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PREP ROUNDUP Grizzlies advance to state in water polo ASHLAND -- Ashland High's girls and boys water polo teams finished first and second, respectively, in the Southern League finals this past weekend. Both teams now advance to the state tournament with the boys facing Beaverton at the Southern Oregon University pool on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the girls traveling to face the winner of the Tigard/Parkrose winner on Friday in Beaverton at 4:20 p.m. Friday night the Grizzly girls cruised by Marist in the second round of the Southern League playoffs with a 13-6 win at South Albany. Jessica Matson led the way with four goals while Vanessa Walker had three and Alyssa Simonsen had two. The boys also had an easy time with Marist, storming to a 19-2 win. Evan Mather and Clayton Mattson led all Ashland scorers with four goals apiece. Teammates Adam Foley and Brad Scoles each chipped in with three scores. Mattson and Keara Duggan came up with crucial goals in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's Southern League championship game at Corvallis to knot the score at 6-all and send the game into overtime against North Eugene. From there, Walker sealed the deal with two scores to give the Grizzlies an 8-6 win. The Ashland boys had a tougher time with top-ranked Sheldon in the Southern League finals, losing 10-7. Goals by Mather, Foley, Scoles and Adam Goldman weren't enough as the the Grizzlies couldn't overcome two quick fourth quarter scores by Sheldon. Walker took home MVP accolades of the Southern League for her efforts and was joined on the first team squad by teammates Mattson and Liz Alrick. Foley and Scoles were named to the boys first team all-league while Dustin Asher and Quinn Brightenburg were named to the second team. Jordan McFarland made honorable mention. Boys Soccer SOUTH MEDFORD 2, LINCOLN 0 -- At Portland, Lars Swenson and Damian Rasmussen provided the offense for South Medford during their state playoff victory Saturday. After taking time to adjust to the speed of the artificial turf compared to natural grass, Swenson pushed home the first Panther goal at the 11-minute mark. The lead stood into the 54th minute of the second half when Rasmussen added an insurance goal by heading the ball over the Lincoln goalie, then recovering and sending it into the net. Goalie Kyle Hadley saved two late goals for the Panthers to preserve the win. The biggest stop came on a three-on-one situation for Lincoln with Hadley holding his ground and making the save. South Medford next plays host to North Salem on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.