Mistakes come back to bite Tigers
Ontario commits five turnovers in second round playoff loss to No. 1 Central
Saturday, November 15, 2008 10:36 PM PST
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| Lori Cain | Statesman Journal
Ontario’s Josh Mejia attempts to strong-arm a Central defender during the Tigers 28-14 loss in the second round of the Oregon 4A state playoffs.
Mejia finished the game with 76 yards on nine carries. Teammate Frank Lopez led all Tiger rushers with 120 yards on 12 carries and a score.
The loss eliminated the Tigers from the playoffs as they finish the season with a 9-3 record. |
Argus Observer Sports Staff
Monmouth—Ontario High School head football coach Trever Wilson chalked up Saturday’s second round loss as a missed opportunity.
The Tigers (9-3) committed five turnovers, including two interceptions inside the Central 10-yard line in their 28-14 loss to the No. 1 ranked and undefeated Central Panthers in the OSAA Class 4A state playoffs at McArthur Field in Monmouth.
“We moved the ball pretty well and we had few chance to put the ball in the end zone, but couldn’t capitalize,” Wilson said. “I don’t think it was really anything Central did defensively, it’s just that we had chances, had a couple of key turnovers, lost the ball and had stalled drives. Our defense made a few stops and gave us chances, but we didn’t capitalize on them.”
After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers led 14-6 and Ontario had possession to start the final stanza.
The fourth quarter would be the beginning on the end for Ontario, which committed three turnovers in the final quarter.
Central’s Eric Phillips intercepted Ontario quarterback Tad Anzaldua, and six running plays later, Central went up 21-6 with 5:25 remaining on Casey Connor’s 9-yard touchdown run.
Ontario answered quickly on its next possession, as Jake Turner ran for a 13-yard touchdown and Jordan Lang ran for the two-point conversion to bring the score to 21-14 with 4:23 left.
Central punted on its ensuing possession, and the Tigers were back in business at their own 23-yard line with a little over two minutes remaining.
Two plays later, Frank Lopez fumbled the football, Central’s Edi Campos recovered it and returned it 20 yards to Ontario’s 5-yard line.
Three plays later, Connor ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:00 remaining.
Ontario had a last gasp possession with time running out, but could not produce any fruitful results.
To start the game, Central looked like the team which averaged 53 points per game in the regular season, as they needed only three plays to take a 7-0 lead with 10:49 left in the first quarter.
After a stalled drive by Central, Ontario regained possession and Frank Lopez gave the Tigers a big chunk of real estate on a 46-yard run.
The drive went to a screeching halt, as Panther, J.T. Tirado intercepted Tad Anzaldua’s pass at the 7-yard line.
On Central’s first drive of the second quarter, Connor ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 7:20 left in the half to put the Panthers up 14-0.
Ontario quickly answered with a nine-play drive which ended with Frank Lopez running up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to make the score 14-6 with 5:14 remaining.
Central racked 378 yards offense, as quarterback Grant Hedrick went 12-of-13 for 170 yards with an interception. Connor led the ground game with 29 carries for 163 yards and three scores.
Ontario amassed 370 total yards, with 277 coming on the ground on 34 carries. Lopez led the ground attack with 12 carries for 120 yards. Jake Turner and Roger Garza, playing in their final varsity game, combined for nine carries for 89 yards.
Anzaldua, also a senior, went 10-for-15 for 93 yards and an interception.
Wilson was appreciative of the many years of service his seniors gave to the program and the foundation they have built for the future.
“We had 10 seniors on this team. Every one of them contributed in their own way,” Wilson said. “All of them were a big part of our team. They have been through the program and they have been able to teach these kids how to win. That was the biggest thing, they gave the younger kids the understanding of what it takes to win and how to compete on the field.”
Statesman Journal sports writer Bill Poehler contributed to this story.
Central 28, Ontario 14
Ontario 0 6 0 8 — 14
Central 7 7 0 14 — 28
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
Central — Hedrick 23 yd run (Dabrekow kick)
Second Quarter
Central — Connor 2 yd run (Daberkow kick)
Ontario — Lopez 2 yd run (Kick fail)
Fourth quarter
Central — Connor 9 yd run (Daberkow kick)
Ontario — Turner 13 yd run (Lang 2-point run)
Central — Connor 3 yd run (Daberkow kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Ontario: Mejia 9-76, Lopez 12-120, Turner 4-44, Garza 5-45. Central: Hedrick 17-39, Connor 29-163, Phillips 1-5.
Passing — Ontario: Anzaldua 10-15-93-1, Mejia 0-1-0-1. Central: Hedrick 12-13-170-1.
Receiving — Ontario: Lopez 2-7, Turner 3-16, Anthony 1-15, Martinez 1-22, Keyes 2-9, Ronneberg 1-22. Central: Connor 1-(-1), Phillips 4-93, Tirado 1-5, Hamilton 5-64, McArdie 1-9.
123456789 wrote on Dec 7, 2008 2:25 PM:
Ontario isn't a baseball school either. Ontario high school is more of a babysitting clinic/training facikity for future walmart cashiers, chevron fuel attendants, or working in the onion sheds. I don't know why you guys get in the stands every friday night and cheer them on. You should be teaching them how to count change back to a customer instead. "