Marc Garcia, Brandon Griffith and the Southern Oregon State University Raiders well remember that their 2001 football season ended with a 16-13 loss on a late touchdown to Carroll College in a snowstorm during the NAIA Championship Series quarterfinals.
Carroll scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left to play to win that game.
The Raiders will get a chance for some revenge Saturday when they travel to Helena, Mont., to play Carroll in another quarterfinal contest. Southern Oregon (8-2), ranked No. 9 nationally among NAIA schools, will face the No. 10 Carroll Fighting Saints (9-2) at noon (MDT).
Garcia, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound junior who, is part of the Raiders' three-man rotation at offensive tackle. Griffith, a 6-1, 230-pound sophomore, is the team's backup quarterback and the holder for PAT and field goal attempts.
James Powers, another Douglas product, started three seasons as a defensive tackle before graduating from Southern Oregon and is still involved with the team as defensive line coach.
Dusty McGrorty rushed 35 times for 164 yards to lead Southern Oregon past Montana-Western 30-12 in the first round of the NAIA playoffs last Saturday.
In Saturday's other NAIA quarterfinal matchups: St. Francis, Ind. at Georgetown, Ky.; Sioux Falls, S.D. at Mary, N.D.; McKendree, Ill. at Northwestern Oklahoma State.
