SUTTER – The Yreka Miners accomplished much more this season than just about anyone expected—except, maybe the Miners themselves. Yreka, after starting the season 6-13 and 0-2 in the Northern Athletic League, won seven of its last eight league games to win the NAL, and earn a three-seed in the NSCIF D-II playoffs.

The Miners also won their first round playoff game against West Valley to reach the semi-finals for the second year in a row. In the semi-finals they fell to Sutter, 9-0. While the loss likely stings, the league championship and the way the players fought this season is a point of pride for Yreka Coach Jason Freitas.

“The way we started, we could have easily just cashed it in, but we did what hasn’t been done in 40 years (in Yreka). We won back-to-back league championships,” said Freitas. “We proved a lot of people wrong. You like to have the kind of kids that want to prove people wrong, and will work hard to do it.”

Yreka High School’s Students of the Month are chosen by the entire department based on recommendations by individual teachers. The criteria for selecting students are outstanding academic achievement, good study habits and dedication to academic achievement.

Students of the Month for April

Ag/Natural Resources
Olivia Duncan, 9
Kalina Betts, 9 (more…)

YREKA – The Yreka Lady Miners advanced to the semi-finals of the NSCIF D-IV playoffs with a 6-4 round-one win over the Willows Honkers, on Tuesday. Yreka (15-14) will travel to Wheatland (14-13-1) to take on the second-seeded Lady Pirates, on Thursday, May 15. Wheatland beat Mt. Shasta in round one, 12-2.

The Lady Miners got the offense working early, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Loren Young led off the game with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a Sara Jones ground out. With two outs, Ashlie Smith smacked a ball of the left-center field fence for an RBI double. Smith went to third on a passed ball. Amber Sinnott walked. Sinnott stole second base, and Smith went home on the throw to second.

Willows responded with a run in the top of the second. Brooke Hofhenke singled with two down. Kristin Acosta picked up an infield single, and Hofhenke moved to second. Lauren Guerra singled to drive in Hofhenke, cutting Yreka’s lead to 2-1. (more…)

YREKA – The College of the Siskiyous held their sixth annual Hall of Fame and Athletes of the Year banquet on Saturday night. There were five individual inductees, as well as the entire 1977 Eagles football team.

James Gerald (Jerry) Edwards was a member of the Eagle family from 1959-1981, and retired as the Dean of Student Personnel. Edwards was “very supportive” of COS sports. He passed away in 1983.

Frank Holguin was the COS Equipment Manager from 1987 – 2002, and continues to volunteer his time to assist with the COS Athletic Department.

Jiggs Sage played baseball at COS from 1962-64. In 1963, Sage was the Eagles’ MVP, and was on the Golden Valley Conference First Team list. In 1964, Sage received Honorable Mention from the GVC.

Jessica (Saltzman) Fields competed in volleyball, basketball, and track from 1999-2002. She made the GVC All Conference team two years in volleyball. In basketball, Saltzman was MVP of the GVC, All State First Team, and was selected for the All-Tourney team at the California Community College State Championships. She was also the GVC high jump champion, and finished second in the state. In 1999, Saltzman was named to the Pepsi Scholar Athlete Honor Roll. She went on to play basketball and track at Chico State where she set a new high jump record, and was named to the All American Division II Team. (more…)

YREKA – The Yreka Miners started a little slow in their first round NSCIF D-II baseball playoff game against the West Valley Eagles, last Friday. Yreka gave up three runs in the first two innings, and trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the third. The Miners, however, exploded for five runs to take a 6-3 lead, and then shut down the Eagles the rest of the way. The Miners added a run in the sixth inning to make the final, 7-3.

Kurt Lorenzini roped a line drive home run to help lead the Miners’ offense. Lorenzini was 3-4 for the game, with two runs, and two RBI. Joe Wilson went 2-3, with a run, an RBI, and two doubles. Clint Amaral was 1-3, with a run and an RBI. Devin Howard doubled, drove in a run, and went 1-3. Andrew Ward dominated the last five innings the game from the hill, and notched the complete game win (7IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H, BB, 11K).

Yreka head coach Jason Freitas was pleased with his squad’s overall performance, and excited about the hitting of a couple of his players in particular.

“Lorenzini is on fire. He hit a rocket home run, and went 3-4. And, Joe Wilson is beginning to hit well,” said Freitas.

For the second year in a row, the Miners won the Northern Athletic League crown. For the second year in a row, they’ve won their first round playoff game. For the second year in a row, they will face the Sutter Huskies in the semi-finals. Last year, the Huskies beat the Miners in Yreka, 9-7, in nine innings. Sutter went on to win the section title. This time the third-seeded Miners (14-14) will travel to second seeded Sutter (24-5), on Tuesday, May 13.

