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56 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 23, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 7, 2003 Commentary Tornado players cope with heartache of defeat By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EUGENE — Senior tailback Rob Folsom sat on a chair in an Autzen Stadium shower Saturday night as water poured over his back. It was good therapy following a hard day’s work on the football field, but it couldn’t take away the sting of an 18-6 loss to Tigard in the Class 4A state championship game. It wasn’t simply the defeat that stung; it was the way a Black Tornado offense that had averaged 41 points per game was brought to its knees by a suffocating Tigers defense. North Medford managed just 152 yards of offense, turned the ball over six times and was twice tackled in its own end zone for safeties. Advertisement Quarterback Beau Hovland, the offensive player of the year in the Southern Oregon Conference, got his team off to a good start by intercepting a pass that set up his 4-yard touchdown run that gave the Tornado an early 6-0 lead. Unfortunately for Hovland, that early success was fool’s gold. He finished the game completing just 6 of 20 passes for 50 yards and was intercepted four times. "The turnovers and the mental mistakes killed us," said Folsom, the Tornado’s top offensive threat Saturday with 74 yards rushing on 21 carries. "I’ve got to give props to Tigard — that’s by far the best defense we’ve seen — but some of our problems had nothing to do with them." It wasn’t just Hovland who struggled. Senior kick returner Sammy McHenry fumbled the second-half kickoff that left North Medford on its own 1-yard line and led to Tigard’s first safety. Place-kicker Nick Taylor shanked an extra point and, with the Tornado trailing 7-6 late in the first half, missed a 40-yard field goal wide left. Senior receiver Trent Driskell, the hero of last week’s semifinal victory over Canby, dropped one pass outright and had his hands on a couple others that he normally catches. When you encounter a defense as fast and tenacious as Tigard’s, you’ve got to make plays when they’re available. And for reasons not easily explained, North did not. "We just couldn’t get anything going offensively," admitted Driskell, who did manage to snare three passes for 40 yards. "Our defense kept us in the game, but our offense did next to nothing. "I’m going to need a little time to get over this one." Certainly, North Medford’s defense performed well enough to win. It held Tigard to two touchdowns, came up with four turnovers of its own and stopped the Tigers cold four times when they had the ball inside the Tornado 35-yard line in the fourth quarter. Senior outside linebacker Ryan Weisz registered a game-high 12 tackles, senior tackle David Faaeteete added 10 and senior inside linebacker Brian Jimenez and senior safety Jordan Spence chipped in eight each. And truth be told, Jimenez should have spent Saturday in bed rather than tackling Tigard ball carriers. He woke up with the stomach flu late Friday night and spent much of Saturday vomiting, including several times during the game. "I wanted this game more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life," Jimenez said as he sat stone-faced in the Tornado locker room after the game. "I probably threw up 30 times today, and it was hard to play. I wasn’t as energized as I normally am. But I wasn’t going to miss this game. I worked too damn hard to get here." For Folsom, Saturday marked the third time in the past three and a half years that he has come tantalizingly close to a state title, only to be denied. He was North Medford’s starting catcher as a freshman when the Tornado lost to Crater in the state championship baseball game, and he finished as the state runner-up at 160 pounds at the state wrestling tournament last winter. "It’s frustrating, but when you think about it, there are a lot worse things that happen," he said. "There are kids out there not getting enough to eat." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times