Grizzlies aim to start SSC with a bang
Ashland short on play-makers, will rely mostly on superior depth, solid line play
Charlie Hall's return to Ashland High football last year didn't produce the playoff berth he was hoping for, but nobody can say the Grizzlies weren't exciting.
Equipped with game-breakers at nearly every key offensive position Ashland won its fi rst four games while scoring an average of 35 points.
Then came reality. After the team's stunning 46-42 upset of North Medford in week 4 injuries and fatigue started to catch up with Ashland. That hardship led to five straight losses and a 5-5 final record.
This year, the Grizzlies will not have nearly as much fi repower — at least not on offense — but Hall is hoping overall balance and depth will make up for the drop off in individual talent.
"Last year, we had a good cream of the crop that were really good players that played a lot of positions, played a lot of two-way, and those younger players hadn't developed yet," Hall said. "This year we have 22 players and could actually have a great scrimmage with each other and nobody would have that big of a mismatch over anybody else. I like that because I think in a team sense everybody will have a smaller contribution to the team effort, rather than a few guys having a bigger contribution.
"Everybody will have a vested interest. In the long run, that will work better for the team." That "all-for-one" concept is most obvious on the line, which Hall expects to emerge as the team's strength, both on offense and defense.
On the offensive side, seniors Nick Fitzpatrick (center), Bronze Kaae (right guard), Andric McCartin (left guard) and Mike Shulters (left tackle) anchor a unit that's interchangeable and athletic. Junior Matt Lipski, listed at 6-foot-8, 320 pounds last season, will start at right tackle, solidifying a group that's expected to open big holes for the running game.
Looking to burst through those holes will be junior tailback Justin Meza, one of the few returning home run threats. Meza showed the ability to go the distance on any given play while gaining 551 yards on just 93 carries last season (that's a 5.9 yardsper- rush average), and his strength makes him a good short-yardage option as well. He's coming off a hamstring injury suffered early in the summer, but Hall didn't sound too worried about that when discussing the team's offense.
"My philosophy has always been to be pretty balanced, but I think it's nice to be able to hang your hat on (the running game) going into the season, and we're going to try to do that," he said. That means Ashland's aerial assault may not be as crucial as it was last year, when the Grizzlies passed for more than 1,800 yards. That's probably a good thing, since Ashland starting quarterback Gus Gaviglio (sr.) will be throwing to a completely rebuilt, unproven receiving corps.
Jacob Cornelius, Josh Hogelund and Charlie Sebrell will see most of the action as wide outs, while senior John Paustian and sophomore Talon Haggard will trade off at tight end. Paustian and Haggard are the speed-burners of the bunch. The others, Hall says, will develop into possession receivers. As for Gaviglio, he's more confi dent than ever entering his second year in Hall's offense. "I've just been working with coach Hall, trying to get my rhythm down, my routs and my drops right and my reads right, so it's been a big process this summer," said Gaviglio, who completed 46 of 77 passes for 545 yards and six touchdowns in 2005.
"I mostly have it down. There's still stuff I need to work on, but I'm a lot more comfortable." Comfortable or not, Hall isn't planning on loosening the reins anytime soon.
"I think it's just going to be a matter of being more patient on offense, minimizing our mistakes and just letting our offense control the clock," he said. "If we can control the football and control the clock and not turn the ball over, then I think we'll be successful offensively – good enough to win games."
Defensively, the Grizzlies hope a talented D-line and linebacker corps can make up for an inexperienced secondary.
On the line, Kaae, Rafeeq Wilson, Mike Shulters and promising transfer Julian Ewold, all seniors, will share time at the ends, while senior Fitzpatrick, Andric Mc- Cartin, Dan Maulsby and David Steele aim to clog the interior. Great things are expected of that unit. It has the ability to stop the run, while also putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
"We lost a really big and skilled senior class, but I think with the team we have now we'll be really consistent with our game because we have more power," Fitzpatrick said.
Charles Lindsay, Jed Patton, Haggard and Paustian will share linebacker duties, while eight players are in line to rotate in the defensive backfi eld.
Experience is lacking in the secondary, but Hall is hoping that there will be strength in numbers. Matt Dierks, Houstan Case, Cornelius and Sam Gaviglio will play safety, while Josh Harris, Lewis Sebrell, Christian Bradley and Josh Hogelund will take over the corners.
Though a large crop of fi rst-year starters will look to make their marks at several key positions this year, the biggest change for the Grizzlies may not even be on the fi eld. Thanks to the OSAA's reclassifi cation, for the fi rst time in program history Ashland will not be competing at the state's highest level. Instead, the team will be a Class 5A team in a new six-class system and joins Eagle Point, Crater, Klamath Union and Mazama in the newly-formed Southern Sky Conference.
The move, set in motion last fall, was met with frustration by players at fi rst, but is now a reason for optimism. Ashland has struggled in recent years against the giants of the Southern Oregon Conference, but has won seven of its last 12 games against its more like-sized league foes.
"Well, I'm still disappointed we don't get to play North (Medford) and South (Medford), but I kind of agree with the 5A division," said Kaae, one of the players who spoke out against the reclassifi cation last fall. "It will be fun to play some teams that we haven't played before, like Phoenix — to see how good they are."
And it doesn't hurt that the Grizzlies have a legitimate shot at ending the team's fi ve-year playoff drought, either. "We don't want to get cocky or anything," Kaae added, "but we think we have a pretty good shot."
