College of the Siskiyous - Football

Bad weather brings no good news for Eagles
By Steve Gerace

Dark clouds, rain, hail, wind and slick conditions on their home field in Weed have often been good news for College of the Siskiyous football teams in years past. That was not the case this past Saturday at Herschel Meredith Stadium, where the 2005 Eagles lost their Mid Empire conference opener to Feather River, 20-10.The win was the fourth straight after two losses for Feather River, while the host Eagles fell to 1-5.
A sparse Homecoming game crowd used umbrellas frequently after Feather River returned the game's opening kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The rest of the first half saw plenty of offense from both teams, but only 3 points, coming on a 38 yard field goal by Eagle kicker Corey O'Neill, who also missed a 39 yard try. O'Neill's field goal was set up by defensive back James Carraway's interception and 50 yard return. Eagle sophomore Alex Gaston had 14 carries for 107 yards and in the first half, but was limited to 5 carries for 25 yards and 3 pass catches for 31 yards in the second half. It rained off and on in the first half, then got warm when the skies temporarily cleared. A wave of clouds darkened the stadium early in the third quarter and the slick pigskin slipped out of Eagle quarterback Jon Weaver's hands twice in the opening minutes. Feather River recovered the second fumble at Siskiyous'15 yard line. They scored four plays later on a four yard run by Brylee Callender, who came into the game ranked fifth in the state in all-purpose running.
Eagle all-conference lineman Daniel Burnett blocked the ensuing PAT kick to hold Feather River to a 13-3 lead. That block held potential significance after Gaston galloped straight up the middle for a 16 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and O'Neill's PAT kick cut the margin to 13-10.
The 44-yard scoring drive began shortly after a brief hail storm when Eagle defensive lineman Jeff Lowe pounced on a lateral that fell to the ground in Feather River's backfield. A pair of short passes by Weaver gained big yards, as Gaston dodged and spun for 14 yards with a screen pass, then Akeem Anthony carried a swing pass along the sidelines for 26 yards.
But the Eagles drew a dead ball personal foul penalty at the end of the PAT play and had to kick off from their own 20 yard line. A 29 yard kickoff return got Feather River to near midfield, and they quickly moved into scoring position on a pair of pass completions by quarterback Chris Montano that gained 45 yards. Feather River scored what proved to be the game's final points on an 11 yard run by Kevin Murray.
Siskiyous' defense went into the game ranked No. 6 in the state, allowing an average of 235 yards per game. Feather River went well beyond that, rushing for 221 yards and passing for 171. But, as coach Eric Young pointed out, the Eagle defense gave up only 13 points. Gaston was the game's top rusher with 15 carries for 132 yards, while Feather River's Marcus Okobi had 18 carries for 80 yards and Callender added 11 carries for 54 yards. It was cold and damp late in the game, and Feather River's ground game excelled. On one fourth quarter series, Okobi alternated running left and right on six consecutive plays that totaled 47 yards. "They run the option, and that's different than anything else we see during the year," Young said of Feather River's offense. Weaver, who replaced Tim Austin at quarterback at the start of the second quarter in a planned move, completed 9 of 21 passes for 105 yards. Eagle defensive back Adam Diaz added a pass interception. Next up for the Eagles is a Mid Empire road game Saturday at Sierra College in Rocklin. Sierra and American River are both 6-0 for the season. Sierra has won 35 consecutive games dating back to the 2002. "We've been so close and haven't put it all together," Young said. "I think we match up all right with Sierra... Our offense needs to score some points, and we're working on it."

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	Bad weather brings no good news for Eagles By Steve Gerace Dark clouds, rain, hail, wind and slick conditions on their home field in Weed have often been good news for College of the Siskiyous football teams in years past. That was not the case this past Saturday at Herschel Meredith Stadium, where the 2005 Eagles lost their Mid Empire conference opener to Feather River, 20-10.The win was the fourth straight after two losses for Feather River, while the host Eagles fell to 1-5. A sparse Homecoming game crowd used umbrellas frequently after Feather River returned the game's opening kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The rest of the first half saw plenty of offense from both teams, but only 3 points, coming on a 38 yard field goal by Eagle kicker Corey O'Neill, who also missed a 39 yard try. O'Neill's field goal was set up by defensive back James Carraway's interception and 50 yard return. Eagle sophomore Alex Gaston had 14 carries for 107 yards and in the first half, but was limited to 5 carries for 25 yards and 3 pass catches for 31 yards in the second half. It rained off and on in the first half, then got warm when the skies temporarily cleared. A wave of clouds darkened the stadium early in the third quarter and the slick pigskin slipped out of Eagle quarterback Jon Weaver's hands twice in the opening minutes. Feather River recovered the second fumble at Siskiyous'15 yard line. They scored four plays later on a four yard run by Brylee Callender, who came into the game ranked fifth in the state in all-purpose running. Eagle all-conference lineman Daniel Burnett blocked the ensuing PAT kick to hold Feather River to a 13-3 lead. That block held potential significance after Gaston galloped straight up the middle for a 16 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and O'Neill's PAT kick cut the margin to 13-10. The 44-yard scoring drive began shortly after a brief hail storm when Eagle defensive lineman Jeff Lowe pounced on a lateral that fell to the ground in Feather River's backfield. A pair of short passes by Weaver gained big yards, as Gaston dodged and spun for 14 yards with a screen pass, then Akeem Anthony carried a swing pass along the sidelines for 26 yards. But the Eagles drew a dead ball personal foul penalty at the end of the PAT play and had to kick off from their own 20 yard line. A 29 yard kickoff return got Feather River to near midfield, and they quickly moved into scoring position on a pair of pass completions by quarterback Chris Montano that gained 45 yards. Feather River scored what proved to be the game's final points on an 11 yard run by Kevin Murray. Siskiyous' defense went into the game ranked No. 6 in the state, allowing an average of 235 yards per game. Feather River went well beyond that, rushing for 221 yards and passing for 171. But, as coach Eric Young pointed out, the Eagle defense gave up only 13 points. Gaston was the game's top rusher with 15 carries for 132 yards, while Feather River's Marcus Okobi had 18 carries for 80 yards and Callender added 11 carries for 54 yards. It was cold and damp late in the game, and Feather River's ground game excelled. On one fourth quarter series, Okobi alternated running left and right on six consecutive plays that totaled 47 yards. "They run the option, and that's different than anything else we see during the year," Young said of Feather River's offense. Weaver, who replaced Tim Austin at quarterback at the start of the second quarter in a planned move, completed 9 of 21 passes for 105 yards. Eagle defensive back Adam Diaz added a pass interception. Next up for the Eagles is a Mid Empire road game Saturday at Sierra College in Rocklin. Sierra and American River are both 6-0 for the season. Sierra has won 35 consecutive games dating back to the 2002. "We've been so close and haven't put it all together," Young said. "I think we match up all right with Sierra... Our offense needs to score some points, and we're working on it."




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