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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Emergency services, Aug. 25 ... Gold Hill adopts Bee City USA ... Cuckoo's Nest, Pebblestone and Plaisance earn Best of Show at Oregon Wine Competition ... Emergency services, Aug. 25 ... Gold Hill adopts Bee City USA ... Cuckoo's Nest, Pebblestone and Plaisance earn Best of Show at Oregon Wine Competition ... PREP FOOTBALL MWL champion Crater secures first undefeated regular season Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM --> Crater 30, Churchill 15 RECAP: Two interceptions by Spencer Cyr and two touchdown runs by Cavin Gillispie help set the tone as Crater clinches the outright Midwestern League title. UP N... » Read more X Crater 30, Churchill 15 RECAP: Two interceptions by Spencer Cyr and two touchdown runs by Cavin Gillispie help set the tone as Crater clinches the outright Midwestern League title. UP NEXT: Next Friday, first round Class 5A state playoffs. » Social News CENTRAL POINT — Churchill fought like a team desperate to get into the Class 5A state playoffs, but that didn’t stop second-ranked Crater from making a little history Friday night with a 30-15 triumph at Dutch Meyer Stadium. The Comets used two interceptions in the end zone by senior Spencer Cyr and a third interception by senior Nate Jenkins that set up a third-quarter scoring drive to deny Churchill and secure the first undefeated regular season in Crater history. Crater also wrapped up an outright Midwestern League title with the victory, marking the first conference title for the Comets since 2009. Crater (9-0, 5-0 MWL) won three of the four Southern Sky Conference crowns from 2006-09 at the 5A level. “It feels great that’s the first time in Crater history,” said Crater senior Cavin Gillispie. “This is unbelievable. I don’t even have any words for this. Our student section and the fans are great. It’s just a cool deal.” Gillispie finished with 15 carries for 142 yards and touchdowns of 49 and 6 yards to help power a balanced attack that netted 387 total yards. Senior quarterback Matt Struck completed 19 of 25 passes for 227 yards and a 41-yard TD to Austin Kramer for the Comets, who opened a 16-0 advantage but couldn’t quite pull away further from the hungry Lancers (5-4, 2-3). Junior running back Jace Godley got things going with his 6-yard TD run four minutes into the second quarter, and senior Jason Santoni drilled a 41-yard field goal shortly thereafter to give Crater some breathing room. “There was definitely some extra pressure to try and come out 9-0,” said Gillispie. “We knew they were going to be a great team and we had to fight. We came out a little flat but we ended up getting the ‘W,’ and that’s what matters.” Churchill junior Sam Jackson racked up 164 yards rushing on 23 carries, scoring on runs of 17 and 3 yards to try and keep pace with the Comets. Junior quarterback Jacob Brothers completed 19 of 29 passes for 226 yards, and two of his three interceptions came on the Lancers’ opening two drives. “You can’t have turnovers like that,” said Churchill head coach Ray Yarbrough. “We got down to the red zone and we turned the ball over twice. I think our kids battled hard. I think we gave Crater everything they wanted and more, probably the best they’ve been played all year.” There was no denying that Churchill played with a do-or-die approach, while Crater didn’t execute at its top level with so much riding on Friday’s outcome for a program coming off three straight losing seasons. “I thought we played not very good at all,” said Crater head coach John Beck. “We had really stupid penalties and most every time they would drive and score was because of our mistakes and our lack of discipline. You can say what you want but maybe the kids were looking ahead or whatever, but I wasn’t real happy with the performance and I don’t think our players are. But it’s better to learn from a tough win than a tough loss, so that’s OK.” Crater will carry the No. 2 seed into next Friday’s 5A state playoffs, while Churchill was eliminated from playoff contention as the fourth-place team in a stacked MWL that boasts three automatic qualifiers among the top five seeds. At the 5A level, 15 automatic qualifiers and one at-large team advance to the state playoffs, with 10th-seeded Bend (6-3) edging No. 13 Churchill for that final at-large bid. Four automatic qualifiers to the state playoffs finished lower than Churchill in the Oregon School Activities Association power rankings. “Really, it’s just unfortunate in the Midwestern League that one of the best teams in the state is going to be sitting home in the playoffs because of the way the OSAA doesn’t want to do play-in games,” said Yarbrough, whose only losses have come to 6A Reynolds and the top three MWL squads. Both teams were penalized 100 yards, with Churchill flagged 11 times and Crater 14. The Comets certainly were more excited about the victory than how it came about, and Struck said the team will be looking forward to opening the state playoffs on a better note. “The past experiences we’ve had like this we got rid of it pretty good and came out and put a show on the next week,” said Struck. “That’s what we’re hoping for because we know from here on out we’re going to have just as tough or tougher teams down the road in the playoffs. We’re just going to celebrate the victory tonight and then keep pushing and get back to work on Monday.” Cyr was denied on a touchdown effort on the game’s first drive when it was ruled a fumble as he stretched the ball toward the goal line. But he came back to pick off a fade into the end zone and then stepped in front of a quick slant in the end zone. Cyr finished with six catches for 75 yards, while Kramer led the way with seven catches for 96 yards. Godley also ran seven times for 42 yards. Jenkins’ interception denied Churchill on its opening drive of the third quarter, and the Comets built a 23-7 cushion after Kramer’s leaping catch on the ensuing series. Churchill advanced to the Crater 40-yard line down 23-15 with 3½ minutes to play, but a pass breakup by Cyr, sack by Gillispie and two incompletions halted the Lancers’ drive to tie the contest. The Comets used four carries by Gillispie and a personal foul to then score their clinching TD. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... Varsity 541 Photos Coach K Summer Competition at SOU U19 Memorial Day Challenge North Medford vs. Grant State Track & Field 6A-6 SWC District Championships 5A-3 Midwestern League Districts - Day 1 » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.