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North heading to state title game after thrilling victory By Don Hunt EUGENE � The North Medford High football team had to be put on life support Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium. The Black Tornado trailed Churchill 28-15 with 5� minutes remaining in the Class 4A state semifinals game and found itself 63 yards from the end zone. But just as someone was about to call the coroner, the No. 3-ranked Tornado sprang to life and staged one of the greatest comebacks in school history. Quarterback Kevin Foreman hit Mike Olson on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 4:34 to play that inched the Tornado within 28-22. Foreman then dove into the end zone with 1:48 remaining to tie, and Kelly Brown kicked the game-winning extra point as North Medford stunned the Lancers, 29-28. The victory pushed the Tornado�s record to 13-0 and boosted it into next Saturday�s state championship game against Jesuit. "Champions rise to the challenge, and that�s what we did today," said Olson, who had a big day with seven receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception on defense. "As long as there was time on the clock, we knew we weren�t out of it." The Tornado�s chances looked awfully bleak, however, midway though the fourth period. North Medford had registered just two first downs on its first four possessions of the second half and appeared to be in big trouble when Churchill fullback Steve Suetos bulled into the end zone from 2 yards out late in the third period to gave the Lancers a 28-15 lead. But Tornado linebacker Matt Havniear recovered a fumble at the North Medford 37 with 5:25 remaining in the game, giving the Southern Oregon Conference champion a glimmer of hope. As it turned out, that�s all it needed. Foreman, who had completed just 3 of 9 passes for 18 yards in the second half, suddenly found his passing touch. A 53-yard touchdown pass to Justin MacLauchlan was nullified by a controversial clipping penalty, but Foreman hit Olson for a 10-yard gain and then Brian Weeks for gains of 18 and 3 yards that advanced the ball to the Churchill 25. On the following play, Foreman gunned the ball to an open Olson for the score. Brown booted the extra point and suddenly it was 28-22 as North went 63 yards in six plays and took just one minute off the clock. "That was just a deep out pass," said Foreman, who finished the game completing 17 of 27 passes for 200 yards. "Their cornerback bit on play-action and Mike (Olson) ran a good route. "We knew then if we could get the ball back one more time, we�d win the game." With 4:34 on the clock and only one timeout left, North Medford coach Rod Rumrey decided to try an onside kick. Brown�s kick was a good one that the Tornado had a chance to collect, but Churchill�s David Spencer recovered the ball at the Lancer 48. All Churchill needed to do was make one or two first downs and the game would be over, but the Lancers couldn�t do it. North Medford�s Alan Borelli shot through and nailed star Churchill back Niles Mittasch for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-five play, forcing the Lancers to punt. "I just read the play and got through before any of their blockers could get me," Borelli said. The ensuing punt traveled just 19 yards to the North Medford 32, where Foreman and Olson went back to work. On the second play from scrimmage, the duo hooked up for a 57-yard pass on a post pattern that advanced the ball all the way to the Churchill 10. Three plays later from the 7, Foreman rolled to his right looking to pass, but tucked the ball under his arm and galloped to the right corner. He dove the final yard, brushing the ball across the end zone pylon. "They brought some pressure up the middle and that forced me to the outside," Foreman said. "I didn�t see anyone open and so I just went for it. "It�s a good thing I�m a tall, lanky quarterback who could reach the ball across the goal line." Brown�s tie-breaking kick gave North Medford the lead, but Churchill still had 1:48 on the clock to work with. Quarterback Jeff Rhode marched the Lancers from their own 20 to the North Medford 37, but Borelli and Curtis Stout sacked Rhode for an 8-yard loss and two plays later the clock ran out. "Things certainly looked bleak in that fourth quarter, but our guys refused to lose," North Medford coach Rod Rumrey said. "We kept saying on the sidelines that someone needed to step up and make a big play and finally we got a few. "We talk so much about never giving up, and today was a classic case of why that�s so important." North Medford got off to a poor start when Foreman lost a fumble on an option play, giving Churchill the ball at the Tornado 17 less than four minutes into the game. Three plays later Mittasch scored on a 15-yard reverse and Rhode hit Adrian Poggi for a two-point conversion that made it 8-0. The Tornado came back to tie the game when defensive tackle Dan Crawford intercepted an ill-advised Rhode pass and ran it 26 yards to paydirt. Foreman hit Justin MacLauchlan for the two-point conversion and the tie. Churchill then put together its best drive of the game, marching 77 yards in 12 plays to take a 15-8 lead. With the North Medford offense struggling, the Lancers threatened to score again, marching from their own 32 to the Tornado 20. But a holding penalty moved them back and three straight Rhode passes fell incomplete. North then went into his hurry-up offense to tie the game 15-15 at halftime. Foreman drove the Tornado 72 yards in just 57 seconds, hitting Olson on a 4-yard slant pass for the score. Mittasch was held to 74 yards rushing on 24 carries, but the Churchill star ran back the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. In the end, though, it wasn�t enough. "We just killed ourselves with mistakes," said Mittasch, alluding to Churchill�s three turnovers and 11 penalties. "But give them credit, they came back from the dead." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.