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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 20, 2004 South Medford�s Ryan Odell (33) splits the McNary defense for a large gain during Friday�s second-round game at Spiegelberg Stadium. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli South roars into quarters Red-hot Panthers record another big victory in the state playoffs By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune After a season of playing it close to the vest, fourth-ranked South Medford is making the most of a chance to stretch its legs in the Class 4A football state playoffs. The Panthers averaged 25.7 points per game in claiming their second Southern Oregon Conference title in three years, but have taken it up a notch in postseason play. South Medford pinned a 41-14 loss on Madison in the first round and, if possible, looked even more impressive Friday night in a 49-16, second-round thumping of McNary at Spiegelberg Stadium. "This is a team that can win it all," McNary head coach Tom Smythe said of the 10-1 Panthers. "They’ve got athletes everywhere and are extremely well-coached. They took it to us right off the bat." Advertisement With the runaway win, South Medford earned its fifth trip to the quarterfinals in school history and a rematch with Lake Oswego, which won 14-7 at Sheldon on Friday and pinned the lone loss on the Panthers in a 35-9 game on Sept. 17. "It’s going to be a huge game," said South Medford head coach Bill Singler. "Sometimes in life you don’t get a second chance, but we get a second chance against Lake Oswego. We’re excited about playing on the road up there in Portland. It’s going to be a great game." After the visiting Celtics (8-3) were forced to punt on the opening drive of the game, South Medford needed only three plays to score as senior fullback Logan Boyd took an innocent looking swing pass 68 yards to paydirt for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Boyd broke through three attempted tackles on the jaunt and picked up a key block from senior wide receiver Dan Chancler in a play that proved indicative of the night for both teams. Following a three-and-out series for McNary, Boyd scored the second of his four touchdowns on the night with a 3-yard run that made it 14-0 at the 2:59 mark of the first quarter. The 6-foot, 190- pounder also scored on a 7-yard pass from senior quarterback Jon Weaver in the third and added a 38-yard scoring run with 5:35 to go in the fourth to close out the scoring. Boyd finished with 121 yards rushing on 10 carries and had four receptions for 87 yards in one of his best outings since suffering a knee injury two years ago. "Logan showed some burst tonight, which he’s only shown in bits and pieces," said Singler. "Tonight you saw him really change direction, make people miss and explode through the line of scrimmage for big plays." Junior tailback Ryan Odell added 133 yards on 15 carries as the Panthers rolled up 313 yards on the ground and 520 overall against McNary. Senior Justin Meyer, the SOC’s defensive player of the year who rests Boyd at fullback, also got into the mix with five carries for 17 yards and one touchdown. "It’s great when you can sit back there and hand the ball off and watch us just gash ‘em," said Weaver, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 207 yards and four TDs. "Our offensive line played the best game I think they’ve played all year. They were opening up holes for Odell, Logan, Meyer, it didn’t matter who was back there. That game was definitely won up front." While everything seemed to be going the Panthers’ way, the opposite could be said of the Celtics. McNary starting quarterback Randy Ball scored on a 6-yard run to open the second quarter, but was knocked out of the game with 5:52 to go before halftime when South senior lineman Noah Brennan blasted him just as he was releasing a pass downfield. Tyler McCann came on in relief of Ball but he, too, was lost for the game with a shoulder injury early in the third quarter when Odell lowered his shoulder on a run and bowled over the senior. With limited options left, Smythe put the game in the hands of junior tailback Kyley McCrae. "He’s a tough kid and a competitive kid," said Smythe. "He’s never played a down at quarterback for us but he said, ‘Heck coach, I can go in and do that if you want,’ and he did a heckuva job. I think he was having a good time out there." McCrae completed 7 of 10 passes for 82 yards and found the quarterback draw to his liking in rushing for 115 yards on 17 carries. "He was the best running back we’ve seen all season," said Boyd. "He was hard to bring down." South Medford was given a second chance on a blocked punt by McNary’s Rex Knight and Nate Aggrey when the Celtics were ruled to have gained possession of the ball on the scramble and then fumbled it away. The Panthers capitalized with a 40-yard scoring strike from Weaver to Chancler to make it 35-6 with 8:46 to go in the third. The duo had also hooked up for a 48-yard score in the second quarter. The Celtics answered as McCrae led his team on a 73-yard scoring drive that was capped by freshman Zach Brown’s 36-yard field goal, but South Medford came right back with Boyd’s first score of the second half. Continuing his Houdini-like play at quarterback, McCrae found a home for a scrambling heave in the fourth on a 15-yard scoring strike to Everett Austria to make it 42-16 before Boyd struck again. Making an appearance simply to keep the chains moving on a fourth-and-two play from the McNary 38, Boyd took two steps left and then burst up a wide-open lane in the middle for the capper. "We were just trying to get in there and get a first down and keep the clock going but the offensive line wasn’t done I guess," said Boyd. "They got a great surge on the ball and Jon Lang had an unbelievable block on the blast and I just cut back up the middle and touchdown. I didn’t even expect it. I just wanted to get the first down." It was just that kind of night for the Panthers. "When you play a truly good team and you’re overmatched a little bit, you’re not going to get many breaks," Smythe said of his team’s uphill battle. "They were so much better that the big thing for us was to try to keep battling for four quarters, and we did. Our kids never quit but we were overmatched, no question about it." South Medford 49, McNary 16 At Spiegelberg Stadium McNary 0 6 3 7 —16 South Medford 14 14 14 7 —49 SM — Boyd 68 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) SM — Boyd 3 run (Brennan kick) M — Ball 6 run (kick blocked) SM — Meyer 4 run (Brennan kick) SM — Chancler 48 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) SM — Chancler 40 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) M — FG Brown 36 SM — Boyd 7 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) M — Austria 15 pass from McCrae (Brown kick) SM — Boyd 38 run (Brennan kick) TEAM STATISTICS McN SM First Downs 18 17 Rushes-yards 38-191 44-313 Passing yards 140 207 Comp-Att-Int 11-22-0 10-13-0 Total yards 331 520 Punts 4-29.2 1-(-7) Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-0 Penalties-yards 5-33 2-25 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING McNary — McCrae 17-115, McCann 9-25, Kent 2-22, Ball 7-12, Connor 3-17. South Medford — Odell 15-133, Boyd 10-121, Meyer 5-17, Weaver 5-(-1), George 2-(-2), Welcome 3-22, Nieto 3-17, Licea 1-6. PASSING McNary — Ball 4-8-0 58, McCrae 7-14-0 82. South Medford — Weaver 10-13-0 207. RECEIVING McNary — Austria 4-63, Barchus 1-14, Connor 1-11, Yeaney 2-33, McCrae 1-2, McCann 1-9, Kent 1-8. South Medford — Boyd 4-87, Singler 2-11, Chancler 2-88, Odell 1-15, Hernandez 1-6. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, 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 © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities