By Steve Gerace
College of the Siskiyous moved up a notch in the Northern California
rankings to No. 10 after Saturday's 52-6 demolition of an overmatched
Marin team in Kentfield.
Tailback Alex Gaston rushed for 172 yards on just 6 carries, scored 3
of the Eagles' 7 touchdowns, and came out of the game early, according
to head coach Matt Sayre.
Austin Shoptaw added 85 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns, and Andres
Reed, a freshman from Medford, OR, scored a touchdown while carrying 7
times for 49 yards.
Starting quarterback Travis Newman completed 8 of 12 pass attempts for
75 yards, including a 22 yard touchdown toss to tight end Grant Morasci
of Albany, OR.
The Eagles rushed for 330 yards on offense, while the defense limited
Marin to 101 yards of total offense.
Ryan Taylor, a 6-foot-2, 250 pound sophomore defensive lineman from North
Bend, OR, was Siskiyous' defensive player of the game. He had 4 tackles,
3 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.
Sayre said Marin fielded "a courageous group," including several
players on their 34 man roster who played both offense and defense.
The Eagles held a 42-0 lead at half time and "handled themselves
with class," according to Sayre, who said the official game observer
called them "one of the classiest teams we've seen in a while."
Five weeks into the season, the Eagles have a 3-2 record going into their
bye week. They're scheduled to play their Mid-Empire Conference opener
at Feather River in Quincy October 16th at 5 p.m.
Undefeated Sierra is the only Mid-Empire team with a better record than
the Eagles. Feather River, American River, Redwoods and Shasta are all
under .500 early in the season, but Sayre says those records may be deceptive.
He said most of the Mid-Empire teams have faced challenging pre-conference
schedules, including Feather River, which "is probably one of the
better teams with a losing record; they're extremely good."
The Eagles finished their pre-conference schedule with a better record
than they've had in several years, despite some key injuries that has
left the team thin on both the offensive and defensive lines.
"We're encouraged and excited about starting conference," said
Sayre, who came to COS this season after 9 years as an assistant coach
at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR.
Gaston, a strong and quick 5-6, 177 pound freshman from Cheraw, SC, went
into Saturday's game ranked No. 9 in the state in rushing yards. He finished
the week with 631 yards on 87 carries and 9 touchdowns in 5 games, an
average of 126 yards per game and 7.25 yards per carry.
Several Siskiyou County high school graduates displayed their talents
for Eagles in Saturday's win, including freshman quarterback Lance Wekerle
of Yreka, who completed both of his pass attempts, one of them to fellow
Yreka grad Josh Webb, the other to freshman Chris Bland of Vancouver,
BC.
Sayre said freshman Bryant Stokes of Mount Shasta played "an excellent
game in the secondary," and freshman Travis Amesbury of Mount Shasta
played well at linebacker.
Pass catchers for the Eagles included Jason Zarate (2 for 39 yards), Brandon
Brammer (2 for 17 yards), Darius Williams (1 for 8 yards) and Bobby Olive
(1 for 6 yards).