COS will also be included in the Subway South County Dominators of the Week once their season begins.

WEED – The Weed Cougar soccer team had several good scoring opportunities against the Redding Christian Lions, but were only able to convert on two of them—both by Usmaro Sanchez. The result was a 4-2 loss to the Lions.

Redding Christian was first on the board, with a goal in the 7th minute.

Four minutes later, Sanchez ran down a through ball from Ruben Ducoing, out maneuvered two Lions, and took a soft shot. The shot deflected off a Redding Christian defender back to Sanchez, who put his full leg behind the next shot. The ball went just inside the left post to tie the score, 1-1.

Redding Christian went back on top in the 26th minute, 2-1.

This time it took the Cougars five minutes to answer. Sanchez took a pass from Banessa Casorla, beat a Lion defender, hit the left post, and then pounded home the rebound, tying the match at 2-2.

About five minutes before the intermission, Redding Christian went on top, 3-2. The Lions added an insurance goal with eight minutes to go in the game, making the final 4-2.

The Cougars are now 1-2 in friendlies this season, with a 6-5 loss to Tulelake and a 4-2 win over Butte Valley, as well as the loss to Redding Christian.

Weed’s next scheduled game is at home against Butte Valley on Wednesday, September 15.

The Weed Iron Men. Back row (l-r) Assistant Coach Tom Covington, William Skeen, Roberto Sanchez, Gabe Gubetta, Zach Van Keuren, Danny Ngouyaphanh, Mykeil White, Jake West, Head Coach Erik Johnson. Front row: Rick Green, Devan Starling, Doug Horner, Garrett Ward, Liam Hagarty, Cody Beam.

WEED- How many players does it take to play 11-man football. That’s right, 11…sort of. How many does it take to be competitive in 11-man football? If you’re a Division-IV school, probably at least in the high teens. Unless, of course, you’re the “Iron Men” of Weed High School, better known as the Weed Cougars.

Going into the first game of the season against the Etna Lions, Weed Head Coach Erik Johnson had 13 players. One was a late edition. Before the first quarter was over, Weed had 11 players left, losing two to injury. One for the season.

The Cougars went into the locker room at halftime with a 14-12 lead. Halfway through the third quarter, Weed was still hanging tough, tied at 20-20.

Etna eventually pulled away for a 40-26 win, but the Cougars never folded.

In Weed’s second game of the season, Division-III U-Prep came knocking. Weed had 11 players. At one point they played a down with just 10 players.

“Jake (West) just did a little goose, and I think he picked up a yard and a half, and that was it. Like somebody said before, you ought to be able to pick up those six inches—not a problem with 10 guys,” said Johnson on the Monday after the game. “Having Jake there with his composure is huge, He’s a huge leader. He’s running things. He can see when things are going awry, and he can take control. All these guys know what they need to do in certain situations. They all step up at different times.”

The game was tied, 6-6, most of the way, but when the dust settled and the the lights went dark, it was the 11 Iron Men who were celebrating an 18-6 victory in the locker room

“Actually, we wore them down going into the fourth quarter,” chuckled Johnson. “I don’t know what it was, but they had a few injuries and some cramps.”

Last Friday night via cell phone after the game, an emotional Johnson also told SiskiyouYouth.com that, “In eight years of coaching, this is my proudest night.”

The Iron Men (1-1) head to Los Molinos this Friday to battle the Bulldogs (0-2). With the return of Thad Schnack, they’ll have 12 players when they get on the bus, but they have already proven they only need 11, and sometimes just 10 to win.

Bulldogs beware.

The Weed High School Athletic Department will be holding its annual Kick-Off Barbecue fund-raiser Thursday, Sept. 16 at Legion Field in Weed.

The annual barbecue brings together Cougar student-athletes and community members for a one-evening extravaganza benefiting the various sports at Weed High School.

This year the event is being held the night prior to the Black Butte Bowl against the Mt. Shasta Bears, so students, faculty, friends, family and all the green and white faithful can come together for a community-wide Pep-Rally.

The event will run from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the Tri-Tip dinner being served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The barbecue will also feature a silent auction and dessert auction run by the athletes and their coaches.

Tickets for the event are available for purchase at the Weed High School Office or from the Cougar coaches and athletes.

Cost will be $15 for adults and $8 for seniors and children.

All proceeds from the fund-raiser will be divided evenly among the different sports at Weed High School.

Dunsmuir HS and COS will also be included in the Subway South County Dominators of the Week once their seasons begin.

WEED – Tulelake’s Lexie Greenbank was ripping aces, and hammering kill shots on the opening night of high school volleyball in Siskiyou County, as the Lady Honkers swept the Weed Lady Cougars, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-23).

Tulelake took command of the match right from the opening of the first set. A kill by Madee Boyd put the Lady Honkers up 1-0. With the score 3-1 in favor of Tulelake, Greenbank rotated to server. By the time she was done, the Lady Honkers had rattled off eight service points, including six Greenbank aces. The score was 11-1.

Late in the first set, another Greenbank ace brought the Lady Honkers to the brink of victory, 24-11. Weed’s Osa Traylor put the celebration temporarily on ice with a block. However, Boyd nailed a kill shot to secure the set-one win, 25-12.

Tulelake led 2-1 on an ace and a kill by Gabby Rascon in the second set, when Geenbank took the serve. In a near replay of the first set, the Lady Honkers scored nine straight points with Greenbank behind the line. Michelle Rupert hammered a kill. Then, Greenbank accounted for seven of the next eight points, with a kill and six aces.

Down 24-11, Weed scored two in a row with Jeni Cheffey serving, including an ace. Rupert ended the second set with a block, giving Tulelake the 25-13 win.

It looked like the Lady Honkers were going to run away with the third set as well. The Lady Cougars, however, had other plans.

Down 21-14 and with Kaytlin Hartje serving, Weed made a 6-point run, including a kill by Kobi Mills and a pair of aces from Hartje, to close to within one point, 21-20. Kills by Cheffey and Mills tied the set, 23-23.

Tulelake responded with a kill by Rascon, and another set winning block from Rupert, 25-23.

Weed (0-1) travels to Butte Valley to take on the defending Evergreen league Champion Lady Bulldogs (0-0) on Thursday. Tulelake (1-0) plays next at University Prep (0-0) on Tuesday, September 9.

A much improved Weed junior varsity shut out the Tulelake JVs, 2-0. The first set went back and forth until Weed took control late to win 25-20. The Lady Cougars trailed 3-0 to start the second set, but controlled the set the rest of the way, winning 25-16.

A few bonus photos from the Weed v Etna varsity game on Friday, August 27, 2010. Remember, support SiskiyouYouth.com’s advertisers and sponsors!

WEED – The Weed Cougars and Etna Lions will go at it tooth and nail again later in the season, but for now, the Lions have top cat bragging rights in Siskiyou County. Etna downed Weed 40-26 on opening night of the 2010 high school football season on Friday.

The two teams were picked in a preseason coaches’ poll to finish in the bottom half of the Shasta Cascade League this season. However, both squads served notice that they can put up points in a hurry, and won’t be anyone’s doormat.

Etna was first on the board with a 5-yard touchdown scamper by Robbie Munson. The zebras provided a bit of comic relief on the point after attempt. The attempt appeared to go slightly wide right, but the lone official under the goal posts promptly went to retrieve the ball with no signal given. It appeared that none of the officials actually saw if the kick was good or not. After a high level conference, it was ruled no good, leaving Etna with a 6-0 advantage four minutes into the first quarter.

Less than a minute later it appeared that Weed had knotted the score on a 46-yard TD pass, but the score was negated by a offensive pass interference call. However, the Cougars struck with 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 2-yard rumble up the middle by MyKeil White, making the score 6-6. The 2-point conversion failed.

Etna’s Max Detrick returned Weed’s kickoff to the Cougar 15-yard-line. Munson took it the rest of the way, giving the Lions a 12-6 lead as time expired in the quarter. The PAT was no good.

