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North gets back on track with win at KU By TIM PYLE KLAMATH FALLS - Limping into town with an 0-2 Southern Oregon Conference start, the North Medford football team regained its swagger in a hurry in a 45-0 rout of Klamath Union on Friday night. A reconfigured offense got the Black Tornado (3-2 overall, 1-2 SOC) into the end zone six times after going the first two league games without a touchdown, and the North defense punished the Pelicans (2-3, 1-2), recovering three fumbles while allowing just 119 yards in total offense. "The kids focused all week," said first-year Tornado coach John Beck. "Our kids came out fired up, ready to play and just did a good job." Senior quarterback Travis Poulton and senior tailback Manny Alegria were the driving forces behind a North attack that generated 369 yards in offense and 20 first downs. In the first game this season that either was featured as the primary player at their position, Poulton completed 5-of-8 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and Alegria carried 18 times for 154 yards and another three scores. "This was a huge win for us," said Poulton, who also contributed 58 yards and a TD on 10 carries and stellar play at safety for the Tornado defense. "It felt really good to get a whole bunch of points on the board." It didn't take long for those points to begin accumulating. After a KU punt started things, North went 62 yards in four plays to earn its first SOC touchdown in their ninth quarter of play. Alegria did all but 6 yards of the damage, going 17 yards on his first carry, taking a Poulton pass 15 yards on the next play, then bouncing outside to streak 24 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 Tornado edge at 9:06 of the first quarter. "It felt good to score a TD again," said senior offensive tackle and linebacker Alan Borelli, whose team suffered a shutout at Roseburg two weeks ago and managed but three points against Grants Pass last week. Five minutes later, Borelli and his teammates had another score to celebrate. Alegria capped the five-play, 46-yard drive - which took advantage of a failed Pelicans fake punt on fourth-and-two - with a 1-yard plunge at 4:03 of the first. "The holes were there," said Alegria, hampered by a hamstring injury early in the season before busting out for 113 first-half yards Friday. "Anybody could've run through 'em." On the ensuing kickoff, North continued the landslide by perfectly executing an unexpected onside kick. When the drive stalled four plays and 18 yards later, junior kicker Shawn Hale came on to blast a 41-yard field goal. One minute, 43 seconds remained in the first, and KU was already staring at a 17-0 deficit. The Tornado made it four possessions in a row with a score by needing just one play to capitalize on a Pelicans turnover. After senior linebacker Dustin Brooks' blitz caused a fumble by KU quarterback Jeff Mortenson and senior defensive tackle Matt Stewart recovered, Poulton connected with sophomore wide receiver Beau Hovland for a 34-yard touchdown. With the first half winding down, Alegria churned out 41 more yards on the ground before Poulton flipped a screen to senior wide receiver Brian Weeks, who weaved his way 14 yards for a 31-0 lead. "(Poulton) just does such a good job with his leadership qualities," said Beck, who decided this week to stop alternating Poulton with junior quarterback Brett Timmerman. "He made great reads, I thought he ran the ball exceptionally well and he guided the offense and did exactly what he was supposed to do." As for Alegria, who replaced senior Justin MacLauchlan as North's featured back this week, Beck said, "He just runs the ball hard, he's got great instincts and he's an extremely hard worker." The outcome a foregone conclusion, Poulton kept for a 7-yard TD at 6:40 of the third, and Alegria tacked on an 8-yard scamper less than four minutes later. The Tornado defense kept its motor revving until the final whistle, allowing but three second-half first downs and eight total. "I thought the whole defense stood out," Beck said. "They shut down the fly offense. ... Dustin Brooks had some huge tackles for loss and some sacks, coming off the edge and utilizing his speed and athletic ability." Its confidence restored, North believes the best is yet to come. "It starts with one, and we can't lose any more," Borelli said. "We're gonna be peaking at the end of the season." Senior offensive guard and defensive tackle Dan Johnson, sidelined at least through next week by a strained medial collateral ligament in his knee suffered against Roseburg, took Borelli's statement a step further. "We will make the playoffs," Johnson said. With only three SOC teams going to state this season and an 0-2 mark to begin the league slate, the Tornado may need to win its remaining four SOC games to make good on that prediction. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.