Eagle Defense Gets A Nod

By Rob McCallum

Considering the College of the Siskiyous football team's lopsided statistics, it might not surprise anyone that two-thirds of the defense earned all-conference honors. Having the Mid-Empire Conference's offensive co-MVP might.
An Eagle squad that dominated on defense but struggled on the other side of the ball until late placed 12 players on the all-MEC team, announced last week. The conference's No. 2 total defensive squad had seven players on the team, including five first-teamers. But Siskiyous' most heralded player was sophomore tailback Alex Gaston, who was named co-MVP along with Sierra quarterback Davey Johnson. Gaston recovered from a leg injury early in the season to rush for 1,117 yards and eight touchdowns. That mark included 420 yards in the final two games of the season "both wins" to top the all-important 1,000-yard mark. He easily led the MEC in rushing and was third in Northern California with a 124.1 per-game clip. Gaston is a repeat selection, earning first-team honors as a freshman, when he rushed for 1,431 yards in 2004.
It's hard to start with the COS defense, which limited opponents to 268 yards per game, fourth best in the North state. Constant quarterback pressure helped the Eagles pick off a whopping 25 passes this season, including 10 by sophomore safety Scotty Yerges. His 10th and final pick was an important one, sealing a win over rival Shasta in the final night of the season.
Cornerback James Carraway intercepted five passes and linebacker Jared Kuhl had four. Both were all-MEC as freshmen last season. Carraway added 143 yards on 10 punt returns and a touchdown on special teams. Kuhl was also among state leaders in tackles, sacks and QB hurries.
Freshman Miguel Gonzalez was an honorable mention choice with three interceptions, one for a score.
Another sophomore linebacker, Andy Forney, also made the MEC first-team. The Warrenton, OR native tipped several balls at the line of scrimmage which turned into interceptions, and he got in on several pass break-ups. Jeff Lowe was the lone COS freshman to make the first-team. Lowe was part of a defensive line that limited opposing rushers to 1,157 yards along with honorable mention defensive tackle Edison Robertson.
On offense, freshman Chaz Thompson was a first-team receiver after leading the Eagles with 32 catches and a 46.9 per-game average, seventh in the conference. But the Texas City native also had considerable rushing yards with Siskiyous' wideout-sweep play, including 106 yards against Shasta.
Mount Shasta native Jay Teague was a first-team pick on the offensive line. Despite their offensive struggles, COS had the No. 3 rushing attack in the conference, paved by the Teague-led offensive line. Weighing in at only 260 pounds, Teague was the lightest all-star lineman by far. Athleticism came into play this season for Teague, a former Butte College wrestler, COS javelin thrower and Siskiyou County high school Athlete of the Year
Freshman Corey O'Neill was the top MEC placekicker, converting 23 of 24 extra point attempts and 8 of 13 field goals.
Sophomore Akeem Anthony was an honorable mention choice as an all-purpose back, due in part to a 25.5 average on 13 kickoff returns. The diminutive Anthony compiled a total of 670 all-purpose yards as a change-of-pace running back, on several screen passes and on kick returns.
The Eagles struggled to a cos cosf3-7 record in 2005, but won their final two games to finish on a high note.