By Kris Henry, Rogue Valley Times
ASHLAND — For a week, the communities of Ashland and Phoenix did their best to make sure a contingent of football players and coaches from the Kansai region in Japan felt welcomed and appreciated here in the Rogue Valley.
When it came time for the Japan All-Stars to suit up for the 18th Pacific Rim Bowl Friday night, they had no problem making themselves at home at Walter A. Phillips Field in Ashland.
The Japanese all-star team, which is selected from more than 20 high schools, dominated every facet of the exhibition contest to score a 49-0 victory over the South Valley Wolfpack — a combination of Ashland and Phoenix players — and increase their series lead to 10-8 with a fourth straight win.
“We did the hard work and we communicated a lot, that’s why we got the high score,” said Japanese quarterback Kai Takahashi, through the assistance of teammate and translator Rio Kiyota.
Takahashi passed for touchdowns of 10 yards to Taishi Shikano and 16 yards to Shiryu Kajimoto in the first and third quarters, respectively, and Japan held a 322-56 advantage in total yards to make the outcome undeniable.
“It was disappointing, to say the least, but we saw where we are as a team,” said Ashland senior lineman Liam Puckett. “We saw where we’re strong and where we’re weak and what we need to work on going into the season, so we’re just going to roll with that and we’ll see what happens.”
“They were tough, they were smart, they were big, they were fast, they were scrappy,” he added of facing the Japanese all-stars for a second time, “but that’s just football for you. Those days happen.”
Japan players ready for a kickoff during the 18th Pacific Rim Bowl on Friday, July 25, at Ashland High School. The Japan All-Stars, players from 20 schools in western Japan, defeated the South Valley Wolfpack 49-0, a team made up of Ashland and Phoenix players. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
The cultural and athletic exchange between Ashland and Japan dates back to 1988, and was born from a partnership between former Ashland High head coach Jim Nagel and Akira Furukawa, chairman of the American Football Association (Western Conference) in Japan.
The Pacific Rim Bowl was designed to feature exhibition contests every two years in July at alternating sites. This year’s matchup was the first at Ashland High since 2011, after artificial turf installation resulted in the game being played at SOU’s Raider Stadium in 2015 and the 2019 contest was moved to North Bend due to air quality issues brought on by smoke in the Rogue Valley.
Friday’s game marked the first time Phoenix was brought into the mix to join forces with Ashland, which last earned a PRB win in 2015 and has struggled to keep up with their international foes as the sport of football continues to gain momentum in Japan.
The Japan All-Stars represent players from the main Western Japan schools in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyōgo and Shiga.
“It was a great experience,” said Ashland junior tight end and linebacker Logan Levorse.
“I’m hosting two kids, so that’s really fun, but it definitely shows what we need to work on this season. I think we all had a great time, but it’s hard when you’re playing an all-star team where we’re just two local teams.”
Japan All-Star Taishi Shikano celebrates a touchdown reception against the South Valley Wolfpack during the Pacific Rim Bowl at Ashland High School on Friday, July 25. The Japan All-Stars, comprised of players from western Japan, defeated the South Valley Wolfpack 49-0, a team made of players from Ashland and Phoenix High School. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini.
“They had a super deep team,” he added. “They have a bunch of good players, and everyone can switch in and out. We have good players, but we don’t have as much as they do. It’s just hard. We all have to be more conditioned and just overall better.”
The complexion of Friday’s contest changed drastically, however, when starting quarterback Colton Hernandez of Ashland sustained a concussion and was lost for the game after only four plays.
Hernandez, a sophomore, completed his first pass for 5 yards and then saw South Valley encroach on midfield after Cole Iwamoto ran 4 yards on a jet sweep and was hit late out of bounds for a 15-yard penalty.
A holding penalty negated a nice drop-off pass from Hernandez to Phoenix senior running back Cody Martin, and then the pocket broke down to set Hernandez off on a fateful scramble. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound QB slipped out to the right flank but was late in getting down for a slide and endured a crushing blow to his upper torso from streaking safety Kohki Watanabe.
After a long delay, Hernandez was able to walk off the field under his own power, but certainly was woozy and unable to return due to a concussion.
“It took the wind out of our sails,” said South Valley head coach Charlie Hall, who serves as Phoenix head coach but previously had a 3-3 record in the PRB when he coached at Ashland.
Japan players ready for a kickoff during the 18th Pacific Rim Bowl on Friday, July 25, at Ashland High School. The Japan All-Stars, players from 20 schools in western Japan, defeated the South Valley Wolfpack 49-0, a team made up of Ashland and Phoenix players. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini.
“He had a great week of practice and he’s a very talented sophomore quarterback. It’s too bad he didn’t get the experience of this with only four plays because he’s going to be a starting quarterback this year.”
“He’s athletic, he’s got a super strong arm and he’s had all the reps and all the passing league success with touchdowns against North and South and Crater,” added Hall, “but he hasn’t played a football game yet where you’ve got to take care of your dome.”
