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North blows away Glencoe By Don Hunt HILLSBORO � The hard running of tailback Phil Ouellette, the all-around play of quarterback Kevin Foreman and a goal-line stand by its defense has propelled North Medford High into the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state football playoffs. Foreman passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more and Ouellette rushed for 145 yards on 15 carries as the Black Tornado downed Glencoe 30-13 Friday night at Hare Field. The victory propels the No. 3-ranked Tornado into a quarterfinals matchup against Newberg next Saturday at Eugene�s Autzen Stadium. Newberg stunned previously unbeaten Lake Oswego 24-13 Friday. Ouellette, appearing in his first game in three weeks due to a hamstring injury, raced 56 yards on North Medford�s first play from scrimmage, setting up Foreman�s 2-yard touchdown run and giving the Tornado a quick 7-0 lead. "It�s been a long three weeks," said Ouellette, who�s been receiving physical therapy treatments each weekday since the injury. "I�ve been visualizing making a big run on my first carry back and it happened tonight. "The line fired off the ball and gave me a huge hole. It�s great to be back." Glencoe, the No. 3 representative from the Metro League, used its power running attack to march 71 yards in 12 plays the next time it had the ball, with Kyle Kirsch plunging the final 4 yards for the score that tied the game 7-7 late in the first period. But North Medford would not be denied. Foreman hooked up with fullback Justin MacLauchlan on a 33-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-10 play on the Tornado�s next possession, and the visitors from the Rogue Valley remained in front the rest of the way. Foreman, the offensive player-of-the-year in the Southern Oregon Conference, got belted by a Glencoe player just as he released the ball, but the pass was on the money to a streaking MacLauchlan. "It was just a rollout to the right and a pass to the backside," explained Foreman, who completed 5 of 10 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns and picked up 90 yards rushing on 11 carries. "Their defensive end came barreling in and I barely got the pass off, but I knew Justin was open and I just lofted it up there." Kelly Brown�s second PAT kick made it 14-7 and North Medford�s lead soon became 16-7 when tackle Scott Myers blocked a punt into the Glencoe end zone for a safety. Myers had been out of the game with a sprained ankle, but instinctively re-entered when the punt return team was summoned. "I swept through the first blocker, gave a little juke to the second guy and found myself right on top of the punter," Myers said. "I didn�t even know if I�d blocked the ball but then I saw it rolling out of the end zone." With the safety came another possession, and North Medford drove 65 yards in eight plays for yet another score. Tight end Travis Poulton got the touchdown on a 6-yard pass reception from Foreman, and suddenly it was 23-7 with 10:20 remaining in the first half. Glencoe, however, refused to abandon its power running game, lining up with two tight ends and hammering away at the Tornado with the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Kirsch and 6-1, 220-pound Jesse Jones carrying the ball. Starting from its own 14, the Crimson Tide took 22 plays and nearly 10 minutes off the clock as it bullied its way to the North Medford 3, where it faced fourth and goal. A touchdown would put the Tide back in contention, but North Medford�s Tyler Graham flew up from his linebacker position and knocked Jones to the turf a yard shy of the goal line. "Every time their blocking back (Chris Anderson) went in motion to the outside then their running back went off tackle," said Graham, the SOC�s defensive player-of-the-year. "I could see it coming and I just flew in there as hard as I could." North Medford coach Rod Rumrey had no doubts that Graham�s stop was the most important play of the game. "That was a tremendous goal line stand," Rumrey said. "If they score there then they�ve got all kinds of momentum and they�re only down by eight or 10 points." North Medford scored its fourth touchdown of the night on a 1-yard sneak by Foreman with 5:38 to play, while Kirsch tallied on a 7-yard run for the Tide with 1:17 remaining. "That was a very physical football team we played tonight," Rumrey said. We�re coming out of here a little beat up." Poulton was the biggest casualty. He suffered a concussion in the second half and was taken to a Hillsboro hospital after the game. His status for next week was unknown late Friday night. Myers and guard Dan Johnson suffered sprained ankles, while Foreman had the wind knocked out of him late in the contest. Third-string quarterback Brett Timmerman � Poulton is the backup at that position � finished up. "Our hats are off to North Medford," said Glencoe coach Craig Ruecker, whose team finished its season with a 6-5 record. "They came up with the big plays when they needed them." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.