It was the kind of night you can't afford to have in the post-season...which meant the end of the season for the Phoenix High School football team. After winning four straight games to claim a share of the Skyline Conference title and their Class 4A play-in game, the Pirates (who finished the year 7-3) saw their season come to an abrupt end in a 25-15 loss to visiting La Grande in the first round of the OSAA playoffs on Friday night at Jack Woodward Stadium. PHS had turned the ball over only five times and averaged 48 points per game in the previous five weeks. Friday night, the Pirates suffered five turnovers in one game, thwarting various drives in the process. La Grande led 14-0 before Phoenix got on the board when Mikey Walker hit paydirt from four yards out in the second quarter. After a scoreless third quarter, Phoenix appeared poised to make a run and advance to the state quarterfinals. Instead, the visiting Tigers (8-2) took advantage of miscues and made the plays it needed to move on and face Marshfield this week. Javan Gail threw for 280 yards and Chase Courtney hauled in 158 receiving yards in what would be the final football game at PHS for both. Dalton Samis caught a 21-yard scoring pass from Gail in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 25-15 but the Pirates were unable to get any closer. 

The Phoenix football team made a statement on Saturday night. And they kept making them. Hosting a Class 4A play-in contest in what was the only high school game in the Medford area on Satuday night, the Pirates  left little doubt about what they had accomplished during the regular season as well as where they might be heading in the post-season in a 60-13 shellacking of Newport at Jack Woodward Stadium. PHS scored early and often, rolling up a 46-7 halftime lead. The firepower that led PHS to the sixth spot in the state's final computer rankings of the season was on a full display as the Pirates turned in a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. Phoenix rolled up 503 yards of offense while limiting the visiting Cubs to only 108 yards in the game. The win was the fifth straight for the Pirates (7-2 overall) and advanced them to the first round of the OSAA playoffs, where they will host LaGrande on Friday night (7 pm kickoff). Other than a kickoff return for a score in the first half and third-quarter drive that resulted in a touchdown, the Newport offense found little luck against a defense that continues to improve. Phoenix seized control of the game on both sides of the line of scrimmage, scoring seven times in the first two quarters. Typically a standout on defense, Mason Firestone led the offensive surge, running for three touchdowns before halftime. Javon Gail threw scoring strikes to Jonathan Halligan and Nick Goff while also running for a score. Dylan Knudson returned from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the month and added a running touchdown. Cori Romig scored a pair of running touchdowns in the second half to finish off Newport. A total of 302 running yards featured gapping holes opened by an offensive line, which like the of the team is getting healthy for the PHS playoff run. And it looks like that "run" could last for a while.

It took a half for the Phoenix football team to realize its destiny on Friday night. After 24 sluggish minutes, the Pirates woke up in a big way by rolling past host Klamath Union in a Skyline Conference finale for both teams in Klamath Falls. The victory was the fourth straight for PHS (6-2 overall, 4-1 Skyline) and secured a share of the conference title as well as a. home game for this weekend's 4A play-in round. Phoenix will host Newport on Saturday at 5 pm. A win over the Cubs would give the Pirates another home game the following weekend during the first round of the OSAA playoffs. Coming off an emotional victory over Henley the previous week, Phoenix was flat during the first two quarters. The Pirates trailed 13-6 at halftime and were struggling to move the ball as well as contain the Pelican offense. PHS took advantage of a long halftme break to allow KU to celebrate homecoming, making necessary adjustments on both sides of the ball. The result: a 34-point second half while allowing only a meaningful Pelican score in the game's final minutes. Javan Gail and Chase Courtney continued to display their lethal combination. Gail threw for four touchdowns, including three to Courtney. Gail also threw a scoring pass to Jonathan Halligan (five catches for 104 yards). Courtney hauled in 130 yards on six receptions while Gail added two running touchdowns to go with his 242 passing yards.  The win moved Phoenix up to sixth in the final state RPI. The Pirates are the top seed among the teams hosting games this weekend. Meanwhile, Newport (4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Oregon West Conference) finished third in its league and is ranked 29th.

The Phoenix football team took advantage of the opportunity to control its own post-season destiny on Friday night. The Pirates continued a three-week offensive blitz, rolling past visiting Henley 42-26 in a Skyline Conference showdown at Jack Woodward Stadium. The victory sets up PHS to earn a share of the Skyline title when it visits Klamath Union on Friday night. It also gives the Pirates (5-2 overall, 3-1 Skyline) the opportunity to host a Class 4A play-in game on October 27 and possible even earn a bye through the play-in round. Henley scored on its opening. possession. From that point on, Phoenix controlled the contest. Mikey Walker ran for four touchdowns while Javan Gail ran for a score, threw for one and totalled 208 passing yards. Chase Courtney hauled in eight passes for 166 yards as Phoenix totalled 429 yards of offense and won for the fourth time in its last five games.

The Phoenix football team made sure it was a happy Homecoming weekend for the Pirates on Friday night. PHS rolled for a second straight week, downing Skyline Conference foe North Valley 50-3 in the school’s annual Homecoming Game at Jack Woodward Stadium. The Pirates  have outscored opponents 97-3 over the past two weeks, improving to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Phoenix (ranked 11th in the state) will again be at home on Friday, hosting fourth-ranked Henley, which defeated Mazama 22-21 on Friday. Phoenix led 8-3 after one quarter before reeling off 42 unanswered points. The Pirates led 30-0 after three quarters before tacking on 20 points over the final eight minutes. PHS rolled up 498 yards of total offense while limiting North Valley to 144 yards in the game. Javon Gail threw for two scores and ran for two more while amassing 208 passing yards and 108 rushing yards. Mikey Walker ran for two touchdowns and Cory Romig one touchdown while Chase Courtney and Nik Goff both caught touchdowns. Mason Firestone, Ismael De La Torre and Walker led the Pirates in tackling.

