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Grizz hopes to thrwart North�s title plans By Don Hunt Since the split of Medford High in 1986, no team has had North Medford�s number like the Ashland Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have beaten the Black Tornado 14 of 15 times over that span. The notable exception was the 1993 Class 4A state championship game in which North Medford walked off with a 27-24 victory. The unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Tornado can end years of frustration with a victory over the once-beaten, No. 7-ranked Grizzlies Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium. The Tornado can also clinch its first outright Southern Oregon Conference championship since 1983 � it tied for the title in 1984 and �85 � and secure a No. 1 state playoff berth with a victory. "There�s been quite a bit of luck in some of those games but our kids always get fired up for the Tornado and seem to play their best," says Ashland coach Jim Nagel, whose Grizzlies have won seven straight this fall since a season-opening loss to Roseburg. "A lot of the games have been close and we�ve managed to pull some wins out in the end. "But we know we�ve really got our work cut out this time. North is a very good football team." The Tornado rolled over its first seven opponents by an average score of 49-7 before sweating out a 12-9 win over Grants Pass last Friday. Coach Rod Rumrey says last week�s contest exposed some imperfections but admits it was good for his team to be in a close game. "We had to play the whole 48 minutes and that could definitely help us once we get in the playoffs," Rumrey says. Untimely penalties ruined a couple of big plays and possibly cost North Medford a touchdown or two last week. The Tornado also broke down on special teams when it missed two extra points, and Kelly Brown nearly had a punt blocked due to a high snap. "We�ve got to get those problems worked out," Rumrey says. North Medford tailback Phil Ouellette, the SOC�s leading rusher with 758 yards and four touchdowns, sat out the Grants Pass game with a hamstring pull and remains questionable for Friday�s game. Junior Justin MacLauchlan, who moved from fullback to tailback against the Cavemen and had 54 yards rushing on 16 carries, will again get the call if Ouellette can�t play with Curtis Stout getting the nod at fullback. But it�s the Tornado�s defense that concerns Nagel the most. North Medford is allowing just 64 yards rushing, 183 yards overall and 7.3 points per game. "I don�t know that I�ve ever seen a defense with more speed and quickness than North has this season," Nagel says. "They�re tough to run on because they always seem to have 10 or 11 guys flying to the ball, and they really get after the quarterback." The Grizzlies have been playing some stingy defense of their own after posting shutouts over Crater and Eagle Point the past two weeks. The key for Ashland might be the play of its quarterbacks � junior Cameron Voget and sophomore Bryan Clevenger. The precocious Clevenger earned the starting job two weeks ago but sat out last week�s 35-0 victory over Eagle Point, and Voget responded with an 11-for-22, 155-yard, two-touchdown performance through the air. "They both deserve a chance to play," Nagel says. "We�ll probably alternate them by series, and if one gets hot then we might go with him for the rest of the quarter or half." The Grizzlies have leaned on their running game more than usual this season, partly because their passing attack has been inconsistent and partly because halfback Mac Contreras and fullback Noah Hayes-McKeirnan form a 1-2 punch that Nagel has rarely had in his 18 seasons at Ashland. Contreras ranks second in the SOC in rushing with 706 yards and eight touchdowns, while Hayes-McKeirnan ranks seventh with 457 yards and four scores. The Grizzlies also have another excellent skill position player in wide receiver/defensive back Ryan Goodman, the SOC�s No. 4 receiver with 432 yards and seven touchdowns. Goodman is also the SOC�s top kicker. He�s made 24 of 26 extra-point attempts and is 7-of-7 on field goals, including a game-winning 40-yarder against Grants Pass earlier this season. Goodman will likely be matched against North Medford Mike Olson�s on both sides of the ball. Olson has caught a touchdown pass in seven of the Tornado�s eight games and, like Goodman, is one of the SOC�s top defensive backs. An Ashland victory would likely create a three-way tie for the SOC title between the Grizzlies, the Tornado and Roseburg. A coin flip would then determinte state seedings. North Medford doesn�t want any part of a tie. "One of our early-season goals was to win the conference championship," Rumrey says. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.