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53 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 11, 2003 Indians show no mercy in win over Crater By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Crater could have as many bake sales, raffles or car washes it wanted and the Comets probably still wouldn’t be able to buy a break. The local football team gave Roseburg everything it had Friday night, but the same little things that have slowed the Comets all season — turnovers, poor field position, missed assignments — reared their ugly head once again in Southern Oregon Conference play at Dutch Meyer Stadium. On a night when the Indians weren’t exactly at their best, Roseburg (5-1, 3-0 SOC) was still more than enough for a Crater team desperate for positives as it ventures into the second half of its season. "Little things just always seem to get us," said Crater head coach Rich Cable. "But at least they came out and played their hearts out for four quarters. You’ve got to be proud of them for that." Advertisement Roseburg quarterback Brodie Harvey passed for 176 yards and three touchdowns and fullback Austin Shoptaw rushed 16 times for 134 yards and two scores as the rusty Indians managed a 41-8 victory Friday night. Friday’s tilt marked the first game action for Roseburg in two weeks, and at times it showed. "Obviously not playing for two weeks is difficult," said Roseburg head coach Thurman Bell. "Usually after a week layoff you always worry about coming back with intensity, and that was some of our problem tonight." The Indians turned the ball over four times — three on Shoptaw fumbles — and occasionally showed more pop than production on defense, often acting as if a bone-jarring hit would be enough to finish off Crater ball carriers instead of wrapping up the tackles. "They have some very good athletes out on the field," Bell said in praise of the Comets. "They come hard to play, too." Exemplifying that was senior tailback Cody Ponder, who pinballed his way to 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries to lead Crater (0-6, 0-4). "Cody Ponder really ran hard tonight," said Cable. Roseburg scored first with 3:21 to go in the opening quarter on an 11-yard run by Shoptaw, then got right back at it moments later after linebacker Joe Smith intercepted a pass by Crater’s Gary Gomes that ricocheted off starting tailback Justin Weathers. With the ball on the Crater 4, Roseburg used a pass interference penalty to cut the distance in half and then Shoptaw did the rest on the one-play drive to make it 14-0 with 1:08 to go in the quarter. The teams traded turnovers over the next few series, with Gomes intercepting Harvey, Shoptaw recovering a fumble by Weathers and Charlie Alexander recovering a fumble by Shoptaw. The final miscue led to Crater’s deepest penetration of the first half as Ponder and Gomes marched the Comets from their own 23 to the Roseburg 24. But as soon as Crater had the momentum, it was gone as Gomes was flushed from the pocket, tried to throw the ball away and was victimized on a sensational interception by Roseburg’s Josh Brink, who tipped the ball up in the end zone and had the presence of mind to recover for a diving reception. The Indians then marched to the Crater 9 in two minutes, with Harvey capping the drive by hitting Kevan Gerretsen for the first of his two scores on the night with 23 seconds to go until halftime. Roseburg scored on its first two possessions of the second half, with Harvey hitting Gerretsen for a 22-yard TD and James Snyder for a wide-open 37-yarder when he was left uncovered on a broken play. "They had a lot of people up front and Brodie came out and did a very good job throwing the football," said Bell. "Not only him throwing, but we had some kids go up and catch the football, too." Ponder finally broke Crater’s drought with 7:57 to go in the game with a twisting 8-yard dash to pay dirt against Roseburg’s first-team defense. The drive, which started at the Roseburg 34, was set up by Shoptaw’s third fumble of the game. Jimmy Zhu tacked on a 1-yard score for the Indians with 1:41 to play to cap the scoring. After two runs by Shoptaw, Zhu took over the drive and carried nine times for 27 tough yards in the series. "Our defensive line did a good job of standing their ground and playing good assignment football," said Crater senior Kyle Lambert. "We never gave up." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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