As unusual as last week’s season opener was for South Medford football coach Bill Singler, Friday’s second game of the football campaign brought another first for the 27th-year Panthers coach.

Due to repeated lightning strikes near Keizer that forced immediate 30-minute delays, South Medford’s showdown with McNary went on and on and on until a final lightning strike nearby ultimately created a circumstance where the Panthers were granted a 28-0 victory over the Celtics in a game that was halted for good with 29 seconds to go in the first half.

“When you’re in the business long enough you get to see everything, I guess,” said Singler, who last week saw the opposing coach ejected from the game due to two equipment violations in the first quarter by his team. “I’ve never experienced a lighting delay. This is usually what people do in Florida and the southeast and those kinds of places.”

South Medford built a 21-0 lead in the second quarter before three lightning strikes in the distance caused delays. On one return, the Panthers tacked on another touchdown to make it 28-0 and then a final strike shortly after returning to the field with 29 seconds to go in the first half created a gathering around 10 p.m. between officials from both schools as well as the head umpire.

The result of those talks, which reportedly included a phone call to Oregon School Activities Association executive director Peter Weber, led to South Medford being granted a 28-0 victory and a halting of the game.

“Our principal (Jon Lyons) was up here and their principal (Scott Gragg) and both ADs (Patrick Grady and Brad Lomax) with the (head umpire) made the decision,” said Singler.

Another game in the Salem area between West Salem and Sprague continued into the night Friday, with Sprague winning 48-35, and the conclusion of the South Salem at North Salem game was played Saturday. Both of those games, however, featured teams from the Salem radius and weren’t as one-sided.

“We weren’t going out of here without a win,” said Singler. “We were either going to finish this on the field or else McNary would have to agree to award us the win at halftime, so McNary agreed to award us the win at halftime.”

“By rule, you have to get everybody out of the stands with each lightning delay,” added the coach, “so I think they were also getting tired of ushering people back and forth.”

Prior to the stoppage of the South/Central Football Conference opener for both teams, South Medford (1-1, 1–0 SCFC) was clicking on offense and defense.

Kameron Rague returned the opening kickoff to the McNary 25-yard line and, after some positive runs by Bridger Foss, went in from 8 yards out for a touchdown with only 1 minute, 14 seconds drained off the clock.

After a defensive stand, Rague scampered to a big gain to set up Foss this time, who had an easy 11-yard jog into the end zone to make it 14-0 with only 4 ½ minutes played.

The Panthers’ third score was set up when Grady McQuillan forced a fumble by McNary quarterback Aris Vasseur that was recovered by Jedi Robertson. The combination of runs by South Medford quarterback Makana Brown, Rague and Foss led to the latter finally capping an ensuing drive with a 9-yard score with 7:21 left in the first half.

Then came a lightning delay, a 58-yard connection between Brown and Foss, another lightning delay, a 27-yard touchdown run by Foss with 2:32 to go in the half, another lightning delay, a forced punt by McNary and then a fateful final lightning strike in the distance to close things out with 29 seconds on the clock and the ball in South’s hands.

“When we were actually playing football, I liked what I saw,” said Singler, whose team was largely ineffective last week against state title-contending Lake Oswego. “I saw a different energy this week, I saw us capturing the line of scrimmage better on both sides of the ball, I saw us playing a little more physically than I saw last week.”

DEL NORTE 28, ASHLAND 20: At Crescent City, Calif., Ashland found itself trailing 22-12 at halftime and 28-12 in the third quarter before mounting a late comeback effort that fell short.

Jojo Harrower scored on a 2-yard sneak with just under four minutes remaining for Ashland (0-1) following a tough run by Jacob Ortega and then connected with Colin Lawrence on the two-point conversion to make it 28-20.

Del Norte (1-1) was able to run out the rest of the clock to preserve the victory.

Ashland opened the scoring with a 45-yard TD run by Ortega, then went up 12-7 in the first quarter when Caleb Morgan returned a short kickoff 70 yards for a score.

PHOENIX 42, BROOKINGS-HARBOR 0: At Phoenix, Cody Martin rushed 10 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns and Phoenix limited Brookings-Harbor to seven first downs and 131 total yards to snap a 33-game losing streak in the season opener for both teams.

Friday marked 1,784 days between Phoenix’s last victory on Oct. 19, 2019, over McLoughlin/Griswold.

Martin scored on runs of 5 and 14 yards to help Phoenix (1-0) build a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and a 1-yard TD run by quarterback Payton Turner allowed the Pirates to head into halftime up 21-0.

Phoenix tacked on TD runs of 7 yards by Derek Corder and 4 yards by Parker Devey in the second half, along with a 29-yard connection between Turner and Landon Hudson.

Turner completed 9 of 19 passes for 146 yards to five different receivers, with Wyatt Dean hauling in two passes for 59 yards while Hudson and Saul Segundo added three receptions apiece.

The Pirates limited the Bruins (0-1) to 104 yards rushing and only 27 yards through the air.