Varsity541.com | Football

Football Story Archive

South Medford faces stiff test in second-ranked Jesuit

When the second-ranked Jesuit football team comes to town today, the hope for South Medford is that a few intangibles may help level the playing field for the second-round affair.

Old home week for Crater, Hermiston

CENTRAL POINT — Mark Hodges isn't quite sure what all the fuss is about, and John Beck is just happy to be playing football again.

No Challenge

It was a woodshed moment.

Costantino boots Grizzlies into second round

ASHLAND — He couldn't even watch it.

South Medford rallies for playoff victory

If there's one thing you can say about the South Medford football team, it's that the Panthers don't mind playing in close games.

Tornado's season ends with loss to Cougars

North Medford, making its first state playoff appearance since 2005, battled third-ranked Canby evenly for most of the first half of Friday night's road contest.

Ashland to defend 5A water polo titles today

BEAVERTON — Ashland's boys and girls water polo teams moved a step closer toward repeating their Class 5A titles Friday, with each team earning dominant victories to gain a spot in today's championship finals at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center.

South Medford looks to get back to winning ways

The past two weeks haven't exactly been too nice for the South Medford football team, so the Class 6A state playoffs couldn't have come at a better time.

Finishing Strong

It may not have been the kind of start to his senior season Jakob Altamirano had hoped for, but the ending has been nothing short of perfect for the North Medford wide receiver.

Roseburg denies upset bid

Ninth-ranked Roseburg left the door wide open for a potential upset Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium, but North Medford simply couldn't capitalize in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound football teams.

November 2009

Pirates romp past Hornets to win Skyline

PHOENIX — The moment was surreal.

Eagle Point wins but still loses in SSC finale

EAGLE POINT — As Ashland football players awaited a final result from Friday's Crater-Klamath Union game, head coach Charlie Hall appeared hesitant as to what to proclaim in his postgame speech.

Sheldon reclaims Southwest Conference title

EUGENE — The coronation came early as top-ranked Sheldon reclaimed the Southwest Conference football championship.

Comets clinch SSC crown in overtime

KLAMATH FALLS — The Crater football team had no trouble mowing over the competition in the Southern Sky Conference this season, at least until Friday night.

South, North aim to end on high note

Last Friday was a night to forget for South Medford and one to cherish for North Medford.

Azzi plan will break ties in Southern Sky Conference

The Southern Sky Conference has a plan in place to break potential ties.

Righting the Ship

PHOENIX — More than anything, Chris Kammel wants to make it clear that this isn't something he's done by himself, that the football resurgence at Phoenix High stems from a unified effort.

October 2009

Black Tornado hangs tough

In almost poetic fashion, just as North Medford appeared to be letting a chance at the state playoffs slip through its hands Friday night, senior Jakob Altamirano came up with the catch of a lifetime to rally his football team.

Comets score on first seven possessions

CENTRAL POINT — Not that the Crater Comets need another weapon, but kicker Austin Siegel gives the Comets just that.

Late heroics lift Ashland over Klamath Union

ASHLAND — After wrapping up his postgame comments on the field, Ashland coach Charlie Hall asked defensive coordinator Tito Soriano if he had anything to say to his guys after their stingiest showing of the year.

Roseburg blasts No. 3 South Medford

ROSEBURG — After three weeks of nail-biter football games, third-ranked South Medford got bit.

Pirates smother Knights to set up showdown

MERLIN — Chris Kammel passed for 303 yards and the Phoenix offense used the big play to put North Valley on its heels in a 56-20 rout for the Pirates on Friday in a Skyline Conference football game.

Eagle Point's Morgan making good progress

EAGLE POINT — In Daniel Morgan's mind, he figured he had just suffered a broken rib after being hit in the back by a Klamath Union player during last Friday's football game.

Playoff position up for grabs in SWC

Friday will be moving day in Southwest Conference football, and no teams have more on the line than when third-ranked South Medford travels to play Roseburg at 7 p.m. at Finlay Field.

Challengers top Gold Beach in key Sunset game

For all the accolades Cascade Christian's offensive playmakers have received — and they are all richly deserved — it was a defensive play that helped turn the tide Saturday night at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point.

Triad snaps Butte Falls' District 2 winning streak

KLAMATH FALLS — Butte Falls' 22-game District 2 winning streak came to an end Saturday.

Panthers pull one out

Emotionally drained by two straight weeks of rivalry games, No. 3-ranked South Medford still found a little something in the tank Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium to keep their Southwest Conference title hopes alive.

North no match for No. 1 Irish

EUGENE — North Medford coach Jeff Olson did not dispute Sheldon's top ranking in the state heading into Friday's game, and certainly didn't see anything to change his mind after the Irish dismantled the Black Tornado.

Glide powers past the Chieftains

ROGUE RIVER — Landon Weimar ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more as Glide defeated Rogue River 41-3 in Sunset League football at Chieftain Stadium Friday.

Every play counts

Although he always wanted to, Brandon Grissom wasn't allowed to play football until he was a seventh-grader at Grace Christian School.

Panthers close home slate against Axemen

From the quick pace preferred by South Eugene's football team to the importance of securing a state-playoff berth, third-ranked South Medford will need to be on its toes Friday night at Spiegelberg Stadium.

