zero receivers) on virtually every first-half play, the Cavers averaged 6.5 yards per rush, gained 24 first downs to Ashland's 9 and dominated the time of possession battle 32:38 to 11:41. "We started running (the single-wing) last week a little bit against Eagle Point out of necessity," Grants Pass head coach Tom Blanchard said. "With our traditional offense, we had not been able to move the ball very well, so we started with our best athletes and with a decent offensive line we thought we'd try to go man-on-man and see what we could do. "We were pleased with it." The Cavers scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to open up a 19-6 halftime lead. Dolmage, who gained 179 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries, had TD runs of seven and 28 yards to put the Grizzlies in an early hole. Ashland came back with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Sam Littleton to Brian Kitchell, but the Cavers answered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive capped off by Allen's 12-yard run with 2:31 to go in the second quarter. It was more of the same after the break. Dolmage scored on a six-yard run with 6:19 left in the third, breaking a tackle and stumbling into the end zone to make it 25-6. He scored again four minutes later on a six-yard blast. Both of Dolmage's second-half TDs were set up by Grizzly turnovers - first an interception by Allen, then a fumble. Allen didn't have a bad day on offense either, netting 141 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. "They did what they could do," said Ashland's David Jacobson-Fried, who had six tackles plus a team-high 18 rushing yards. "They've got weight, they've got mass, they've got big guys, so that's the only thing they could have done. It was just Pop Warner football, I guess." On the other side of the ball, Ashland's offense could do little with the few opportunities it had. The Grizzlies finished with 141 yards of total offense and shot themselves in the foot with four turnovers - two interceptions and two fumbles. Their playoff hopes all but dashed, Coldiron said his team must now focus on finishing the season strong. "It's all about personal character and pride and stepping back and saying, 'Hey, we're going to have a game this week,'" he said. "We need to finish what we started. We still have a chance at a winning season. As long as we've still got games on the board, we still have a chance." Grants Pass' punishing rushing attack, which utilized direct snaps to the running backs, broke Ashland's back all night with big gains, especially when the Cavers needed them most. Grants Pass converted two fourth downs on its way to its third touchdown, which capped a monster drive that melted 5:34 off the clock. The Cavers were 7-for-12 on third-down conversions and 4-for-4 on fourth downs - each coming on the ground. "(The holes) were huge," Dolmage said. "Everything was opening up, everyone was staying on their blocks and it was pretty easy to run." Added Grizzly lineman Jason LeFever: "We just needed to be more physical." Grizzly notes: Ashland played without tight end Jeff Skinner, the team's leading receiver, and lost starting linebacker Morgan Mason in the first quarter to a sprained wrist. � Littleton completed 11 of 22 passes for 114 yards, while Grants Pass' quarterbacks connected once on four attempts for three yards. � Grants Pass ran 68 plays to Ashland's 40. � The Grizzlies continue their SOC schedule next week against the streaking Eagle Point Eagles (5-0 overall, 3-0 SOC). 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