Document text
49 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 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 November 15, 2003 North Medford�s Will Brown (20) runs for a handful of his team-high 86 yards in Friday�s playoff game against Willamette. photo by Brian T. Schapper / for the Mail Tribune North keeps on chugging The Black Tornado advances to the quarterfinals after a convincing win against Willamette By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EUGENE — Trent Driskell got his hands on the football only four times Friday night, but the North Medford High wide receiver made excellent use of his opportunities. Driskell caught touchdown passes of 16 and 25 yards, made a leaping 19-yard catch for a crucial first down in the fourth quarter and sped 14 yards to pay dirt on a reverse to fuel the Black Tornado to a 42-21 second-round state-playoff victory over Willamette Friday night at Willamette High School. The win advances third-ranked North Medford (10-1) to a quarterfinals matchup against Bend next Friday at Spiegelberg Stadium. The Lava Bears advanced with a 24-7 victory over Lakeridge. Advertisement Driskell came into Friday’s game against Willamette with a modest six touchdowns in North Medford’s first 10 games, but he needed just 2½ minutes to find the end zone against the Wolverines. Four plays after Sammy McHenry ran back the opening kickoff 66 yards to the Willamette 29-yard line, Tornado quarterback Beau Hovland hit a wide-open Driskell on a seam route for a 16-yard score. "For some reason they left me uncovered," a smiling Driskell said after the game. "I just ran up the middle of the field and Beau led me perfectly." Hovland scored North Medford’s second touchdown when he intercepted a Carl Zehner pass and ran it back 29 yards with 5:20 remaining in the first half. The Tornado then got the ball back on its own 20 with 2:50 remaining before the intermission, and, using its no-huddle offense, drove 80 yards in 14 plays to take a 21-0 halftime lead. The touchdown came on another Hovland-to-Driskell hookup, this one on a fourth-and-goal play from the Wolverine 25. "I ran a post-corner route and got behind the defensive back," Driskell said, "and Beau put the ball where only I could get to it." North Medford placekicker Nick Taylor had drilled a 37-yard field goal on the previous play, but the Tornado was hit with an illegal procedure penalty. Rather than have Taylor attempt a field goal from the 42, coach John Beck decided to roll the dice with Driskell. "I just had a feeling that we could get the touchdown," Beck said. "I just said, what the heck." The 21-0 advantage stood up until the middle of the third period, when Willamette finally got on the board thanks to a 35-yard touchdown pass from Zehner to Seth McClaflin on a fade pattern. Driskell’s third touchdown, a well-executed, 14-yard reverse on the first play of the fourth period, padded the Tornado’s lead back to 21 points, but the resilient Wolverines cut it to 28-14 when Zehner raced 75 yards up the left sideline on a quarterback trap with 11 minutes left in the game. There was still plenty of time for the Wolverines to come back, and they had North Medford in a third-and-11 predicament at the Tornado 27 just a few plays later. But Driskell had one more big play up his sleeve. With Hovland scrambling to avoid a sack, Driskell came back toward the line of scrimmage and outfought a Willamette player for the catch and a 19-yard gain. Five plays later, senior tailback Will Brown completed the 82-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown burst up the middle that made it 35-14 and put the Wolverines away for good. Backup tailback Josh Casebere scored North Medford’s final touchdown on a 19-yard run with 2:02 remaining. "That last catch Trent (Driskell) made was unbelievable," Beck said. "He shielded the defensive back and then just used his athletic ability to go up and get the ball. "That might have been the biggest play of the game, because if we have to punt and they go down and score again, it’s a one-touchdown game and they’ve got all the momentum." Willamette coach Skip Raish, whose team finished its season with an 8-3 record, agreed. "It seemed like they made a lot of third-down conversions, and that one really hurt," he said. Hovland finished the game 11-of-21 passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Brown came off the bench to pace the Tornado ground attack with 86 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Zehner led all rushers with 132 yards on 11 carries, but North Medford held Willamette tailback Steve Vedder, the leading rusher in the Midwestern League this season, to a minus-1 yard on six attempts. Vedder, who has been nursing a shoulder injury in recent weeks, left the game in the fourth quarter. Speaking of injuries, North Medford had its share Friday night. Senior tailback Rob Folsom and junior guard Lorenzo Arenas both suffered knee injuries and Hovland suffered a nasty gash on the middle finger of his left hand. Arenas’ injury, a sprained medial collateral ligament to his right knee, appeared to be the most serious. His status for next Friday’s game against Bend is uncertain. At Eugene North Medford 7 14 0 21 — 42 Willamette 0 0 7 14 — 21 NM — Driskell 16 pass from Hovland (Taylor kick) NM — Hovland 29 interception return (Taylor kick) NM — Driskell 25 pass from Hovland (Taylor kick) W — McClaflin 35 pass from Zehner (Sann kick) NM — Driskell 14 run (Taylor kick) W — Zehner 75 run (Sann kick) NM —Brown 11 run (Taylor kick) NM —Casebere 19 run (Taylor kick) W — Hartman 46 pass from Hughes (Sann kick) TEAM STATISTICS NM Wil First Downs 17 10 Rushes-yards 42-213 21-156 Passing yards 151 203 Comp-Att-Int 11-22-0 12-22-1 Total yards 364 359 Punts 2-41.5 5-36.8 Fumbles-lost 2-0 2-1 Penalties-yards 13-100 7-82 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING North Medford — Folsom 13-49, Brown 12-86, Hovland 13-42, Jimenez 2-3, Driskell 1-14, Casebere 1-19. Willamette — Vedder 6-(-1), S. Soto 1-1, Zehner 11-132, A. Soto 1-5, Thalhamer 1-6, Hughes 1-13. PASSING North Medford — Hovland 11-21-0 151, Running 0-1-0 0. Willamette — Zehner 10-18-1 138, Hughes 2-4-0 65. RECEIVING North Medford — Driskell 3-60, Herrera 4-34, Running 2-30, Weisz 2-27. Willamette — Mlynczyk 2-24, Thalhamer 2-28, A. Soto 3-41, S. Soto 2-10, Hartman 1-46, Immonen 1-19, McClaflin 1-35. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, 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! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times