By Rick Martin

On a mistake-filled Friday night at Mt. Shasta High School, the host Bears made a couple more gaffes than the visiting Pierce Bears and fell, 8-6 in a Sacramento Valley League contest.

Things started on a promising note for Mt. Shasta (2-5, 1-2) as they took the ball on their first possession and marched all the way to the Pierce one-yard line. But Mt. Shasta failed to score on the drive, turning the ball over on downs at the one. The defense forced a punt, and Mt. Shasta got the ball back, driving deep into Pierce territory again. But once more, they couldn’t close the deal, turning it over on downs at the 27-yard-line.

Pierce (4-2, 3-0) had little offensive success, failing to sustain a single drive, and crossing midfield only twice in the first half. The field position game would finally be a factor late in the second period. Mt. Shasta took over near midfield, got a big run, then a penalty, and eventually a score.

QB Tim Jaegel tried to run an option sweep to the left, but Pierce’s defenders clogged the lane he was supposed to run in. He pitched the ball anyway, and it knuckled between two defenders and into the hands of sophomore RB Jordan Hannah. Hannah then slipped a tackle, found a cutback lane and raced 37 yards for the score with 1:52 to go in the half. The extra point try was wide to the right, leaving the score 6-0.

In the second half, it would be more frustration on offense for both squads. Mt. Shasta got the ball, drove deep into Pierce territory and had a first down at the 13-yard-line. But a penalty moved them back, and a fumbled snap cost them the ball. The visiting Bears, meanwhile, were starting to find a little more room to run, sustaining their drives long enough to win the field position battle.

They would finally break through in the 4th quarter, with a little help from Mt. Shasta. The host Bears turned it over inside their own 30 with just under 8 minutes remaining, but Pierce would fail to score, driving to the Mt. Shasta five before giving the ball back. But two plays later, a Mt. Shasta fumble gave it right back, and Pierce would finally capitalize with a one-yard TD run by Jaime Moreno. Rudy Godinez followed with a two-point conversion run, giving Pierce the lead, 8-6.

After the kickoff, Mt. Shasta would turn it over yet again, this time inside the 25. Pierce drove to the five-yard-line, and appeared poised for a clinching score with less than three minutes remaining. But they, too, were in a giving mood, fumbling it into the end zone, where Mt. Shasta recovered.

Mt. Shasta then made it interesting, using a run, a pass completion and a 15-yard-penalty to march down to the Pierce 22-yard line. But facing fourth-and-two, and with the ground game sputtering, the Bears were forced to look to the air. Jaegel dropped back, rolling left, looking for a receiver downfield. But Godinez ran a delayed blitz from the blindside, taking Jaegel down to end the threat and give Pierce the win.

NOTES: Mt. Shasta has a bye this week, and returns home to face Willows on Oct. 23. They’ll finish on the road at Durham and Trinity…Pierce shares the SVL lead with Trinity (5-2, 3-0). Durham is currently 3rd in the league, followed by Live Oak, Mt. Shasta, Willows and winless Rio Vista….Pierce’s JV squad rolled, 45-14.