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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 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 27, 2004 South Medford�s Logan Boyd (21) breaks a tackle en route to scoring the Panthers� first touchdown in Friday�s quarterfinal game against Lake Oswego. Panthers denied Lake Oswego and QB Nick Lomax too much in 57-27 victory over South By DON HUNT Mail Tribune LAKE OSWEGO — Nick Lomax kept trying to deflect credit to his teammates following Lake Oswego’s stunning 57-27 victory over South Medford in a quarterfinal matchup of the Class 4A state football playoffs Friday night. But it was obvious to the 4,000-plus fans who packed Lake Oswego School District Stadium that it was Lomax, the Lakers’ 6-foot-7 senior quarterback, who deserved the game ball and a free meal at a restaurant of his choice. Take note of his passing numbers: 11 of 12 for 276 yards and four touchdowns. And that was for the first half only. By the time the game ended, Lomax had completed 15 of 19 for 360 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in one of the most efficient performances by a quarterback in state-playoff history. Advertisement The victory earned the Lakers (11-1) a berth in next week’s semifinals, where they’ll meet Beaverton, a 38-14 winner over Grant earlier Friday. "We ran into a buzzsaw tonight," South Medford coach Bill Singler said. "We sent five, six and sometimes seven guys at him (Lomax) but their line did a magnificent job of picking up our blitzes and he was pin-point accurate. "Our guys battled, but when you go against a quarterback that’s playing at such a high level, there’s only so much you can do." Lomax, a son of former St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Neil Lomax, hit standout Lakers tight end Kevin Maher on a slant pattern for 49 yards and a touchdown on the fifth play of the game. He was 6-for-6 for 136 yards and two scores before throwing an incomplete pass. "I’ve never felt that comfortable in a game," Lomax said as a huge throng of Laker fans celebrated with their team on the field when it was over. "For some reason, everything worked. When they sat back in a zone (defense) I was able to read it, and when they blitzed I read that, too. "It was one of those games you dream about." South Medford managed to hang close through most of the first half. Logan Boyd countered Lomax’s first touchdown pass with a 40-yard run to paydirt, and, after Lomax hit J.T. Coury on a 22-yard scoring toss, Boyd caught a 7-yard touchdown aerial from Panthers quarterback Jon Weaver that made it 14-14 at the 7:13 mark of the second quarter. Weaver didn’t have a bad night of his own, completing 19-of-29 for 281 yards and three TDs. But Lomax was relentless. After South Medford tied the game at 14, he launched a 63-yarder to Maher. Then, after Maher intercepted an overthrown Weaver pass from his free safety position on defense, Lomax hooked up with Ryan Hilliard on a 48-yarder. South Medford’s Justin Meyer hustled in to block Dallas Hogensen’s extra-point kick, but the Lakers had scored twice in less than four minutes to take a 27-14 lead. Hogensen added a 24-yard field goal that gave Lake Oswego a 30-14 halftime lead. "He made all the right decisions, all night long," Lake Oswego coach Steve Coury said, meaning Lomax. "I keep telling people, it’s all ahead of him. This is his first year on varsity." Singler implored his team at halftime to keep fighting, and senior Kelly Kline took him at his word when he took the second-half kickoff 57 yards to the Lake Oswego 34. Four plays later, Weaver hit sophomore tight end Kyle Singler on a 12-yard crossing route for a touchdown, trimming Lake Oswego’s lead to 30-21 just one minute and 21 seconds into the second half. But the Lakers came right back to drive 69 yards in seven plays, with sophomore running back Will Darkings plowing in from a yard out for the score. Hogensen intercepted Weaver on South Medford’s next possession, and Lomax parlayed the turnover into his fifth touchdown pass of the night, a 42-yarder to Hogensen that hiked the Lakers’ advantage to 43-21 with 4:48 remaining in the third period. Almost lost in Lomax’s big night was a solid rushing performance by Laker senior tailback Andrew Seidman, who had 113 yards on 15 carries. All told, Lake Oswego racked up 548 yards of total offense compared to 376 by South Medford. The Panthers finished their season with a 10-2 record, with both losses coming to Lake Oswego. "We had some really high goals this season and it was tough to see it come to an end tonight," said Meyer, South Medford’s leader on defense. "But you’ve got to hand it to those guys." Or, in the case of Lomax, pass it. Lake Oswego 57, S. Medford 27 At Lake Oswego School District Stadium South Medford 7 7 7 6 —27 Lake Oswego 14 16 13 14 —57 LO — Maher 49 pass from Lomax (Hogensen kick) SM — Boyd 40 run (Brennan kick) LO — Coury 22 pass from Lomax (Hogensen kick) SM — Boyd 7 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) LO — Maher 63 pass from Lomax (Hogensen kick) LO — Hilliard 48 pass from Lomax (kick blocked) LO — FG Hogensen 24 SM — Singler 12 pass from Weaver (Brennan kick) LO — Darkins 1 run (kick failed) LO — Hogensen 42 pass from Lomax (Hogensen kick) LO — Miller recovered fumble in end zone (Hogensen kick) LO — Ingram 1 run (Hogensen kick) SM — Chancler 5 pass from Weaver (pass failed) TEAM STATISTICS SM LO First Downs 17 16 Rushes-yards 21-97 38-188 Passing yards 279 360 Comp-Att-Int 20-30-3 15-19-0 Total yards 376 548 Punts 2-26.2 0-0 Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-0 Penalties-yards 3-15 4-28 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING South Medford — Odell 12-35, Boyd 4-51, Weaver 4-0, Lang 1-11. Lake Oswego — Seidman 15-113, Darkins 10-45, Ingram 3-21, Maher 1-5, Lomax 5-5, Miller 2-0, Dunham 1-0, White 1-(-1). PASSING South Medford — Weaver 19-29-3 281, George 1-1-0 (-2). Lake Oswego — Lomax 15-19-0 360. RECEIVING South Medford — Chancler 5-52, Singler 4-68, Boyd 4-39, Hernandez 3-89, Odell 3-33, Lang 1-(-2). Lake Oswego — Maher 4-125, Hilliard 3-79, Coury 4-75, Seidman 2-17, Hogensen 1-42, Earle 1-22. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, 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