After a tough loss a week earlier, the Phoenix football team rallied in a big way on Friday night. The Pirates scored early and often, finding the end zone seven times in the first half on the way to a 48-0 shutout of Hidden Valley in a Skyline Conference game in Murphy. Phoenix (1-1 Skyline, 3-2 overall) led 13-0 after one quarter before exploding for 35 points in the second quarter. The Pirates used younger players throughout a brief second half as the clock ran through the final two quarters due to the 45-point rule. Four different players caught touchdown passes (Jonathan Halligan, Dalton Samis, Jacky Hawkins and Chase Courtney) from Javan Gail in the second quarter. Dylan Knudson, Mikey Walker and Gail all ran for scores. Gail threw for 292 yards in the game, Courtney caught seven balls for 129 yards and Knudson ran for 102 yards. The defensive shutout was led by Mason Firestone's five solo tackles as well as interceptions by Nik Goff and Hawkins. The Pirates return to action Friday, hosting North Valley in the annual Homecoming Game. Kickoff is set for 7 pm at Jack Woodward Stadium.

For three quarters, the Phoenix football team went toe-to-toe with one of the best in the state. The fourth quarter was a different story. Trailing 20-14 after three quarters of a Skyline Conference game, the host Pirates dropped a 49-14 decision to Mazama on Friday night. The visiting Vikings used a pair of interception returns for touchdowns to break the game open in the final 12 minutes. The game was tied 14-14 after an entertaining first half. The Pirates continued to play well through the third quarter but struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Meanwhile, Mazama continued to grind out the yards as a pair of Viking running backs finished with 140+ yards each. Izzy Gill scored a pair of running touchdowns in the second half, building the Mazama lead to 28-14. The Vikings followed by intercepting passes on two straight Phoenix possessions, returning both for scores. Javan Gail scored both Phoenix touchdowns, including a six-yard run in the second quarter that tied the game at 14 at halftime. Gail threw for 144 yards and ran for 67. Dylan Knudson caught four passes for 75 yards while Mikey Walker paced the PHS defense with eight tackles. The Pirates (2-2 overall, 0-1 Skyline) return to conference play on Friday when they visit Hidden Valley.

It's the kind of game that ages a coach...and toughens a team. The Phoenix High School football team followed up a forgettable first half with two quarters of inspired play to nip South Umpqua 28-27 in a non-league game in Tri City on Saturday afternoon. Postponed on Friday due to poor air quality, the game matched up a pair of 1-1 teams closing out the non-league season. When it was over, the Pirates had a victory to build on for the remainder of 2017. PHS scored all of its points in the second half, taking the lead late in the fourth quarter. Chase Courtney hauled in a pair of scoring passes from Javan Gail in the fourth quarter, putting Phoenix up 28-21. South Umpqua responded with a scoring drive of its own and attempted to win the game with a two-point conversion. While the Lancers completed a short pass on the attempt, the receiver was barely out of bounds. South Umpqua successfully recovered an onside kick and had the ball back with less than minute to play. The Phoenix defense stopped the final drive to seal the victory, taking a 2-1 non-league mark into Friday's Skyline Conference opener at home against Mazama. Gail and Jonathan Halligan combined to put Phoenix on the board early in the third quarter, connecting on a four-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 14-7. SU responded with a 91-yard kickoff return by Jonathan Warner. From there Phoenix took the game over, slowing the Lancers' spread offense while exposing soft spots in the SU defense. Gail ran for a seven-yard score before finding Courtney on eight- and 31-yard scoring passes to put the Pirates up 28-21 and set the stage for the wild finish. Gail threw for 172 yards and ran for 53. Courtney caught eight passes for 108 yards and Jacky Hawkins hauled in three passes for 65 yards. Priscila Espana connected on all four extra points for the Pirates, who jumped to 14th in the 4A rankings with the road victory.

The Phoenix football team proved it can go toe-to-toe with a team expected to be among the best in the state this season. On the road for a second straight week, the Pirates led for three quarters and had a chance to tie or win the game on the final drive of the night in a 25-18 loss to Marshfield in Coos Bay on Friday night. Phoenix (1-1 on the season) started fast, building a 12-0 lead in the second quarter. Mike Walker and Corey Romig both scored on short touchdown runs early in the quarter. The host Pirates countered with two touchdowns, taking a 13-12 lead in the third quarter. PHS used a special teams play to retake the lead, scoring when Zach Kellar recovered a muffed punt in the end zone. Marshfield countered with a pair of running touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Pirates had the ball in the final minutes of the game and were on the move but were unable to find the end zone. Javan Gail threw for 141 yards on the night, including 53 to Dylan Knudson who caught 8 passes. Phoenix returns to action on Friday night, visiting South Umpqua in a 7 pm kickoff in Tri City.

A strange sort of week for the Phoenix Pirates ended on a very positive note Friday night. After re-shuffling plans to work around the ongoing air-quality issues in Southern Oregon, the Pirates hit the road for their so-called home opener, rolling past Crook County 34-12 in a game played at Sutherlin. A 90-yard scoring strike from Javan Gail to Chase Courtney in the first quarter opened the scoring for PHS. After Crook County answered with an interception return for a touchdown, the Pirates took charge the rest of the way, outscoring the visiting Cowboys 27-6 over the final three quarters. An eight-yard scoring run by Cori Romig and a 26-yard Gail to Courtney connection in the corner of the end zone streched the lead to 20-6 at the break. The PHS defense gave up only one touchdown in the game. Jonathan Halligan led the way with six tackles while Dylan Knudson returned an interception for a score. Gail passed for 220 yards while Courtney hauled in 136 receiving yards. The Pirates return to action Friday, visiting Marshfield.