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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, December 6, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend November 22, 2003 North Medford�s Trent Driskell (1) attempts to recover a fumble by Bend�s Matt Sieverson (11) after teammate Brian Jimenez (22) jarred it loose during Friday�s game. North�s Russ Vandell (25) looks on in the background. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven North doesn’t Bend Black Tornado slows Lava Bears’ Sieverson to cruise into semifinals By DON HUNT Mail Tribune The North Medford High defense could hardly wait to get its hands, helmets and shoulder pads on Bend High running back Matt Sieverson Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium. Sieverson came into the Class 4A state quarterfinals game averaging 240 yards per game, and his season total of 2,641 yards ranked No. 2 on the all-time state list. The third-ranked Black Tornado was up for the challenge, holding Sieverson to 85 yards on 22 carries and no touchdowns while romping to a 52-7 victory. The win earned North Medford a berth in the semifinals against top-ranked and unbeaten Canby next Friday at PGE Park in Portland. Canby advanced with a 24-13 victory over Beaverton. Advertisement North Medford quarterback Beau Hovland ran for four touchdowns and tailback Rob Folsom upstaged Sieverson with 135 yards on 21 carries and one score as the Tornado ran its season record to 11- 1. The unranked Lava Bears finished their season at 10-2. "It felt good to hold him (Sieverson) under 100 yards," North Medford standout lineman David Faaeteete said. "He’s a good back, but we had guys flying at him the whole night." The Tornado recovered two fumbles, intercepted two passes and held the Lava Bears to just nine first downs and 173 yards of offense. Considering the competition, the defensive effort might have been North Medford’s best of the season. "We love to play smashmouth football and that’s what we were able to do tonight," North Medford linebacker Brian Jimenez said. "This was the final game for us seniors here at Spiegelberg, and we wanted to leave our mark on this field." North Medford got on the board first when Hovland capped a 40-yard, four-play drive with a 1-yard sneak late in the first period. The big play of the drive was a 22-yard run on a reverse by wide receiver Trent Driskell. The Lava Bears came back to tie the score at 7-all on a nifty 27-yard run by quarterback Ben Ewing, who scrambled to the end zone after spinning away from a couple of would-be tacklers at the North Medford 15. Bend went 72 yards on eight plays for the tying touchdown, with Ewing hitting running back David Hinchman on a pair of 16-yard passes, including one on a fourth-down play near midfield. The Lava Bears’ touchdown came at the 10:03 mark of the second period, but after that, it was all North Medford. The Tornado used its punishing running attack to march 64 yards — all on the ground — with its next possession. Hovland again got the touchdown, this time on a 2-yard option run in which he never got touched. Three plays after Bend regained possession, North Medford cornerback Trent Driskell made a diving interception of a Sieverson halfback option pass at the Tornado 46. On the following play, Hovland hit a wide-open Drew Herrera on a go-route up the middle for 53 yards to the Bend 1, and Hovland scored on the next play to make it 21-7 at the half. "That interception was probably the key play of the game," Bend coach Craig Walker said. "We were hanging with them pretty well to that point but they got that pick and then scored right away. "We still felt like we were in the game at halftime, but we just couldn’t stop their running game." And it wasn’t just Folsom who supplied the firepower. Backup tailback Will Brown raced 50 yards up the sideline after taking an option pitch from Hovland on North Medford’s first possession of the second half, and Hovland finished off the drive from 2 yards out with his fourth touchdown of the night and a 28-7 North Medford lead. Folsom made it 35-7 with a 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and third-string tailback Josh Casebere tallied on runs of 6 and 65 yards in the final period. Brown finished with 72 yards on just three carries and Casebeer added 109 yards on five packs. The Tornado racked up 380 yards rushing and it ended the game with 487 yards in total offense. Hovland, who was nursing a sore shoulder on his throwing arm suffered in last week’s 42-21 victory over Willamette, completed only 5 of 11 passes for 96 yards with two interceptions. "It was a dominant performance on our part," North Medford coach John Beck said. "We got off to a little bit of a slow start — I think the kids were over-excited early — but once they got into the flow of the game they really showed what they can do." 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder 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