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42 °F 5 Day Forecast Friday, December 12, 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 December 2, 2003 Driskell overcame pain to lead Tornado Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Trent Driskell winced in pain every time the football made contact with his right hand last Friday night. A broken thumb does that to you. But the North Medford High senior wide receiver, who suffered the injury the previous week during the Black Tornado’s 52-7 victory over Bend, wasn’t about to miss his team’s state semifinal game against top-ranked Canby at Portland’s PGE Park. Prior to Friday’s game, which was played under a steady downpour, no one knew how much of a factor Driskell would be. As every Tornado fan knows by now, he was the hero, snaring three passes during a 72-yard drive spanning the third and fourth quarters, including a 13-yard reception for the go-ahead touchdown with 9:34 to play. Advertisement North Medford got an insurance TD 49 seconds later when senior linebacker Russ Vandell scooped up a fumble and returned it 24 yards, cementing a 26-14 victory and earning the Tornado a berth in Saturday’s 4:15 p.m. state championship game against Tigard at Eugene’s Autzen Stadium. "My thumb was bothering me quite a bit before the game," admitted Driskell, who wore a cast during the week and was fitted with a special splint by North Medford trainer Todd Fandrich on Friday. "Every time I tried to catch a pass during warm-ups a sharp pain would shoot through my hand. "And the rain didn’t help. I was dropping almost everything." But once the game started, adrenaline served as Driskell’s medicine and the pain was a distant memory. Driskell was a nonfactor on offense for 2½ quarters, but with the Tornado facing a third-and-13 play from its own 23-yard line and trailing 14-13 late in the third quarter, his number was called. North Medford assistant coaches Mark Hodges and David Douglas — who do the play-calling — thought Driskell could get past Canby cornerback Sam Doman. And so they called an out-and-up route. Driskell indeed blew past Doman, but the pass from North Medford quarterback Beau Hovland came up short in the heavy rain. However, the 5-foot-11 Driskell leaped over the 6-4 Doman and took the ball to the Canby 35 for a 43-yard gain. "That play was all about timing," Driskell said. "I caught the ball at its highest point and he (Doman) was still on his way up." Three plays later, Driskell made a sliding, 18-yard pickup on a post-corner route, and three plays after that, on third- and-six from the Canby 13, he sped past Kenny Scharmota — the Cougars’ other cornerback — on a fade route for the touchdown. "The touchdown catch was supposed to be a quick hitch, but he (Scharmota) got right up on me," Driskell said. "I tapped my helmet and that let Beau (Hovland) know I was changing my route to a fade." The cast is back on Driskell’s hand this week but will slide off one last time and be re-taped for Saturday’s state championship game. "Even with a broken thumb, Trent has better hands than 95 percent of the receivers in this state," Douglas said. "He’s a money player, and in big moments of big games, that’s who you go to." Driskell was also a factor on defense, making eight solo tackles from his cornerback position. HOVLAND IS NURSING some injuries of his own, namely a sprained shoulder on his throwing arm and a dislocated middle finger on his left hand. Hovland suffered both injuries during the Tornado’s 42-21 victory over Willamette on Nov. 14. Hovland’s shoulder felt OK Friday, but his finger popped out four times when he was playing defense. "It goes sideways and looks pretty gross," Hovland says. "I got some funny looks from other players." Hovland said he will likely need surgery after the season. NICK TAYLOR’S second attempt at a PAT kick Friday sailed high over the right upright and it appeared to everyone on the North Medford extra-point team that the kick was good. However, the officials ruled it was wide to the right. North Medford led 13-7 at the time, but Canby took a 14-13 lead late in the first half on a 6-yard run by Scharmota followed by Brett Allee’s PAT boot. The score didn’t change until Driskell’s touchdown in the fourth period. "I heard from some North Medford parents in that end zone that the kick was good, and they were saying even the Canby people thought so," Taylor said. "It was close, but they called it wide, and I was getting pretty worried about it when no one scored in the third quarter." SOME FANS FELT that Vandell might have been on the turf when he picked up Allee’s fumble and returned it for a touchdown. But Vandell said he was simply squatting over the ball. "I saw the ball pop out and it was lying by my left foot," Vandell said. "I crouched down, grabbed it and took off. I was on my feet the whole time." 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