1998 Oregon High School Football State Championship - Ashland (13-0) v. Roseburg (11-2)

The 1998 Ashland High School Grizzlies entered the off-season replacing 19 out of 22 starters, two assistant coaches, and, for six months, their head coach. (Their highly-successful head coach Jim Nagel had accepted an offer to coach Southern Oregon University in the off-season, which eventually fell through roughly six months later.) Their first game was won on a 14 hour drive and a fake punt. It was pure luck that the opposing team didn't throw to the left wide receiver, as midway through the third quarter the Grizzlies' starting corner broke his collarbone. He didn't come out, he just didn't raise his right arm. So stringing together those 19 new starters, the Grizzlies put together close victories. Their regular season was an undefeated string of nail-biters, close calls, and what-ifs. And somehow, they never lost. When those 19 new starters took the field in their first series in the playoffs, they fumbled on their own goal line. It quickly resulted in an opposing touchdown. The state semi-final game against the behemoth Jesuit Prep (then rated #6 on the West Coast) was won in overtime on a 30-yard bomb on 4th and 15 from the Grizzly 30 yard line. It was thrown by the backup quarterback. He hadn't thrown 5 passes all season, and was pleading to the sideline to kick the field goal. Assistant Coach Dave Kitchell fractured his ankle in the celebration. In every playoff game except the semi-final they trailed their opponent in the second quarter, their last two contests being decided in overtime. And yet, in every playoff game, they won. To this day, they remain the only school in Oregon history to win a championship in overtime. The Grizzlies ended the season undefeated, state champions, and ranked #8 in the West Coast by USA Today. No player was recruited by any college. ** In Memoriam Coaches Dave Kitchell and Stan Gida, both of whom were fundamental and irreplaceable in orchestrating this championship season.**