Varsity 541

PREP FOOTBALL

South draws the line

Panthers control line to knock off Lake Oswego

With all the motion and deception in the sport of football these days, South Medford proved Friday night that the game really is a simple one.

Bolstered by a strong push from the offensive line and a hard-hitting defense, the Panthers found themselves in full control at Spiegelberg Stadium during a 21-7 victory over Three Rivers League nemesis Lake Oswego.

South Medford compiled 380 yards of total offense and kept the Lakers off the scoreboard until their final drive, where they amassed 72 of their 210 total yards.

"Football still is about controlling the line of scrimmage, I don't care what you run," said South Medford head coach Bill Singler. "You can run the spread offense, the wishbone, the Wing-T — whatever you do — but if you can control and capture the line of scrimmage, generally you'll win the game."

That theory played out on a grand stage Friday night as South Medford (2-0) played host to the Lakers (0-2) in front of a crowd energized by the high-profile home opener.

Lake Oswego, the 2008 Class 6A state runner-up, opened its season last week with a 20-12 loss, marking the first season-opening defeat for Steve Coury's squad since a forfeited win in 2001. Prior to that, the Lakers hadn't lost an opening game on the field since 1999.

Given that history, and the fact the Panthers had yet to beat Coury's crew in three prior attempts under Singler, South's players entered the game knowing they would have to withstand Lake Oswego's determined effort. Turns out they not only withstood it, they countered it with their own passionate push.

"We were all totally looking forward to it," said South senior right guard Jake Sartain. "We've been working real hard in the offseason, coming in at 7 o'clock in the morning in January all the way up until the season. With our work ethic, we kinda have an expectancy to be in better shape than the opponent. We just come out and rely on each other, and have a lot of fun trying to knock people back."

With Sartain flanked by left tackle Luke Cutting, left guard Logan Emonds, center Patrick Thibeault and right tackle Mark Combs, the "tight-knit" bunch was extremely impressive in opening lanes for running backs Mario Sainez, Brett Wallan and Kevin Gilmore and giving quarterback Josh Milhollin time to locate his receivers.

"They whipped us up front and you usually win games when you can do that," said Coury.

"I think their offense was just more physical than we were and defensively they came after us, too," added the Lakers' head coach. "They just played a real physical game and I give a lot of credit to them. We came and kinda played soft, but our team is a little young and inexperienced."

South senior Austin Randall recovered a fumble on a missed exchange between LO quarterback Will Storey and running back Whit Bissett on the second play of the game, and the Panthers marched 38 yards in seven plays for their first score. Hard running by Sainez, who finished with 69 yards on 17 carries, led to Milhollin twisting over the goal line from 4-yards out.

After Josh Havird came through with a great stand-up tackle for no extra yards on a fourth-down pass to the Lakers' Brock Pellow, South took over on downs from its own 4 and used Milhollin's strong arm to go the distance for another scoring drive.

Wallan first got the Panthers out of the shadows of their own end zone with an 11-yard run that found him dragging Laker defenders, then Milhollin went to work chipping his way down the field. He connected with Allen Fitzsimmons for a big 14-yard gain and Havird for 18 yards on a third-and-10 at South's 29. The 13-play drive finally ended when Havird hauled in a deep pass toward the left sideline, cut up and took to the air in a dive that landed just inside the pylon for a 27-yard touchdown.

"When I heard my number called I knew something big was going to happen and I did what I could," said Havird, who caught two passes for 45 yards. "I looked up, the sideline was there and the pylon was there and I just laid out and dove and got it over."

The Panthers squandered a great opportunity on a nifty double move by Fitzsimmons on their final drive of the first half when Milhollin's pass sailed too long, but still took a 13-0 lead into halftime. Fitzsimmons still hauled in a team best five passes for 60 yards, including a sensational one-handed effort and another diving grab. Milhollin was 14-of-21 passing for 206 yards.

A fumble gave Lake Oswego some hope early in the third quarter, but the Panthers' defense stood firm again. South then salted away the game in unlikely fashion, mounting a 13-play, 98-yard drive for a 21-0 lead.

"That has to be a part of our mantra," said Singler of the sustained drive. "We have some big guys ... and when our guys get lathered up they're pretty physical. We've had two games now in the second half where we've physically worn teams down, and these are pretty good teams, they're not down the line teams."

Gilmore provided the last effort with a 9-yard burst between Thibeault and Sartain for a TD, and Milhollin made up for a missed PAT by Havird with a two-point conversion run.

Lake Oswego's lone score came with 2:54 to play when Hayden Reece pulled down a jump ball in the back of the end zone for a 26-yard reception from Storey, who completed 12 of 25 passes for 145 yards.

"We've been struggling offensively but I'd give credit to Bill and his group," said Coury. "They did a helluva job, I thought. They've got a good football team."

After the game Singler deferred credit to defensive coordinator Mike Johnston and the job he's done since joining the South staff.

"Mike's done a great job with those guys," said Singler. "His philosophy is terrific. He brings enough pressure to keep you off-balanced and he knows when to kind of play it cautiously. It's a bend-but-not-break philosophy where you just go make plays."

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com