MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Ashland football

It's not a goal. It's a quest, said Ashland football coach Charlie Hall. And the theme for the 2014 Grizzlies is "Questfor4."

The numeral 4 clarifies just what these Grizzlies are after — a fourth state title.

The others — at least two of them in 1989 and 1991 — were long before any of the current players were born. The last one came in 1998, the year when many were born.

But coming off an 11-1 season and starting 2014 with a 6-0 mark, Ashland's quest is definitely within range. The Grizzlies are ranked 19th in the state overall and they've won every way imaginable, including last week's wild 18-17 triumph that was keyed by a trick play.

For their perfection, ingenuity and quest, the Grizzlies are the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

"It's a lofty goal (to win a state title), but one that has generated great buy in (from the team)," Hall said. "If we can stay healthy and continue to improve we feel we can compete. There are some great teams in Oregon 5A football."

And last week was a great win against a Crater team with a 2-5 record.

Down 17-12 early in the fourth quarter and minus-19 yards in the second half, Hall called a great play and wide receiver Nicky Weinberg connected on a 74-yard pass to receiver Shashi Penn to give the team the lead for good.

The play started when quarterback Kyle Weinberg fired an over-the-hand lateral across the field to his brother Nicky, who completed the ball to Penn at about the 40. Penn did the rest.

Ashland's defense didn't allow Crater to cross midfield the rest of the way.

"We had a hard time just moving the ball," Hall said of the game-winning play to mailtrubune.com. "We just had to go into our bag of tricks because our base stuff wasn't working."

Hall told MaxPreps: "We practice special plays every Thursday. I hope by this time of the year we are able to execute them when the situation dictates."

Kyle Weinberg connected with Ryne Robitz on a 64-yard quick slant for Ashland. Crater eventually took a 17-6 lead before the brothers connected on an acrobatic touchdown catch. Kyle Weinberg threw for 169 yards and Robitz rushed for 67 yards and had 79 yards receiving.

While the offense finally came to life, the defense held the rest of the game.

"Playing consistent defense and great special teams is key to any success," Hall said. "We also have some big play makers on offense."

Almost all of them were key members on last year's team, which was humbled 57-12 in the state semifinals by Sherwood.

"It was exciting and a privilege to get to the final four last season," Hall said. "Fortunately we had several juniors and sophomores that saw significant playing time in 2013. Their experience and confidence has been a catalyst for everything we do in our program."

See more Paul Steele photos and information at the Ashland Football Club website

It's been a superb program with Hall leading the way. Besides the state championships, the Grizzlies have been a perennial winner with winning records in six of the last seven years, including 11-1 in 2007 and 2013. They are 62-22 since 2006.

Asked how this team's personnel compares with some that he's coached in the past, Hall said: "Every team is different in both personnel and personality. This year we can build personnel groups with different players and be very multiple. Defensively we feel this team is similar to other strong defensive teams of the past. Our kicker and punter situation is the best we've ever had." Staff writer Colin Ward-Henninger contributed to this report.