Ashland on the road to recovery from flu

ASHLAND — Ashland High head football coach Charlie Hall said the Grizzlies' "core starters" attended a practice on Saturday and expressed optimism that his team is on the road to recovery after a flu outbreak last week forced Ashland to forfeit a...

Panthers win thriller

It's a good thing admission prices aren't set after the game or else South Medford and North Medford fans would've had to dig deep in their pockets on the way out of Spiegelberg Stadium Friday night.

Pretty in Pink

Merry Killam's son is a sturdy young man of 15. He plays in the trenches for an undefeated football team, mixing it up daily in practices and weekly in games. Hand fighting, head butting, blocking, tackling. He wouldn't be considered soft or meek.

Eagle Point knocks off Mazama

EAGLE POINT — The bottom line was Austin Marlia and the defense did the job for Eagle Point Friday night.

Kammel leads Phoenix past IV

PHOENIX — Chris Kammel ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more as Phoenix rolled to a 61-14 homecoming victory against Illinois Valley in Skyline Conference football at Jack Woodward Stadium Friday.

North, South seek to get leg up in SWC

It will be d�j� vu for the football teams at North Medford and South Medford when they meet on the field at 7 tonight at Spiegelberg Stadium.

SSC changes its tiebreaker plan for postseason

The Southern Sky Conference has changed the way it determines postseason tiebreakers, going from a coin flip to the Azzi Plan in the wake of an unfortunate situation last season.

Hornets forfeit to Loggers

BUTTE FALLS — Camas Valley has forfeited its football game scheduled at Butte Falls tonight.

Living on the Edge

Any coach will tell you that it's pretty easy to single out the football players who are truly special.

Ashland forfeits SSC opener against Crater

ASHLAND — The Ashland football team has forfeited its game Friday against Southern Sky Conference rival Crater because of a flu outbreak.

Change for the Better

Allen Fitzsimmons is no dummy.

Flu jeopardizes Ashland-Crater game

ASHLAND — A flu outbreak at Ashland High that caused more than 200 students to miss school Monday could result in the Grizzlies forfeiting their home football game against Crater Friday.

Top-ranked Challengers rout Bandon

CENTRAL POINT — Top-ranked Cascade Christian forced five straight three-and-outs to start the game and used a balanced offensive attack to overwhelm visiting Bandon, 49-13, in Sunset League football Saturday.

Tornado grinds out SWC win

North Medford entered Friday night's Southwest Conference opener with a plan to control the time of possession and keep the high-octane attack of South Eugene off the field at Spiegelberg Stadium.

South Medford rallies late to beat GP

GRANTS PASS — South Medford found itself behind entering the fourth quarter in its Southwest Conference opener at a hostile Mel Ingram Field Friday night.

Devin Massey runs for 212 yards in win

CENTRAL POINT — Eagle Point gave Crater its best shot in the early going, but it wasn't enough to slow the fourth-ranked Comets in the Southern Sky Conference football opener for both teams Friday at Dutch Meyer Field.

Phoenix downs HV to open Skyline

MURPHY — Phoenix served notice that there will be a battle for Skyline Conference football supremacy when it knocked off preseason favorite Hidden Valley, 13-6, on Friday in the league opener.

Comets open SSC slate with Eagles

Coming off a big win over North Medford, No. 4-ranked Crater will have to avoid suffering a letdown tonight when the Comets play host to Eagle Point in the Southern Sky Conference opener for both teams.

Reyes, Berman run over Myrtle Point

MYRTLE POINT — Christian Reyes and Rogue Berman combined for 337 rushing yards and four touchdowns to lead visiting Rogue River to a 34-28 victory against Myrtle Point in a Sunset Conference game.

Panthers face road test at GP

High school football coaches and players know better than to predict any victory or defeat, but there was one universal prediction made leading up to this Friday's clash between No. 4 South Medford and Grants Pass.

Black Tornado brace for surging Axemen

The Southwest Conference season hasn't been particularly good for North Medford or South Eugene since its formation in 2006.

Crater trips up North

CENTRAL POINT — When football coaches are leaping into each other's arms following a victory, you know the game was meaningful.

Ashland halts losing streak at three

ASHLAND — Ashland quarterback Jake Scarminach threw for two second-half touchdowns and broke loose on a 40-yard quarterback keeper for another to lead the Grizzlies to a 24-7 homecoming win over Springfield.

Cascade Christian dominates Coquille

COQUILLE — Top-ranked Cascade Christian found itself trailing for the first time this season. But it didn't take the undefeated Challengers long to rectify that situation.

South braces for Lincoln's air attack

In the wake of a tough road loss at Sprague, South Medford football coach Bill Singler opted to use the Panthers' bye week to shore up the team's fundamentals.

Going the Extra Mile

While the position of quarterback seems to suit Josh Milhollin just fine these days, that wasn't always the case for the senior at South Medford High.

Tornado not taking anything for granted

North Medford football coach Jeff Olson has been around the game long enough to know that you never take an opponent for granted.

September 2009

Challengers rout Chieftains in Sunset opener

CENTRAL POINT — Top-ranked Cascade Christian complemented a stone wall of a defense with a prolific offense to rout Rogue River, 43-7, in the Sunset League football opener for both teams Saturday night.