Weed quickly answered. Keyed by a 45-yard pass from Jake West to Liam Hagarty, and a 14-yard run by White, the Cougars moved from their own 38 to a half yard from pay dirt. The next play was a hand off to White, who never had the handle in the backfield and the ball shot forward into the end zone, where it was recovered by Etna. But, an official ruled that White had crossed the plane of the goal before losing the ball, and awarded the Cougars the TD. (Readers can view the video above and make their own determination). West hit Cody Beam for the 2-point conversion, giving the Cougars a 14-12 lead. Weed would take that lead into halftime.

After Etna’s second half kickoff, Weed set up shop on its own 25. One play later, Munson recovered a Cougar fumble, giving the Lions possession on the Weed 22-yard-line.

One more play was all it took for Etna to regain the lead, when Eric Freckman hit Travis Parry with a 22-yard TD pass. Freckman and Parry teamed up again for a 2-point conversion, making it Etna 20 – Weed 14, with less than 30 seconds gone in the second half.

The Cougars struck back even faster. Weed started its next possession on its own 31. On the first play, West connected with Cody Beam for a 69-yard TD. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the combatants deadlocked at 20-20, with 11:11 on the clock.

Etna went 63 yards in just over five minutes on its next drive, capped by a 20-yard Freckman to Parry TD pass. The 2-point try was no good, but the Lions had the lead 26-20—a lead they would not surrender.

With about five minutes gone in the fourth quarter, Nick Hansen picked off a Cougar pass and went 65 yards for a TD, making it 32-20. The 2-point try…failed.

Down, but not yet out, the Cougars scored on a 9-yard West to Beam pass, cutting the deficit to 32-26, with 5:30 to play.

Colby Rimmer returned the Weed kickoff 37 yards to the Cougar 43, where the Lions went to work on a 57-yard scoring drive. Freckman took it the final two yards, upping the Etna advantage to 38-26. Freckman tossed to Andy Nadig, who was all alone sipping a cup of tea in the end zone, for a 2-point conversion, making the final score of the game 40-26.

Freckman picked off a Cougar pass with 2:37 left, and the Lions ran out the clock for the victory.

Etna (1-0) hosts Hoopa Valley (0-0) next Friday.

Weed (0-1) hosts University Prep (0-0) on Friday.

WEED – The Etna Lion junior varsity’s defense came up with a game-winning safety with 3:19 to play, snatching a 2-0 win over the Weed Cougars on Friday night to open the football season. Both teams showed flashes of offensive ability during the game, but it was defense that ruled for the most part.

Early in the fourth quarter, Weed was in a punting situation, when Lion Preston Munson came to his coaches and asked to be put in the game.

“I can block the punt,” Munson said.

The Etna staff sent Munson into the game. True to his word, Munson broke through the line and blocked the kick. Weed recovered the ball, but Etna took over on the Cougar 14-yard-line on downs.

Weed’s defense then stepped up, with Aaron Peruzzi picking off a fourth-down pass, giving the Cougar’s the ball on their own 10-yard-line, with 5:37 to play in the contest.

It was just what the Lions’ defense needed. On third down, the Lions nearly had a safety, forcing the Cougars to punt from their own end zone. The fourth-down snap from center sailed over the punter’s head and out the back of the end zone, giving the Lions a 2-0 lead, and eventual win.

Weed had one last shot when they recovered an Etna fumble near midfield, with 3:10 remaining, but Etna’s defense stepped up again to regain the ball on downs.

Football
Yreka 24 – Trinity 17

Yreka JV 0 – Trinity JV 0

Mt. Shasta 24 – Modoc 39

Mt. Shasta JV 0 – Modoc JV 25

Weed 26 – Etna 40
Etna Stats: Eric Freckman 2 TD passes, TD run; Robbie Munson 2 TD runs, Travis Parry 2 TD receptions. Nick Hansen 65Y interception return for TD
Weed Stats: Jake West 2 TD passes, Mykeil White 2 TD runs, Cody Beam 2 TD receptions

Weed JV 0 – Etna JV 2 (really it was 2-0)

College of the Siskiyous football starts Saturday, September 11 at home v Santa Rosa at 3:00 pm

College of the Siskiyous volleyball opens at home against Linn Benton on Wednesday, September 1 at 5:00 pm