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Grizzlies beat back Lancers, 13-6 Photo by Andy Atkinson Ashland's Tyson George grabs Churchill running back Ryan McMillan (33), while Nick Bakke (70) and Zach Hassell (16) zero in. Pavilionis' late TD lifts Ashland By DON HUNT ASHLAND -- The rain poured, the wind whistled and the turf at Walter A. Phillips Field was quickly turning into a quagmire. It was halftime of the Churchill-Ashland state playoff game Friday night, and the Lancers seemed to have everything going their way. They had a 6-0 lead, they had a 143-41 edge in total offense and the sloppy field conditions were working in their favor. It seemed only a matter of time before the big, bruising football team from Eugene headed home with a victory under their belts. But the Grizzlies sprang to life in the second half and pulled out a 13-6 victory before a drenched but vocal crowd numbering about 4,000. Jimmy Werbin hit tight end Austin Mason on a 12-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the third quarter that tied the game, and junior halfback Kris Pavilionis dashed 7 yards over left tackle for the game-winning TD with 6:24 to play. "We've got a bunch of kids who really believe in each other," said Ashland coach Jim Nagel, whose Grizzlies improved to 11-0 and earned a berth in next week's quarterfinal round against Sunset of Beaverton. "We've been behind a few times this season but these kids always seem to come up with big plays when the game's on the line. "It's a pretty amazing bunch." While the Grizzlies' swarming defense played superbly throughout, the offense finally began to click in the second half. After Pavilionis returned the second half kickoff 31 yards to the Ashland 46, giving the Grizzlies favorable field position for the first time, they marched 54 yards in eight plays to tie the game. Pavilionis gained 21 yards on a sweep around left end that advanced the ball to the 13 and then, on a fourth-and-eight play from the 11, Werbin hooked up with Mason for the touchdown. "My primary receiver on that play was (Jay) Kuester on a corner route, but there was no way I was going to throw the ball that far under those conditions," said Werbin, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 149 yards in the second half. "The coaches talked about that play at halftime and told me to keep an eye open for Mason over the middle." Sean Schorovsky missed the extra point attempt, leaving the score tied at 6, but the touchdown put the crowd back in the game and gave the Grizz new life. Churchill wasn't about to surrender, however. The Lancers, who came into the game averaging more than 400 yards and 40 points per game while operating out of their old-fashioned, double-wing offense, marched from their own 35 to the Ashland 17 looking to retake the lead. However, on a fourth-and-eight play from there, Grizzly linebacker Joel Smith stopped Lancer quarterback John Jenkins four yards short of a first down. In the first half, Ashland stopped Churchill inside the Grizzly 10-yard line when Tyson George sacked Jenkins on a fourth-down play. "The identity of this team is the defense," said Mason, who had a Herculean performance at both tight end and defensive back. "We knew to beat this team we had to swarm to the ball with five or six guys on every play. "They were big and their backs ran hard, but our defense finds a way to make the big plays." With fullback Joel Smith churning out gains of 9 and 11 yards, and with Kuester gaining 18 yards on a screen pass, the Grizzlies drove from their own 13 to the Churchill 26 only to watch Jenkins intercept a Werbin pass at the Lancer 7. But the long drive again gave Ashland good field position, and when the Grizzlies regained possession at the Churchill 49 they drove for the winning touchdown. It took nine plays to go the distance, including a 21-yard pass from Werbin to Mason on a bootleg, and a 10-yard screen pass to Kuester. Pavilionis scored on the next play from 7 yards out, getting crunching blocks from Smith and left tackle Nick Bakke. "I didn't even get touched," said the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Pavilionis, who was dwarfed by the Lancers. Churchill coach Jack Wigmore was gracious in defeat. "They've got some great fans down here," he said. "All of the noise they created caused us to get a couple of penalties late in the game. "But the main difference was Nagel's ability to counter-punch and their quarterback (Werbin) being able to throw the ball in a torrential downpour." Churchill wound up with a slight edge in total offense, 234-221, but the Lancers went home feeling empty. "It's a shame someone had to lose this one," Wigmore said. "That was two pretty good teams out there." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,