YREKA – Several Yreka Miner varsity track athletes will be moving on to the division finals next Friday, at Enterprise High School, after placing in at least the top three finishers at the Northern Athletic League track championships last Friday.

Zach Stoner won both the 200m (22.37) and the 400m (48.97). Kyson Culp won the Triple Jump (42’04.75) and finished second in the Long Jump (20’08.75). The boys’ 4×400 relay team also took first with a time of 3:35.79 (Manny Barragan, Kyle Walton, Kyson Culp, Zach Stoner). (more…)

ETNA – It probably didn’t go quite the way the Etna Lion squad would have liked on Friday, but an ugly 6-3 win gets you the same place as a perfect 10-0 win—the next round. At the end of four full innings, the third-seeded Lions hadn’t allowed a hit, but were trailing 2-1 to a scrappy sixth-seeded Chester Volcano team. At no point in the game did it seem like the Lions had total control, but in the end the win is all that really matters.

Etna was first to have a runner in scoring position when Greg Monday led off the bottom of the first inning. But a strikeout and a pair of fly balls later, the threat was thwarted.

Chester’s Thomas Porter led off the top of the second with a walk. After a Volcano strikeout, Daniel Burt also took a free pass, and Porter moved to second base. Lion pitcher Clint Johnson then added two more “Ks” to make it three in the inning.

The Lions had their leadoff hitter at second for the second inning in a row, when Trevor Kendrick doubled. This time, Etna capitalized when Kendrick moved to third on a Taylor Pehle-Munson 4-3 ground out, and then scored on a sac-fly by Trevor Eastlick, giving Etna a 1-0 lead after two. (more…)

WEED – The Shasta Cascade League held its championships on Thursday at the College of the Siskiyous. Both Mt. Shasta and Etna had strong showings.

Royce Autry dominated for the Mt. Shasta boys, winning the 100 m (11.2), and 200 m (23.52) dashes. Autry also won the long jump (20’5”.00), and joined teammates Randy Rutherford, Brenden Hickey and Austin Herrick for a win in the 4×100 relay (46.55). Maggie Strong led the Mt. Shasta girls with wins in the 400m (1:05.81, 800 m (2:26.69), and 1600 m (5:45.70).

For Etna, freshman Emily Loogman, won the 100 m (13.56) and 110 high hurdles (17.18). Morgan Moran took the 200 m (28.62) and the high jump (4’10”). Sarah Loogman set a new SCL pole vault record at 9’10,” which is also the best in the North Section for 2008. The Loogman sisters and Moran were joined by Teri Szczepanek for a win in the 4×100 relay (54.05). Szczepanek also won the 300 m low hurdles.

For complete varsity and JV results go to athletic.net

YREKA – The Yreka Lady Miners (6-4, 14-14) closed out their Northern Athletic League season with a make up game win over the Corning Lady Cardinals 7-3, on Thursday. The outcome of the game will likely have significant NSCIF D-IV playoff implications.

Corning (5-5, 19-15) came into the week ranked third in playoff points, Yreka was ranked fifth, with Willows (16-11) ranked fourth. Willows won its last game, Corning split in its last two games, and Yreka won its final two games. By NSCIF rule, since Yreka finished higher than Corning in league, Yreka must be seeded above Corning. That likely means, based on section actions in the past, that Willows will move to a three-seed, Yreka would be fourth, and Corning will drop to fifth. There is also an outside chance that Yreka may move to a three-seed, depending on the final strength of schedule rankings. Then again, the selection committee, which meets on Saturday, May 10, is far from predictable.

Although playing at home, Yreka was the visiting team in its game against Corning. Earlier in the season, umpires did not show up for a scheduled game in Corning, leading to Corning playing a make up game in Yreka, where the Cardinals were the “home” team. Of course, the crowd thought otherwise.

With one down in the top of the first, Kaitlin Weckerle reached on an error for the Lady Miners. Sara Jones followed with a single, and Weckerle went to third. Both Lady Miners scored on a single by Ashlie Smith, to put Yreka up 2-0. (more…)

YREKA - At the final District-1 California High School Rodeo Association rodeo of the year, last Saturday, 31 seniors were honored with scholarships—including the naming of the Ryan Clarke Memorial Sportsmanship awards.

The Ryan Clarke Memorial Sportsmanship award has been given since 1987 in memory of a small boy who loved cowboys and planned to be one when he grew up, but was killed in a tragic ranch accident. The 2008 honorees were Katy Fitzgerald of Litchfield, and Chad Bushnell from Red Bluff. The winners were chosen by their fellow rodeo competitors. (more…)