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Jesuit star proves to be a Hass-le By Miles Vance EUGENE � While Jesuit and North Medford�s lines battled for supremacy in the middle of the field throughout Saturday�s state championship game, there was an equally intense battle taking place outside the trenches. Jesuit senior wide receiver-defensive back Mike Hass � the leading receiver in Class 4A football this year � had his hands full with North Medford senior counterpart Mike Olson, the Black Tornado�s top receiving threat. Hass, at 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds, entered the contest averaging almost two touchdowns and 125 yards receiving per game through the Crusaders� 13 wins. Likewise, Olson (6-1, 176) had acquitted himself well during the Black Tornado�s 13-game winning streak, averaging one touchdown and almost 60 yards per game. When the two, each wearing No. 10, matched up one-on-one for most of Saturday�s title contest, neither player disappointed. Olson came though with three catches for a team-high 89 yards, leading the Black Tornado to a 231-202 advantage through the air over the pass-oriented Crusaders. Hass, meanwhile, did his part to keep the Crusaders� air game on track, catching a game-high seven passes for 116 yards. Despite those numbers, Hass said that Olson gave him as much trouble as any single defensive back he�d faced all year. "We had some good battles out there," Hass said. "He�s a good player." Olson proved that in spades. Hass, after opening the playoffs with a total of 90 yards against the double-teams of Tigard and South Salem, ripped through Central Catholic and Tualatin for a combined five receiving touchdowns and 461 yards. There would be no repeat of those illustrious numbers on Saturday, and Olson�s work � as well as that of the attacking North Medford defensive line � was a prime reason for it. "We both got after it pretty good," Hass said. "He�s tough." Olson drew first blood, catching a quick out from senior quarterback Kevin Foreman in the first quarter and cutting back to the middle of the field for a 45-yard pickup. Olson was back in the middle of the action on the first play of the second quarter, catching a Foreman pass at the right sideline and racing 31 yards to set up Justin MacLauchlan�s 35-yard touchdown run on the next play for a 14-7 Black Tornado lead. Hass made his first impact with a 13-yard catch over the middle on Jesuit�s final possession of the first half. That play pushed the ball to the North Medford 49, and three downs later, Jesuit scored on a 1-yard D.J. Jackson run and conversion to tie it 21-21 at the half. Hass tacked on a 27-yard catch late in the third quarter, but his two biggest plays came in the final period. On Jesuit�s first possession of the fourth quarter, with the Crusaders facing a second-and-19 at their own 35, Hass snared a Mike McGrain pass and turned it into a 40-yard gain to the North Medford 25. One play later, Jackson broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 28-28. Later, after Jesuit added a 43-yard John Dailey field goal, Hass sealed the deal with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown with nine seconds left in the game. Olson�s final catch marked the end of the Tornado�s season � he hauled in a 23-yarder from Foreman with five seconds left in the fourth quarter and the game ended two plays later. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.