Local Football Roundup: Top-ranked Powers edges Elkton
Oct. 24—Powers moved to the top of the Class 1A six-player football coaches poll this week and then survived its closest game of the season on Friday.
The Cruisers edged visiting Elkton 26-19 to stay perfect on the season. Elkton also was unbeaten heading into the matchup and the game decided the champion for the District 2 South Division.
Powers will have a league playoff game on Friday as its final tuneup for the six-man playoffs, which this year include a total of 12 schools.
MYRTLE POINT 76, CROSSPOINT CHRISTIAN 16: The Bobcats dominated the visiting Warriors on Thursday to improve to 6-1 on the season in the Class 1A eight-player division.
Myrtle Point dropped a spot to No. 3 in the coaches poll this week, and finishes the regular season at Camas Valley on Friday in its final tuneup before the playoffs. A total of 12 teams qualify for the playoffs.
MARSHFIELD 19, HIDDEN VALLEY 6: The Pirates got a key road win Friday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Marshfield moved into a third-place tie with North Bend, with both teams finishing against the league's top two squads.
The Pirates host Mazama in the regular-season finale on Friday, while North Bend visits Henley.
Ashland could pull even with the two teams in the standings after it beat North Bend on Friday night. The Grizzlies finish against last-place Klamath Union. The Grizzlies earlier lost to Marshfield, meaning the three teams each went 1-1 against the other two.
But the Pirates might need to beat Mazama to reach the playoffs based on the tiebreaker system, which favors Ashland and North Bend based on the margins of victory in their head-to-head matchups/
North Bend beat Marshfield by nine points, the same margin the Pirates had against the Grizzlies, while Ashland's margin over North Bend gives the Grizzlies the third seed, provided they beat Klamath Union).
If North Bend finishes fourth, the Bulldogs would probably get into the playoffs because their power ranking would be higher than that of the fourth-place team from District 3 (the top fourth-place team from the two districts gets the postseason spot).
If Marshfield beats Mazama and North Bend loses to Henley, the Pirates will be the league's third-place team and get a playoff spot.
ASHLAND 44, NORTH BEND 20: The Grizzlies cooled off the visiting Bulldogs with a big win Friday.
North Bend had been 7-1 on the season, including a forfeit win over Klamath Union, before Friday's loss.
The Bulldogs host league-leading Henley on Friday. The Hornets pounded Mazama 42-14 on Friday to clinch the top playoff seed for the league.
BANDON 64, REEDSPORT 8: The Tigers pounded the host Brave on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak and enhance their playoff chances.
Bandon is fourth in the standings for Class 2A District 3, but also ranked eighth in the OSAA power rankings, the highest among fourth-place teams for the five leagues, which would give Bandon the one at-large berth available in Class 2A.
The Tigers host Rogue River on Saturday in their regular-season finale.
GOLD BEACH 40, ILLINOIS VALLEY 8: The Panthers pounded the visiting Cougars on Friday to set up a showdown at Oakland for the league title on Friday.
Gold Beach and the Oakers both are 6-0 in league play. Illinois Valley fell to 4-2 heading into its finale against Glide, but is third in the league standings and will advance to the playoffs even with a loss based on its head-to-head win over Bandon.
COQUILLE 30, DOUGLAS 13: The Red Devils snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the host Trojans.
Coquille finishes the regular season Friday at St. Mary's, with a chance to clinch a winning season. The Red Devils are 4-4 in the Far West League standings.
