Document text
SUNNY Temp: 60 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, October 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2003 Roseburg overpowers Ashland in the end By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — With injuries mounting and perennial power Roseburg visiting Phillips Field, Ashland High coach David Coldiron knew his team needed a near-flawless performance Friday night. He didn’t get it, and the Indians ran away in the fourth quarter for a 20-6 Southern Oregon Conference victory. "We thought we punched some holes in them," Coldiron said. "We found some weaknesses and exposed some weaknesses that maybe some other people will take advantage of, but we just couldn’t finish it off, and that’s what you have to do. When you get down on their side of the field you have to walk away with some points, and we didn’t walk away with any points." Senior tailback Riley MacGraw scored from 2 yards out with 9:02 left to get the Grizzlies within 13-6, but the extra point was blocked, and Roseburg dominated the rest of the game. Advertisement The Indians marched 63 yards in nine plays on their next possession, capped by Austin Shoptaw’s four-yard sweep. The game-clinching drive melted 4 minutes, 18 seconds off the clock and completed the scoring with 4:37 left. Ashland went three-and-out after the ensuing kickoff and four-and-out on its last-ditch drive. The loss, Ashland’s fifth straight to Roseburg, dropped the Grizzlies to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the SOC heading into next week’s game at Grants Pass. Roseburg, meanwhile, kept its league championship hopes alive by improving to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference. The Grizzlies, who played without leading receiver David Morris, out with a concussion, hurt their chances at what would have been a huge upset with a few key mistakes. A blown coverage led to Roseburg’s first TD (a 30-yard pass from Brodie Harvey to a wide-open Josh Brink), a muffed punt return gave the Indians the ball at the Grizz 28 and an interception thrown by Logan Bishop into the end zone disastrously ended Ashland’s last-minute first-half drive. "The thing is, they had one chance to score in the first half, and they did," Coldiron said. "We had two chances to score in the first half, and we didn’t. We started making mistakes and that’s what we were addressing in (the locker room) — the fact that we can’t continue to make mistakes and expect to be the kind of team that can challenge for the SOC and challenge for the playoffs." Bishop agreed. "Basically mental mistakes, mental lapses," he said of his team’s performance. "We just fell apart on one or two plays, take a play off, and that’s the result. I don’t know what else to say. A couple misunderstandings on the coverage and some bad reads, and that’s basically it. A couple breakdowns decided the game." Still, Roseburg led by just 13 points heading into the fourth quarter and needed a final, bone-crushing drive to put the Grizzlies away. That’s when they went to their bread and butter, running the ball on nine consecutive plays, including a 16-yard burst by junior Aaron Buxton on third-and-two at the Ashland 45 with under seven minutes left. Shoptaw led everyone with 140 rushing yards on 24 carries, while Buxton added 56 yards on 10 carries. Shoptaw used all of his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame to come up with perhaps the biggest play of the game — a 1-yard plunge that barely broke the plane of the goal line with 8:22 left in the third. Kyle Loomis missed the extra point, but the close call completed an eight-play, 82-yard drive that put Roseburg in the driver’s seat. With senior tailback Jesse Barr leading the way, Ashland nearly matched Roseburg on the ground in the first half, but the Indians’ beef up front eventually took control. The Indians outrushed Ashland 70-69 in the first half and 129-38 in the second and finished with a 339-160 advantage in total yards. Barr paced the Grizzly ground attack with 52 yards on nine carries. Sophomore Dylan Steeves added three big carries for 34 yards and MacGraw had 23 yards on seven carries. Bishop was hounded all night by the Roseburg pass rush but managed to complete 6 of 15 passes for 68 yards. He was sacked six times. The loss strikes a serious blow to Ashland’s playoff hopes. The Grizzlies have four SOC games remaining on their schedule and probably need to win all of them to meet their preseason goal and end the school’s two-year playoff drought. "We’re still in position," Coldiron said. "We know what we need to do, but the sands of time are running short, and we can’t make another mistake. We have to finish the deal now." Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times