Phoenix junior Trae Casteel was pressed into earlier and more extensive duty than planned, and South Valley could never find a rhythm thereafter — with a great deal of that due to a powerful and quick push up front by Japan’s linemen and a swarming defense overall.
“We just couldn’t get anything going on offense,” said Levorse, “and defensively we couldn’t get anything going. Colton’s a huge part of this program. He’s a great quarterback, great player and really good kid. That played a huge part. Trae came in and did a really good job, we just couldn’t get anything going.”
South Valley managed only three first downs in the game — two coming via penalties by Japan — and played offense in their opponent’s territory only twice, with one of those coming after starting inside midfield due to a defensive stand and forced punt. The Wolfpack, who ran 19 times for 24 yards and went 0-for-12 on third down, never got past the Japan 42-yard line.
Cheerleaders work the crowd from the sidelines during the 18th Pacific Rim Bowl at Ashland High School on Friday, July 25. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini.
“I wasn’t really imagining it,” said Japan captain and cornerback Kosei Kihara of the shutout, “because the last time (in 2023) we gave them 14 points. But we had a shutout defense without many first downs, and I was really happy about that.”
The Japanese team churned out 202 yards on 35 carries and saw three quarterbacks combine to complete 11 of 20 passes for 120 yards. Kiyota, Kaji Saito and Ryuta Ohnishi led the charge on the ground with at least one TD run from each as they totaled 143 yards on a combined 22 carries.
Japan amassed 19 first downs and capitalized on two of South Valley’s three turnovers with consecutive short-field TDs — a 3-yard run by Ohnishi with 2:38 to go in the third quarter, which enacted a running clock at 35-0, and an ensuing 5-yard run by Saito.
“We’ve got passion and we’ve got hard work, that’s it,” Kiyota said of how Japan was able to put forth a steady run game. “That’s just the two things you need, hard work and passion.”
South Valley enjoyed some shining moments on defense, with Levorse pulling in an interception to go with eight tackles and Phoenix junior Eli Islas notching 10 tackles. Ashland junior Saxon Brock and senior Jack Ordway each collected six tackles, with good QB pressure applied by Ashland senior Aven Staten and sophomore Jay Frey.
The Pacific Rim Bowl kicks off on Friday, July 25, at Ashland High School. The historic exchange between Japan’s All-Star Team and Ashland High School that started in 1988 saw Ashland and Phoenix team up as the South Valley Wolfpack this year. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini.
The reality of the impact of Pacific Rim Bowl matchups, mind you, goes well beyond tackles and touchdowns. That was readily apparent during an extensive postgame choreography of fan appreciation from each team’s players, group photographs and hugs of friendship and mutual admiration.
“I’m going to know these kids for the rest of my life,” said Levorse. “This is going to be a lifelong memory and this is going to be something I tell my kids. This has been a great experience with everyone.”
Kihara agreed.
“It was the best experience I’ve had,” Kihara said in a break from taking photos with his newfound American friends. “I was really happy we won. The six practices we’ve done has been really meaningful, and the activities have been really fun. We’re really happy about how the people are bringing us into their community, as well as how all the Japanese players are trying to be involved in that. We’re really happy about this experience.”
Those glad tidings, after all, is what the PRB should be gauged on, and not simply the scoreboard, according to Hall.
“I think you’ve got to look at it from a wider lens,” said Hall, who is half Japanese. “We can’t take our telephoto and look at tonight and just say that this is the Pacific Rim Bowl. It’s more than just a game, and I think there’s some great bonds made in our communities. I think our players, both Ashland and Phoenix, have a great sense of appreciation and respect for the Japanese athletes and what they have done and of their culture. They take it very seriously over there, as you can tell, and they represent their country very well.”
Box score
Japan All-Stars 7 14 14 14 — 49
South Valley 0 0 0 0 — 0
J — Taishi Shikano 10 pass from Kai Takahashi (Yuta Takatani kick)
J — Ryuta Ohnishi 4 run (Yuta Takatani kick)
J — Rio Kiyota 10 run (Yuta Takatani kick)
J — Shiryu Kajimoto 16 pass from Kai Takahashi (Ryoma Sakamoto kick)
J — Ryuta Ohnishi 3 run (Yuta Takatani kick)
J — Kaji Saito 5 run (Yuta Takatani kick)
J — Yujin Aburatani 8 pass from Gen Adachi (Yuta Takatani kick)
This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times
Ashland senior Liam Puckett of the South Valley Wolfpack, a team made up of Ashland and Phoenix High School players, runs the American flag down the field during pre-game ceremony for the Pacific Rim Bowl on Friday, July 25, at Ashland High School. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini.
Players from the Japan All-Star team and the South Valley Wolfpack squad shake hands after the Pacific Rim Bowl, a cultural exhibition football game between an Ashland-Phoenix team and players from Japan.