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North just didn�t get the bounces EUGENE � Footballs can take strange bounces. Given the oblong shape of the ball, you never know which way it�s going to go when it hits the turf. Had it bounced a different direction a couple of times, North Medford might have been celebrating the Black Tornado�s eighth state championship. But the bounces trickled the other way and Jesuit, a team that rarely needed lucky bounces as it won 14 straight games, took full advantage in Saturday�s Class 4A state final at Autzen Stadium. The Crusaders had the golden boy quarterback, the big-play receivers, an impressive rushing attack and a defense that scored more points than some teams� offenses this season. Nonetheless, co-No. 1 Jesuit found itself needing a break or two to separate it from the No. 3 Tornado. The first break came with 2:37 left in the first quarter. North lost just 10 fumbles in its first 13 games and Curt Stout was as sure-handed as anybody on the field. But as he lowered is shoulder inside the Jesuit 5, Luke Hanset knocked the ball loose and D.J. Jackson pounced on it at the Crusader 3. "That�s just the kind of day it was for D.J.," said Jesuit quarterback Mike McGrain. "It never hurts to be lucky." The Crusaders made plenty of their own breaks as first Kyle Faulk and later Jackson intercepted North quarterback Kevin Foreman passes. But Jesuit�s worst and best bounces came on the same play late in the second quarter. North had just scored on a 62-yard screen pass to Phil Ouellette to go up 21-13. Considering the Tornado was kicking off to start the second half, the last thing the Tornado wanted to do was give the Crusaders a chance to tie before half. But Faulk got behind cornerback Mike Olson and hauled in a pass. He took it to the 7 before Olson jarred the ball loose. The ball dribbled diagonally toward the pylon in the front left corner of the end zone. When it hit the 1, it wobbled left and out of bounds. Had it toppled to the right, it would�ve gone into the end zone and an oncoming Foreman would�ve recovered it for a touchback. "Kevin got there a half-second too late," said Olson. Faulk may have been in great pain, but he was more concerned about the ball. "The only thing I wanted to know," said Faulk, who may have broken a bone in his leg on the play, "was whether we still had the ball." The Crusaders had a first-and-goal inside the 1 and tied the game at 21-21 shortly before halftime. "They earned a lot of their luck today," Foreman said. "But if we got that ball before it went out of bounds or it went into the end zone, who knows what would�ve happened?" The teams combined for nearly 900 yards in total offense as the Tornado edged the Crusaders 470-422. Both teams lost one fumble and Jesuit ended up driving the stake into North�s heart with a 52-yard interception return by Mike Hass in the closing seconds. But as was frequently the case this fall, Hass made improbable catches with two or three defenders all around him. He caught seven passes for 116 yards and his 40-yard grab between Olson and Travis Poulton was the sensational play the Crusaders needed. It came on the first play of the fourth quarter with North up 28-21. The play before, Tornado Alan Borelli had sacked McGrain for a 9-yard loss at the Jesuit 35. Had North prevented Hass� catch, maybe it would be celebrating today. Instead, Jesuit had the ball at the North 25, and Jackson bolted into the end zone on the next play. North rushed for 161 yards in the first half but only 85 in the final 24 minutes. With most of the fourth quarter left, it would�ve been a nice time to go on a long march. But the Crusaders had changed up their defense, moving an outside linebacker up to the line and across from the tight end. "It gave them a false read and something they hadn�t seen," said Jesuit defensive coordinator Ken Johnson. "They had success running towards the tight end in the first half, and we were able to take the momentum away and make them pass when they didn�t want to." Once the Crusaders had the Tornado where they wanted, Jesuit�s arsenal of weapons put the game away. "We had some breaks today," North coach Rod Rumrey said. "We needed one or two more, probably, to win the ballgame. We didn�t get the right breaks at the right time, but it wasn�t for the lack of effort." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.