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PREP FB: ‘Euphoric’ Grizzlies brace for Week 3 test By Kris Henry Updated: Sep 15, 2022 09:49 PM A A Eagle Point hosts Churchill on Friday; Comets look to get back on track in Springfield From playing a JV-only schedule during the spring of 2021 to an 0-8 campaign later that fall, none of it mattered and yet all of it was invaluable for the Ashland Grizzlies as they relished their first varsity victory last week at North Eugene. When an onside kick by the Highlanders was secured in the final minute, that’s when the Grizzlies knew they had secured a 41-38 road victory and the chance to do something they hadn’t since the first round of the 2019 state playoffs: Celebrate. “It was pretty euphoric for everybody and the kids especially,” said Ashland head coach Beau Lehnerz, “and also just because of the way the game went. It wasn’t like it was in hand by any means until literally the last second so I think that made it even sweeter for them.” The Grizzlies (1-1) found themselves trailing 18-7 through the first quarter before answering the challenge and repeatedly doing just enough to keep North Eugene at arm’s distance in the fourth quarter. “It was awesome and it was pretty special,” Lehnerz said of the mood after snapping a 10-game varsity losing streak. “The kids were pretty excited and full of energy on the bus ride home.” That energy level will be tested this week as Ashland faces Henley in its home opener Friday night at Walter A. Phillips Field. The fifth-ranked Hornets (2-0), guided by former SOU linebacker Alex Stork, are coming off a 35-0 dismantling of Crater. “We saw Henley this summer at the SOU camp so we already knew they were good, but nobody expected a 35-0 ballgame,” said Lehnerz of Week 2. “Henley is just really well-coached on all three phases of the game, and they’re tough kids. They tackle really well, they block well, they run hard and they’re aggressive to the whistle. They’re just a good solid football team all the way around.” After struggling to find an offensive balance in Week 1, Ashland had a better showing in its Big Sky Conference debut at North Eugene as sophomore quarterback Jojo Harrower passed for 195 yards and four touchdowns while junior running back Gavin White gained 96 yards on 19 carries with one score. Junior tight end Marcelo Saturen also had a breakout performance with six catches for 132 yards and two TDs. “North Eugene really did a good job shutting down our outside receivers Caden Negra and Crosby Lehnerz,” said the Grizzlies’ coach, “and Gavin was able to tear off some chunks (of yardage), especially toward the end, to try and salt the game away a little bit. Marcelo Saturen had a big game as well and it was nice to see that maybe some guys that didn’t show up on the stat sheet the first week were big-time contributors this week.” Defensively, the Grizzlies had their hands full with Highlanders QB Devon Anderson, who returned a kickoff 76 yards for a score, ran for 191 yards and three TDs and passed for 163 yards and two more scores. Henley senior QB Shaw Stork doesn’t expect to be relied as heavily upon Friday, but he certainly has the tools to challenge a defense with his legs and his passing arm. Stork finished 7-for-12 for 194 yards and a pair of touchdown passes against Crater, while junior running back Logan Whitlock carried the ball 17 times for 212 yards and three TDs. “We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us,” said Lehnerz of slowing down the Hornets. Ashland senior Ray Hart had two sacks and four tackles for loss a week ago, while Crosby Lehnerz had seven tackles and Aariq Shadoan added 6 ½ tackles. “Our kids stepped up and showed out when they needed to on defense to pull that game out,” said coach Lehnerz. “We talk about how everybody is important on the team, especially with a team of our size, and everybody needs to be ready to fulfill their roles to the best of their ability, and we did that. You may not know when your moment to shine will be but those guys had the opportunities come and they took advantage of those opportunities, and it was cool to see.” A second straight victory would also be pretty cool for the young Grizzlies, but coach Lehnerz was preaching caution to his players after their bus ride home from Eugene. “We’ve got a lot to be excited about,” he said. “I feel like there’s a little bit of confidence building after last week but we’ve talked to them about that being one game and you have to do it all over again against a different team and in a different setting. We want to do it again, so we told them to savor that feeling and remember what it took to get there and now we’ve got to try and replicate that.” CRATER AT SPRINGFIELD: It’s been a study in extremes over the first two weeks of the season for Crater, and the Comets (1-1) will look to find a happy medium Friday at Springfield (1-1). Crater struggled with execution against Henley and lacked the precision that led to a Week 1 rout. A week after he ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, senior running back Andrew Kelly was held to 15 yards on the ground and an overall inability to run the football put junior quarterback Shane Wood in poor position to attack. Wood went 9-for-23 for 76 yards and an interception, with a few dropped passes also hindering the Comets’ plan of attack. Junior QB Caeleb Kasperek continues to develop for Springfield, completing 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards with four TDs and two interceptions. Dwayne Fotta has been his primary weapon with nine catches for 228 yards and three scores. Entering the season, the Millers had scored more than one touchdown in only one of their last 14 games — and none last year — but have already proven to be a different squad offensively with a 40-33 win over Ridgeview and 20 points last week in a loss to Marist. CHURCHILL AT EAGLE POINT: David Brown took center stage on Week 1 for Eagle Point with 300 yards rushing and seven TDs but he found tough sledding last week against Mazama, netting 44 yards and one TD on 13 carries. Brown expects to be a focal point for the Eagles throughout the season, but Kaden Huff gave his team a lift with 64 yards and a score on 13 carries against the Vikings and could be another solid option to shoulder the burden moving forward. Bryton Livingston passed for two TDs but finished with only 89 yards total against Mazama, completing 8 of 15 passes against a talented defense. Churchill QB Tyler Mikel handles the Lancers’ up-tempo no-huddle offense, which will be looking to put up more than one touchdown in a game for the first time this season. Reach sports editor Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected] or via Twitter @Kris_Henry Photo by Denise Baratta. Ashland running back Gavin White, shown during a preseason practice, dashed for 96 yards in last week’s win over North Eugene.