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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2005 Vastly-improved Grizzlies brace for Tornado By DON HUNT Mail Tribune It may be premature to conclude that Ashland High’s football team has returned to its glory days, but it’s obvious that first-year head coach Charlie Hall has made a significant difference in just a few months on the job. The Grizzlies, the state’s most successful Class 4A team during the late 1980s and throughout the ‘90s when it made 16 straight playoff appearances, appeared in five state championship games and claimed three state titles under legendary coach Jim Nagel. Ashland, however, had labored through four straight losing seasons when Hall took over the program earlier this year. At 3-0, Ashland is off to its best start since its last state championship run in 1998, but the Grizzlies face a stern challenge tonight when they venture to Spiegelberg Stadium to take on North Medford in the Southern Oregon Conference opener for both teams. Few would dispute the Grizzlies have had a soft pre-conference schedule as they’ve posted victories over North Salem (24-7), Rex Putnam (29-25) and Cleveland (41-13). But there’s also no disputing that Hall has returned discipline, confidence, organization and innovation to the program. Advertisement "We did some team-building in the summer, demanded a certain work ethic and the kids have bought into it," says Hall, who coached under Nagel from 1998-2000 before becoming the offensive coordinator at Northern Arizona University. Hall’s first order of business, scheme-wise, was to rework an Ashland defense that ranked last in the SOC last season. He rehired longtime Grizzly defensive coordinator Dave Kitchell, who had stepped down following the 2003 season, and defensive backs coach Tito Soriano, who hadn’t been on the staff since 2000. Using a variety of stunts and blitz packages and what Hall calls "a little bit of smoke and mirrors," the Grizzlies are giving up 100 less yards and 10 less points than they did in 2004. They lead the SOC in scoring defense at 15 points per game. Senior outside linebacker Wes Dodds (6-0, 185), senior end Jim Pautsch (6-1, 210) and senior cornerback Dylan Steeves (5-11, 175) have anchored the new and improved Ashland "D." "We made a big emphasis of stopping the run, because that’s killed this team the past few years," says Hall. "You’re not going to beat good teams very often if you can’t stop them from running the ball." Offensively, Hall had the good fortune of inheriting a bright senior quarterback — Sam Littleton — who’s had few problems picking up a new offense. Littleton is second in the SOC pass efficiency ratings, having completed 62 percent of his passes (49 of 79) for 559 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. And unlike last season, the Grizzlies have a sound ground game to boot. They’re third in the SOC in rushing at 168 yards per game with Justin Meza ranking fourth individually (250 yards) and Steeves eighth (187 yards). But how the Grizzlies respond to a big, physical team like North Medford won’t be known until they buckle up their chin straps tonight. The Black Tornado features an offensive line that averages 235 pounds and it has its own set of talented skill players, led by quarterback Darren Bruhns, wide receiver A.J. Nichols and hard-nosed tailback Ryan Folsom, the SOC’s second-leading rusher with 333 yards and three touchdowns. North Medford also has a bit of a chip on its shoulder after being picked fourth in the SOC in a preseason coaches’ poll. Such a finish would leave the Tornado out of the state playoffs for the first time since 1997. "We’ve used that as a motivator," says Folsom, who is also one of the Tornado’s top defensive players from his linebacker position. "The senior class has tasted success all the way through the ranks. We don’t plan to stop now." In other SOC games tonight, Crater (2-1) plays host to South Medford (0-3) and Roseburg (2-1) entertains Eagle Point (3-0). Also, Grants Pass (0-3) is at home against Canby (2-0) in a nonleague contest. EAGLE POINT AT ROSEBURG — Eagle Point rallied for a stunning 41-34 victory in last season’s matchup and will head to Finlay Field a confident group after posting a 3-0 nonconference record. The Eagles looked sloppy during their 31-12 win over Lebanon last Friday as they suffered eight fumbles — losing four of them — and one interception. But they played well the first two weeks of the season and seem like a legitimate playoff contender under veteran coach Harry Hedrick. "Those turnovers last week were frustrating, but anytime you win by three touchdowns you can’t complain too much," Hedrick says. "The key for us (against Roseburg) will be matching their intensity. They like to hit you with a knockout blow in the first quarter if they can. If we can play hard and error-free out of the box and match that early surge, we’ll be OK." The Eagles are fueled offensively by junior tailback Kris Butler, the SOC’s leading scorer (seven touchdowns, 44 points) and third-leading rusher (288 yards), and junior quarterback Brandt Nevin, who leads the SOC in passing efficiency (31 of 39 for 458 yards, five touchdowns and one interception). Defensively, EP has been tough against the run but yielded 283 yards through the air and two long touchdown passes against Lebanon. "We had a couple breakdowns in the secondary and those things need to be corrected," Hedrick says. "(Roseburg quarterback Brett) Stephens throws a nice deep ball. That’s something we’re concerned about." Last Friday, Roseburg roared to a 31-0, second-quarter lead against Grant before settling for a 34-20 victory. The Indians, who were picked to win the SOC, have also defeated Willamette (39-7) and lost to second-ranked Clackamas (21-18). After spreading the field and throwing the ball extensively last season, Roseburg coach Thurman Bell has returned to a more run-oriented, physical style of offense. The beneficiaries are 6-foot, 195-pound tailback Jimmy Zhu, the SOC’s leading rusher with 335 yards, and 5-11, 200-pound fullback David Russell, who ranks seventh with 194 yards and has averaged a startling 19.4 yards per carry. Russell ran 65 yards for a touchdown to break the scoring ice against Grant. "We’ve just called the right play at the right time — he (Russell) hasn’t been touched on a couple of those long runs," Bell says. CANBY AT GRANTS PASS — Winless Grants Pass is starving for a victory but will need to perform at a much higher level in order to beat Canby, which has rolled to 61-27 and 27-7 wins over Centennial and Oregon City, respectively. The Cougars, picked to finish third in the Pac-9 Conference behind Tigard and Tualatin, like to pound opponents into submission with their Wing-T offense. Hard-running Travis Goins (6-2, 210) and speedy Mike Carpenter (5-10, 180) are the latest in a long line of quality Canby running backs. Grants Pass generated a season-high 297 yards of offense last week but six lost fumbles and two interceptions crippled momentum during a 21-10 loss to Wilson. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Vastly-improved Grizzlies brace for Tornado ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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