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Cope leads Roseburg past Hermiston ROSEBURG - Rod Cope and the Roseburg football team weren't about to let a slow start derail their Class 4A state-playoff run. The Southern Oregon Conference champion Indians fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter but slowly wore down Hermiston for a 37-14, first-round victory on Friday at Finlay Field. Second-ranked Roseburg (9-0) hosts a second-round game with McNary, a 41-27 winner over Tigard, on Friday or next Saturday. Cope scored four times to go along with 202 yards rushing on 27 carries to lead a grinding Roseburg running game. Hermiston, the third seed out of the Intermountain Conference, held the Indians to a three-and-out on the first drive of the game, then marched down the field to take an early lead. Quarterback Jarad Zabrunsky finished the lengthy drive with a 1-yard plunge. Cope quickly answered with touchdown runs of 22 and 11 to give the Indians a 14-7 lead at the half. But once again, Zabrunsky and the Bulldogs answered. Allen Ayers hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Zabrunsky to even the game early in the third quarter. The Indians closed the door defensively, however, and Cope found the end zone two more times to help Roseburg advance. Hazel finished an efficient 13-of-18 through the air for 137 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. Fullback Matt Manser added 54 yards on the ground, and tight end Joe Newton caught five balls for 52 yards. Tom Plucinak led Hermiston with 121 yards on the ground. Class 3A REEDSPORT 28, HENLEY 21 - At Klamath Falls, Reedsport did all its scoring in the first half and staved off a Henley rally attempt to prevail in a Class 3A first-round struggle. The Braves, the third seed from the Far West League, jumped out to a 13-0 lead on the Hornets on the strength of a 2-yard touchdown run by Dustin Zieman in the first quarter and a 1-yard plunge from Chad Harrington in the second. Henley, the second seed from the Skyline Conference thanks to a tiebreaker, came back to take a 14-13 edge. Brian Kinsman hauled in a 64-yard scoring pass from Frank Gauntz, then James McComber nudged in for a 1-yard TD run. Reedsport answered on a 4-yard Zieman run and Nick Borrevik two-point jaunt. Brett Butler's 15-yard TD reception from Harrington made it 28-14 at the half. Gauntz, from the 1, did the only scoring in the second half. The Braves travel to Tri-Valley League champion Sherwood for a second-round battle next weekend. Reedsport ..................................... 7 21 0 0 - 28 Henley ........................................ 0 14 7 0 - 21 R - Zieman 2 run (Borrevik kick) R - Harrington 1 run (kick failed) H - Kinsman 64 pass from Gauntz (Gauntz kick) H - James McComber 1 run (Gauntz kick) R - Zieman 4 run (Borrevik kick) R - Butler 15 pass from Harrington (Borrevik kick) H - Gauntz 1 run (Gauntz kick) Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.