Grants Pass lands in Class 4A playoffs

By JOE ZAVALA
for the Mail Tribune

EAGLE POINT - The Grants Pass Cavemen had just defeated Eagle Point 29-15, but the drama was just beginning.

The Cavemen shook hands, congratulated each other then quickly gathered around a transistor radio at midfield.

There, the 69 teammates and 12 coaches, along with a large group of family and friends, listened in stone silence as North Medford recovered an onside kick to clinch a win over South Medford.

That drew the biggest cheer of the night from Grants Pass, which entered the game on a two-game losing streak and left with the No. 2 seed in the Southern Oregon Conference and a home game in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

"For us to go get the No. 2 spot out of the SOC is just enormous," Grants Pass coach Jeff Weiss said. "We had three returning starters coming back (from last) year and no one in their right mind gave us an opportunity or a chance, I don't think, to get (fourth), let alone (third) and now (second).

"We don't know what Lakeridge has to offer but we're just excited to be in the playoffs."

Lakeridge is the team Grants Pass (7-2, 5-2 SOC) will host in the first round. That game is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Mel Ingram Field.

The Cavemen had no mercy early on, spoiling Eagle Point's halftime homecoming festivities by scoring the game's first 26 points.

Senior running back Tom Martin was the main culprit. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound speedster scored three of the first four touchdowns and finished with 266 yards on 34 carries.

"I didn't know about the outside, but I knew the inside we'd definitely have it, and that's where it was," Martin said of his running lanes.

Eagle Point (2-7, 1-6 SOC) finally countered with 1:58 left in the half on Rocky Johnston's 8-yard touchdown catch, culminating a five-play, 60-yard drive. The two-point conversion pass from Chris Lilya to Chris Mannenbach made it 26-8.

Grants Pass had plenty of time left, however, and took advantage of it when Bruce Voges hit a 49-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

The second half was a different story.

Eagle Point found a way to keep Martin in check, then got its own ground game going behind Chris Boyd.

The game became interesting eight seconds into the fourth quarter when Eagle Point quarterback Robert Slayton ran it in from 5 yards out. Slayton's point after kick brought the Eagles within 29-15.

Three minutes later Voges missed a 30-yard field goal, giving Eagle Point the ball back with 8:42 left.

The Eagles moved the ball to the Grants Pass 18-yard line on its ensuing possession, but that's where its comeback stalled.

"I think the whole team put in a great effort and it was a battle to the end," said Grants Pass receiver Derrick Draper, who caught five passes for 67 yards. "We didn't score the whole second half, but what we did in the first half was enough."

Following the handshakes, Weiss informed his team that they would at least be heading to the playoffs, and may even get a home playoff game.

Eagle Point coach Mike Johnston was disappointed with the outcome, but pleased with the strong finish.

"The kids played hard in the second half," he said. "That's one thing I'm very proud of our guys for. It's been a tough year but they never give up, they always play hard and they did it again."

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