Document text
Struggling Ashland finally gets a break By TED BURNHAM CENTRAL POINT - The Grizzlies haven't forgotten how to win the close one. After allowing the Comets 22 points in 15 minutes of play, the Ashland football team's defense held Crater scoreless when it mattered most, and the offense put together two fourth-quarter scoring drives to seal a 32-22 win Friday at Dutch Meyer Field. Senior wide receiver Eddie Griffin's 16-yard fourth-quarter touchdown reception was the game-winner, and Torrance George's TD catch provided the final margin with 39 seconds remaining. But it was the Ashland defense - led by linebacker Gerod Aleshire, defensive end Matt Williams and Griffin at cornerback - that saved the day. The Grizzlies (2-4 Southern Oregon Conference), who will miss the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, held Crater (1-5 SOC) to 25 yards and just one first down in the final quarter. "The defensive line really got on the ball," Williams said. "We were being aggressive. We were not going to let (Dan Casey) run all over the field." The senior running back finished the first half with 106 yards and a touchdown, but the Grizzlies held him to just 42 yards in the second. Ashland's Tyler Haggard, who had 132 yards, ran for more than 50 in the second half. "We knew we had to bring it all week," Haggard said. "Our offensive line blocked like we've never seen. We give all the credit to them." "It feels great," said junior Grizzlies tackle James Page. "After four losses in a row, it really feels great. The seniors stepped it up a lot, so I feel good for them." Crater head coach Randy Heath had the opposite feelings after the homecoming loss. "This was the most difficult loss by far," said Heath, whose team outgained Ashland, 346-266, and wraps up the season at Klamath Union next week. "We center the whole team around seniors. It's hard being with a group of kids for four years and have it end like this. "It's really hard to lose to a team that's equal to us. ... I just feel bad for our seniors." Crater quarterback D.J. Beatty threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by Andrew Norum, who had 10 grabs for 155 yards. Ashland's Cameron Voget threw for 99 yards, mostly to Griffin and Ryan Decker. Ashland's special teams proved a major factor in the victory. Two kickoff returns of more than 55 yards - one by Charles Dotterer, the other by Griffin - set up the Grizzlies' third and fourth TDs. Casey got both team's hearts racing three minutes into the game when he broke two Grizzlies tackles and ran 67 yards before stepping out of bounds at the 12-yard line. Crater took the ball to the Ashland 7, but was stopped on fourth-and-four, handing the ball over to the Grizzlies. Neither team managed to put together any kind of scoring drive for the rest of the first quarter, although Crater gained possession near midfield when Ashland was penalized for having an extra man on the field. It was a penalty against the Comets for the same reason that gave the Grizzlies possession on the Crater 44 and set up the first touchdown. Haggard broke and ran for a 43-yard TD with 9:50 left in the half, and Ryan Decker's extra point gave Ashland a 7-0 lead. Crater then mounted an impressive scoring drive, keeping the ball for more than six minutes and marching 66 yards, nearly all gained by Casey. The tailback capped it off with an 8-yard TD run with 3:48 remaining in the half. Franky Drake ran in the 2-point conversion to give Crater an 8-7 edge. Ashland answered with a 55-yard drive. Haggard's 19-yard carry brought the Grizzlies to within two feet of the goal line, and Jared Hall ran in the TD to put Ashland up, 13-6, with 1:27 remaining in the half. A minute later, Norum's 43-yard TD reception and Casey's 2-point conversion made it 16-13, Crater. But Charles Dotterer's 60-yard kickoff return put Ashland on the Crater 20 with 45 seconds remaining in the half. Three plays later, Decker caught a 17-yard reception to put the Grizzlies back in the lead with 17 seconds left. Ashland led 20-16 until Norum made an 18-yard TD grab at the end of the third quarter. The touchdown capped an 11-play, 62-yard Comet drive - but it was the last significant challenge Crater mounted. After the touchdown, Griffin ran the Comet kickoff back 55 yards to put Ashland on the Crater 37. Down by two points, the Grizzlies charged to the Crater 7, only to be set back 10 yards on a penalty. Voget then tossed Griffin the deciding TD pass with nine minutes remaining. The Grizzly defense stalled Crater the rest of the way. On second-and-six on the Comet 20, Williams sacked Beatty at the 10-yard line, and Crater never recovered. The Grizzly defense once again stopped the Comets on their next possession. Norum dropped a key pass on fourth down with 2:53 remaining. Ashland then marched 35 yards for the final score. "They executed some things well when they needed to, and we didn't," Heath said. "They really hurt us. ... We did some things well, but when they were in our face. we didn't do so well." "This win will buoy our spirits," Ashland head coach Jim Nagel said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.