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South left black and blue
North Medford's Alan Borelli (51) puts the wraps on South Medford running back Andres Reed in Friday's game at Spiegelberg Stadium.' Black Tornado running back Manny Alegria runs wild to help North Medford nip its cross-town rival and secure a spot in the Class 4A playoffs By KRIS HENRY By night's end, the picture became cloudy between the number of records set and the number of hearts broken in the 16th playing of the Black and Blue game Friday at Spiegelberg Stadium. North Medford and South Medford combined to set or tie 12 series records, but the only numbers that truly mattered was 31-28 in favor of the Black Tornado. That three-point edge, combined with a coin flip Friday morning that favored Grants Pass, put the Black Tornado in the state playoffs as the No. 3 seed and left the seventh-ranked Panthers out in the cold. North Medford, South Medford and Grants Pass each capped the season 7-2 overall and 5-2 in Southern Oregon Conference play, forcing a three-way tie for second place and a pivotal coin flip for the SOC's No. 2 and 3 representatives. "It's a travesty but that's just the cards you're dealt," said South coach Bill Singler. The way the cards were played Friday night, it seemed as if North had a stacked deck as the Black Tornado controlled the ball and the game from the opening kickoff. North scored on its first three possessions and never trailed in a game that may stand the test of time as one of the best in Black and Blue lore. "It doesn't get any better than this," said North senior tailback Manny Alegria, who set two series marks by rushing 34 times for 229 yards and two TDs. "This could have been our last game and we had to play our hearts out. We had emotion crawling off of us we were so into it tonight. It was just awesome" After the Panthers were held in check on their first series, North used a fake punt to get the Tornado in gear. Justin MacLauchlan took a direct snap on fourth down at the South 41 and maneuvered for 12 yards. On the next play, Travis Poulton lofted a perfectly-placed pass to Brian Weeks for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. Undaunted, South managed to march 52 yards in 10 plays before stalling at the North 28 when Boomer Marshall's fourth-down pass fell incomplete. The Tornado turned that missed opportunity by South into points of its own as Shawn Hale capped a 12-play drive with a 41-yard field goal. South answered with a scoring drive of its own, but in much shorter fashion as Marshall looped a pass to Andres Reed 10 yards into the North secondary. Reed then did the rest as the track star outraced everyone to the end zone for a 66-yard completion - the longest such play in Black and Blue history. Not to be denied, Poulton and Alegria led North back down the field for another touchdown, with the senior quarterback burrowing in from 1-yard out. But like a top-notch bout between two prized fighters, South jabbed back when Reed took an inside handoff on the next play from scrimmage, bounced outside and was off to the races once again for a 72-yard score. "They were blitzing a lot but sooner or later I knew that hole was going to be there and I'd be able to find it and take it," said Reed. That proved to be the Panthers' highlight on the ground, however, as North afforded little room to breathe in limiting Reed to 72 net yards on 15 carries. In contrast, Alegria was just warming up as he accounted for 162 of his career-high 229 yards in the second half and helped the Tornado keep the ball away from South's potent offense. "North did a helluva job to keep us off the field," said Singler. "When they knew they could run the ball a little bit they just got more and more confident." Two Alegria touchdown runs were countered with a TD connection between Marshall and Reed and a 2-yard run by Reed that made it 31-28 with 19 seconds to play. South's onside kick by Cory O'Neill bounded off North's David Faaeteete, but Beau Hovland got to the loose ball, securing it, the win and a berth in the playoffs for the Black Tornado. "Our kids knew what they had to do," said North coach John Beck. "They knew it five weeks ago that they had to win out, but they wanted to go back to the playoffs so bad. It's become a tradition and they just set their sights on that goal and did everything they could to accomplish that. "This is just a playoff veteran team that knows how to play 48 minutes." But with the ecstasy of advancing comes the realization that it comes at a cost to a staff and group of players that Beck holds in high regard. "The sad thing is South's not going to the playoffs," he said. "I just can't believe a team that's 7-2 and one of the best teams in the state doesn't get to go. That's crazy. I feel bad for their kids. "What more can you do? It's just unbelievable." That sentiment was echoed amid tears inside the South locker room. "We have nothing to be ashamed about," said Marshall. "We fought hard and I'm just so proud of all the guys. "We thought we could control our destiny but North got us tonight. Both teams played great and I've got much respect for their team and their coaching staff. They got the 'W' tonight and we didn't." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com |
