Document text
North rallies behind Mayben Photo by Drew Fleming North Medford's Phil Ouellette picks up yardage during the Tornado's comeback win. Comes back from 21-3 hole, triumphs 31-21 By KRIS HENRY Most teams would be in panic mode trailing 21-3 in the third quarter. Then again, if you have offensive firepower and defensive resolve like North Medford, there's no reason to sweat. The eighth-ranked Black Tornado scored 28 points and limited Grants Pass to three first downs in the final 21 minutes to secure the Southern Oregon Conference's No. 2 seed to the state playoffs with a 31-21 victory Friday at Spiegelberg Stadium. "This was one of the most exciting nights of my life," North Medford quarterback Nate Mayben said following the dramatic rally. "It was a lot of fun out there in the second half. The crowd and everybody was just going crazy." The win helped North Medford improve to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the SOC, while Grants Pass (5-3) dropped to third in the league standings at 4-2. Sewing up the second spot in the SOC ensured North Medford will play host in its playoff opener. "This win was huge," said Mayben. "A game at home is the best thing you can get in the playoffs. It's tough to go up and beat a playoff team at their field." Mayben provided most of that excitement with clutch passing and electrifying runs. The senior's defining moment put North on top for good at 22-21 with 6:35 to play. Mayben miraculously eluded six Grants Pass defenders by scrambling 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, then found Tate Mellbye alone in the end zone for a 26-yard TD. "I was actually going to run but I saw Tate in the corner of the end zone so I had to get my fingers back on the laces and throw it up to him," Mayben said. "I was on the dead run just trying to get the first down. I was surprised to see Tate wide open." Mayben then hit Ken Halpin for a two-point conversion to make it 24-21 and the Tornado never looked back. Charlie Jensen's interception halted the ensuing drive by Grants Pass and Halpin dipped around the left side for a 24-yard touchdown to put North ahead 31-21 with one minute to play. Mayben kept the final scoring drive alive with option keepers that weaved through the smallest crack for positive gains. "Nate Mayben absolutely took it up a notch tonight," said North coach Rod Rumrey. "He played a great second half. If we needed three yards for a first down, he somehow got it. If we needed eight, he would get that, too. He just kind of took the offense on his shoulders and made some big plays in the second half." Mayben finished the game with 143 yards passing and 42 yards rushing, with all but 52 total yards coming in the second half. Despite his impressive outing, the senior quarterback credited his teammates with determining Friday's outcome. "Our guys are just so dedicated," he said. "We didn't want this to be the last time we were in this stadium. Everybody just got pumped up. "The defense won the game for us. We just got those big plays that happened to put points on the board. They deserve the credit for all those three-and-outs in the second half." The Tornado's happy-go-lucky feelings following the game were nowhere to be found in a first half controlled by Grants Pass. The banged-up Cavemen showed no true weakness in the early stages as Brandon Hamada, Robbie Lesher and Nathan Olson found ways around North's defense. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Len Nuanez and defensive back Tony Jantzer halted the Tornado with their spectacular play. When Hamada wasn't slipping through the middle, Olson was connecting with Lesher and Parker Lane on the wing for big gains. After a 26-yard field goal by Kelly Brown put North up 3-0 in the second quarter, the Cavemen answered with an 11-yard TD run by Hamada. When the Tornado's next drive stalled thanks to two penalties, Grants Pass tacked on another TD as Kim Ray bulled over from the 2-yard-line to put the Cavemen up 14-3. North couldn't muster much on its opening drive of the second half, but Grants Pass was able to pick up where it left off as Hamada burst through the defense for a 42-yard run and Olson hit Lane for a 35-yard TD on a two-play scoring drive that made it 21-3. "When it was 14-3 at halftime, that wasn't bad. But at 21-3 against that defensive football team, it was not looking good for us," said Rumrey. "We kind of opened things up and made some big plays and maybe got them on their heels a little bit." Halpin and Mayben helped spark a somewhat stale North rushing attack with carries of 13 and 18 yards, respectively. Phil Ouellette capped the scoring drive with a 4-yard run. Mayben's two-point conversion attempt was stopped shy, giving Grants Pass a slight break at 21-9. After North's defense forced a quick Caveman punt, North took advantage of Nuanez's absence on the field to drive 73 yards on six plays for another touchdown. The Tornado pulled out a few tricks on the drive as Mellbye took a backwards pass from Mayben and tossed it downfield to Colby Gonzales for a 25-yard gain. Mellbye's effort was his second pass of the game, with the first going for 34 yards to Halpin. "That's a clutch situation and a great job by him," Mayben said of Mellbye. "When you haven't thrown the ball all night, that's a tough thing to do to send one deep like he did." Mayben returned the favor with a 40-yard completion to Mellbye later in the drive on third-and-seven. Halpin capped the drive with a 1-yard run and Brown's conversion trimmed the Grants Pass lead to 21-16. Both defenses stepped up over the next five minutes, only to have more trickery by North sway the momentum its way with eight minutes to play in the game. Facing a fourth-and-four, Mayben dropped back to punt but faked the effort and hit Charlie Jensen for a 24-yard completion down to the Caveman 20. Mayben's wild scramble and touchdown pass to Mellbye two plays later capped the scoring drive, but left many wondering where North's dominating presence was in a lackluster first half. "We were just a little tense," said Mayben. "For the last game in our stadium we wanted to do really good. We shook it off at halftime." Rumrey agreed with Mayben's appraisal, but assured it didn't take any big halftime pep talk to spur his team's turnaround. "We made some small changes at halftime but the bottom line is instead of stand around thinking we started reacting and taking the plays to them," the coach said. Rumrey also credited Grants Pass with the first-half struggles. "Grants Pass is a very good football team. They certainly brought their best game tonight," he said. "Even though we got things going in the second half, I have a tremendous amount of respect for their defense." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.