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Tornado thumps EP, heads to state Photo by BOB PENNELL Steve DeClerck of North Medford rambles for some of his 137 yards rushing. North gears up for a trip to Westview By DON HUNT A lengthy trip into a hostile environment against a quality opponent might intimidate some football teams. But for the North Medford High Black Tornado, it's old hat. The Tornado romped past Eagle Point 42-0 at Spiegelberg Stadium Friday night to clinch a state playoff berth and earn a shot against No. 7-ranked Westview. The first-round matchup between the No. 2 team from the Southern Oregon Conference and the No. 2 team from the Metro League will take place Friday in Beaverton. But the 300-mile trip won't phase the Tornado in the least, coach Rod Rumrey said. "We've gone to Roseburg, we've played at Ashland, we took the long trip to Marshfield," Rumrey said in a noisy North Medford locker room following the victory over Eagle Point. "We've had a very tough schedule. We're a bunch of road warriors and one more long trip is not going to affect us." Especially now that the Tornado is back to full strength. The once-banged up team that was missing seven starters three weeks ago had all but two of them back Friday, and the result was North Medford's smoothest and most dominant performance of the season. "The worst thing (about the injuries) was losing guys alongside you that you've been around since the summer," said two-way lineman Jesse Gelsinger, who was all over the field Friday. "It's great to see those familiar faces in the huddle again. And we're just a lot more cohesive when everyone is healthy." North Medford finished in a three-way tie for second place with Roseburg and Grants Pass in the SOC. A coin flip to break the tie for playoff purposes was held on Tuesday. North Medford won the flip, enabling the Tornado to take the No. 2 berth. Roseburg then got the No. 3 berth based on its victory over Grants Pass two weeks ago. The Indians meet Gresham on Friday. Tailback Steve DeClerck rumbled for 137 yards and scored touchdown runs of 86 and 10 yards to lead the way against Eagle Point. DeClerck also pulled in a screen pass from quarterback Nate Mayben and ran down the right sideline 65 yards to paydirt. DeClerck has been challenged the past two weeks by speedy sophomore Phil Oulette, who came off the bench Friday and chipped in 90 yards rushing on just nine carries. "DeClerck got some good blocking but he also ran through several tackles and probably had his best game of the season tonight," Rumrey said. Eagle Point played inspired football through most of the first period and nearly got on the scoreboard first. Behind the running of workhorse tailback Sean Johnston, the Eagles marched from their own 41 to the North Medford 1-yard line. But on fourth down and goal from the 1, Johnston met a wall of Tornado defenders and Eagle Point turned the ball over on downs. Two plays later, DeClerck burst over right guard, received a nice kick-out block from fullback Ken Halpin, picked up a crushing block from Gelsinger upfield and galloped 86 yards to the end zone. Kelly Brown thumped through the first of six extra-point kicks. "The blocking on that play was just about perfect," DeClerck said. North Medford marched 89 yards for a touchdown the next time it had the ball to take a 14-0 lead midway through the second period. Halpin picked up 16 yards on a swing pass, Ouellette dashed 36 yards on a quick hitch and Mayben got the touchdown on a 9-yard quarterback rollout over left tackle. Then came the screen pass for a touchdown to DeClerck, and North Medford seemed content to take the 21-0 lead into halftime. But the Tornado drove 60 yards in the final 47 seconds of the first half to make it 28-0. Halpin's 41-yard burst up the middle advanced the ball to the Eagle Point 19, and two plays later Mayben scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. "It feels great to be in the playoffs," said Mayben, who completed only 5 of 11 passes but accumulated 157 yards through the air. "When we beat Roseburg in our first game everyone got excited and knew what we could accomplish. "The injuries set us back but now we're healthy and we've got some momentum. I can't wait for next week." The second half held little excitement, save for a spectacular 79-yard interception return by Jim Pickrel. The Tornado safety picked off the ball at the Tornado 1-yard line, got a couple of good blocks and scooted up the right sideline all the way to the Eagle Point 20-yard line before he was hauled down from behind by Evan Pogue. By that time the score was 35-0 and it soon became 42-0 when DeClerck scored his third touchdown of the night. Eagle Point coach Mike Johnston praised the Tornado for its blocking on offense and hustle on defense, but criticized Rumrey for allowing his team to attempt a 29-yard field goal with three minutes left in the game. The Eagles blocked the kick. "I mean, we're down 42-0," Johnston said. "Isn't that enough? I thought that was bull----." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,