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Isley's perseverance paying off for Hidden Valley Playoff History Central Years in Playoffs: 23 Playoff Record: 27-18 Championships: 1960, 1962, 1967, 1983 Runner-up: 1995 Semifinals: 1956, 1961, 1981 Hidden Valley Years in Playoffs: 6 Playoff Record: 4-5 Championships: None Runner-up: 1978 by RANDY HAMMERICKSEN MURPHY -- It's been a fall that Hidden Valley High junior Willie Isley won't soon forget. Isley, 17, decided late last summer that he would not turn out for football, choosing instead to concentrate on his favorite sport of basketball and his school work. That, he says, was his first mistake. "It was a big one (mistake in judgment)," he says. "I decided I didn't want to play but when I saw all my friends out there playing, I knew I had to be out there." So, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound linebacker-wide receiver turned out for football three weeks late and was in the the Mustangs' lineup by the fourth game. He started making catches, and leveling opposing running backs as a linebacker, with immediacy. It didn't take long for his timing to return. Three good weeks went by, and everything was rosy for Isley. Then, trouble hit with the force of one of his body slams on a running back. Isley was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by teammate Jon Porzio. The car Porzio was driving slipped on a wet road and slammed into a tree. Porzio suffered a broken jaw, fractured eye socket, dislocated shoulder and head injury. His season is over. Isley sustained a concussion and numerous head lacerations and bruises. Twenty-five staples were attached to his head to protect it and promote healing of the deep cuts. In addition, Isley, suffered a serious arm injury, which numerous 14 stitches. The aforementioned injuries caused Isley to miss the rest of the Mustangs' regular-season games. When Hidden Valley got a bye in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs, he had one more week to heal. By in the Mustangs' opening state playoff game last Saturday, Isley was back in uniform. Playing offense and defense. Despite the pain, he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Kennedy as Hidden Valley defeated Astoria, 41-35. Hidden Valley will meet Central on Saturday at noon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene in the third round of the state playoffs. Game time is scheduled for noon. "It's going to be a good one, and I can't wait," says Isley. "Central beat us last year in the playoffs (40-31) and we owe them one. "After all I've been through this year, I'm hoping this year will end up with us playing for the state championship," he says. That would mean Isley would end up turning out for basketball -- his favorite sport -- very late. "I don't care," he says. "I'll catch up real fast in basketball. But we're good enough to go all the way (in football), and I want to do it." Fellow wide receiver Ryan Wilson of the Mustangs -- Isley's best friend on the team -- agrees. Wilson convinced his friend to turn out for football after Isley had initially declined. "I was bugging him about coming out a lot," says Wilson. "I knew he would help us, and he belonged out there. "I told him if he would come out, I would turn out for basketball," says Wilson. "Finally, he came out." Says Isley: "I heard Ryan was really a good basketball player in junior high. One of my friends said he averaged about 30 points a game. It was worth it to come out for football so that I could get him on my basketball team. "But really, the main reason I finally came back was because I missed it." Isley, a Skyline Conference all-star as a sophomore linebacker, didn't receive any all-league recognition this year. That's because he played in only three Skyline Conference games. But Wilson is another story. He was a first-team selection to the Skyline all-star squad as a receiver and as a defensive back. He has 15 receptions and six interceptions as a defensive back. Isley has 13 receptions in just four games. "Ryan and Willie are two of the reasons why we're one of the best-kept secrets as a passing team in the state," says Hidden Valley head coach Jim Figoni. "Our game is basically to run the ball, but we usually throw it at least 12 times a game. When we throw it, we're dangerous. "We might throw the ball more in the playoffs the rest of the way, but we'll start out in the I-formation and see how it goes." Figoni expects Central to throw the ball relentlessly on the artificial turf at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. "They have a quarterback (Jason Coutts) who is strong and bulkier than he was last year. He throws the ball real well," says Figoni. "We're concerned about their passing game." So is Wilson, who will be covering receivers, all day. "We have a lot of speed, and that will help," says Wilson. "They are a good passing team, but I think we can do the job against them. We have to stay focused and ready for the pass. They can score on one play, if we don't." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,