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Ashland ends Marshfield's run By Greg Stiles ASHLAND � Jim Nagel is well known for his cunning and mastery of football�s Xs and Os. The veteran coach has dreamed up schemes and pulled plays from a bag of tricks to disarm the unwary. Friday night, the Ashland Grizzlies surprised their coach with a play of their own that ignited a 27-12 non-conference victory over second-ranked Marshfield at Walter A. Phillips Field. The triumph ended Marshfield�s 55-game regular season winning streak, dating back to a 28-7 loss to Grants Pass on Nov. 5, 1993. On Ashland�s second possession of the game, the Grizzlies faced fourth-and-10 at the Marshfield 41. Punter Zach Williams dropped back and the Pirates, the fans and the Ashland coaching staff expected a punt. Instead, Noah Hayes-McKeirnan took a short snap, slipped through a wave of Pirates at the line and rambled 23 yards, all the way to the Marshfield 18 for a first down. Nagel admitted he was as surprised as anyone, sitting in his coaching box, to see the go-for-broke play. But Hayes-Kiernan had an explanation to share in the locker room. "That wasn�t supposed to actually happen," said the 5-foot-, 175-pound senior running back. "We call Zach Williams, our kicker, "Big Red" and the coaches were yelling "Big Red" as we were getting ready to punt." It also happens to resemble the signal for a fake punt. "They said "Big Red" so we gave �em "Big Red" Hayes-McKiernan said. "It was open and everybody made good blocks." Two plays later, Cameron Voget skirted the right side for a 14-yard touchdown, knifing between two defenders at the 5. Ryan Goodman toed the PAT kick to make it 7-0 with 3:27 left in the first quarter. The Pirates, who had already fumbled the ball away twice and would lose two more fumbles, were stunned. Less than two minutes later, the Pirates tried to reciprocate by faking a punt on fourth-and-eight from their own 32. Nick Grassham was wide open at midfield, but Luke Morrow�s pass slipped through his fingers. Ashland had a golden opportunity and didn�t let it get away. Voget again found an open lane, setting up in a shotgun formation then romping 13 yards up the middle on a third-and-seven for a first down at the Marshfield 17. Then on the first play of the second quarter, Voget rifled a pass to Goodman, who made a diving catch behind the Pirates� Albert Benevidez and Brad Huntley. "That was a spectacular catch," said Voget, who completed just three passes, but in key situations.. "Cameron threw a great pass," said Goodman. "I didn�t know if I had it or not, until the referee made the signal." Ashland opened up a 21-0 lead with 9:12 to play in the half when Goodman returned a punt 43 yards to the Marshfield 12. Voget then rolled right, dodged five tacklers and sprawled into the end zone. "I was a little nervous at first," said Voget of making his first start for the Grizz, "and I wasn�t confident. But I knew if I had a lane, I could run for a first down." Ashland continued its mastery of the Pirates by taking the second half kickoff and driving to the Marshfield 20 where Goodman kicked the first of two fields goals � this one from 38 yards. Marshfield fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, but the Pirates held, then struck for an 85-yard touchdown pass-and-run from Morrow to Tyler Draper. Goodman�s second field goal, from 28 yards, iced it with seven minutes to play. "We wanted revenge," said Voget, referring to the Pirates� previous success against the Grizzlies, including last year�s 28-9 win at Coos Bay. "We had to be the ones to break the streak. We thought we should�ve beaten Roseburg last week ." Marshfield coach Kent Wigle was disappointed in his team�s performance after a rousing win over Churchill a week ago. "We didn�t give Ashland much of a challenge tonight," Wigle said. "Jim was awful nice to kick field goals when they could�ve scored touchdowns. But we probably needed that wakeup call. I hope it does something for us." Nagel was delighted to see his team back on track and had lots of praise for his defense, especially Ben Holtey, who made nine tackles, seven for losses. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA