With the Nor Cal Fed youth football league entering the playoff season, the Yreka Charger Midgets (5-1 league) got to sleep in a little bit longer on this Saturday, as they needed only to get to their home Stadium for their first round playoff game. The Durham Trojans made the 3-½ hour drive north to Miner Stadium as the 3-seed in the Southern Conference, with the sole intention of not getting beat up by the Chargers, as was the outcome of the previous year playoff match-up.

As Yreka set to kick-off, the energy in the stadium was evident with the Charger fans at maximum cheering capacity. The Charger defense got right to work and forced a four and out change of possession to get the Charger offense on the field. The Trojan defense stepped up and answered right back with their own stand to force the Yreka offense off the field with a failed 4th down conversion. The speed and conditioning of the Trojan team was clearly going to be a factor for Yreka to overcome as the Trojan defense forced another Yreka change of possession and blocked a Yreka punt. With the Trojan offense on the field late in the 1st quarter, they scored the first TD of the day on an 8-yard run, but failed to convert the PAT kick.

As the 2nd quarter began, the Chargers began to warm up, and Drew Robles found a hole to bust a 40-yard run for Yreka’s first TD to tie the game up. With Durham’s offense driving down to the Yreka 10 yard line, their drive ended with a fumbled snap and Yreka recovering to get the ‘O’ back on the field deep in their own territory. As Yreka systematically drove down the field, Drew Robles busted through for a 1-yard TD run and Jan Henson kicked the PAT. In a seesaw battle, both teams drove, but failed to convert 4th downs ending in change of possessions or punts. Down to the final couple of minutes of the 1st half and Durham driving in Yreka’s red zone, a Durham pass was jumped by Drew Robles for an 80-yard pick-6. Another successful PAT kick and the end of the first half saw Yreka on top by a score of 22 to 6.

The second half began with Durham kicking off and Yreka starting their drive on their own 30-yard line. Only seconds into the 2nd half, Ryan Bridenstine hooked up with Josh Hansen for a 70-yard pass reception/run and another Yreka TD. As Miner stadium lit up, so did the Charger defense as Dom Villagomes racked up a QB sack, and a Juan Cota interception ended Durham’s drive. As Dom Villagomes took a turn to lead the Charger offense, his QB keeper got him 40 yards into the end zone for another Yreka TD.

Durham’s offense battled down to the final minute and a half to Yreka’s 1-foot line and scored their final TD. After receiving the Durham kick off, Yreka took three kneel downs to end it with the final score, Chargers 36 Trojans 12, and Yreka advancing to the second round playoff game in Gridley. As the 1-seed in the south, the Gridley Titans will be prepared for our Yreka Chargers. The previous meeting in pre-season play was a Charger domination that Gridley will no doubt be looking to payback.

Jr. PeeWee

During an exhibition game preceding the Midgets playoff win last Saturday, the Yreka Chargers Jr. Pee Wees dominated both sides of the field. The Yreka Chargers gave some players to the Anderson Jr. Cubs so the Cubs could field a team. A great time was had by all.Elijah Butterfly, TakatamahMontgomeryand Wyatt Weddle each had hard hitting tackles. Quarterback Tyler Rightmier connected with Devon Applewhite for a touchdown pass for the first score of the game. Running back Randall “RV” Hughes scored a TD for the Chargers. Fullback Lyle Frank scored two touchdowns, one for the Chargers and one for the Jr. Cubs. Cornerback Jai Case stripped the ball, creating a turnover deep in scoring territory.

Defensively, Earl Croy Jr., Pergish Montgomery, Tanner Ewing and Avery Jerry made great tackles as they have all year long. Elijah Croy and Davon Ruiz had some great runs. In his second game at center, Tony Fernandez did a great job snapping the ball, with no fumbles in the center/quarterback exchange. Linemen Kyle Jorgenson and Olivia Lopezdid a great job on both sides of the ball and for both teams. Cameron Aguirre, Tanner Watson and Isaiah Nowdesha showed off their blocking skills and had strong defensive plays. Titus Christy showed off his versatility playing linebacker, defensive line and offensive line. A special thanks to the Anderson Jr. Cubs for driving up to Yreka for the exhibition game.

The Jr. Pee Wees coaching staff is proud of each Jr. Pee Wee for their enthusiasm and talented play. Saturday’s game was a great end to the season. The players put in endless hours between July and October and they should all be recognized for their efforts. Jr. Pee Wee Head Coach Jesus Fernandez thanks all of his assistant coaches, Bill Weddle, Rick Case, Marcus Applewhite, Ed Ewing and Randal Hughes for their help during the season. A special thanks to all of the parents and fans for their support and dedication to the players. Go Chargers!

PeeWee

The Yreka Charger Pee Wee squad, fresh off of two straight league wins, rode that momentum into the first round of the playoffs and came away with a victory over the Colusa Cowboys 25-12. The team fell behind early in the contest 12-0 but showed great character and resolve to battle back and take a 13-12 lead into halftime. The comeback was sparked at the end of the first quarter when Tyraye Bush returned a kickoff all the way back for a touchdown. Then the defense toughened up with some great stops by Jeremy Persing, Cale Cool, Skyler Conrad, and Trevor Ewing.

The second half saw the Chargers take control with a strong running attack and some key runs by Robert Giannini, Timothy Soli and Devin Gomes. The offensive line lead the way with some very strong play from Jacob Lisby, Tyler Robinson, Izaiah Martinez, and Delbert Henson. The downfield blocking from receivers Christopher Crowe, Lucas West, and Kaleb Hammond helped the Charger runners gain those extra yards. The Colusa team put forth a valiant effort, but ultimately the Chargers prevailed and will move on to face Red Bluff this Saturday down in Corning. Good luck men.

Story submitted by the Knights. Photos of PeeWee game by Dawn Snure

The Siskiyou Knights Unlimited Pop Warner Youth Football Team finished the season strong with a convincing win over the Raiders from Lost River 51–6. The Unlimited Knights outscored their opponents in the last three games 125–18. Coach Glenn Gonzales credits this to, “the development of the players both mentally and physically the second half of the season.”

The Pee Wee Knights started their game strong Saturday, but the Hawks proved to be too much for a second week in a row, beating the Knight’s 37 19. Coach Darren Lonnon gives a great deal of praise to this team, “they are a very young team and grew tremendously as the season progressed.”

Both the Unlimited team and the Pee Wees finished their seasons with records of 4–4.

President Craig Kay stated, “We are very happy with the growth of the kids and the program, this is our second year in the Klamath County Pop Warner program and have found our home in this new league. Our program is designed to focus on building character in these boys as well as promoting scholastics with good grades and we succeeded in both.”

The Knights are having a year-end Luau fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm at the Mt Shasta City Park. The proceeds will go towards buying much needed equipment, as well as re-certification of helmets. Besides the good food, there will be entertainment, dessert auction, issuing of trophies, and the collection of equipment. Everyone is invited!!

The Charger Mighty Mites and Jr. PeeWees played exhibition games during the opening round of District playoffs at Miner Stadium on Saturday. In the afternoon, the Charger Midgets beat the Durham Trojans, 36-12. The Midgets head to Gridley next Saturday.

Nice job Chargers!

Yreka Chargers Football is hosting the playoffs for the first time in many years at Miner Stadium this Saturday, starting at 8:30 am and going until 6:00 pm. We hope the community can come out and support our program and enjoy the games. Concessions will be open as usual and the Wagy’s will be making their famous Tacos.

Game Schedule

8:30 am – Mighty Mites: Central Valley Falcons v Yreka Chargers

10:00 am – Jr PeeWee: Anderson Cubs v Yreka Chargers

Noon – PeeWee: Gridley Titans v Corning Lions

2:00 pm – Jr Midgets: Colusa Cowboys v Anderson Cubs

4:00 pm – Midgets: Durham Trojans v Yreka Chargers

The Yreka Chargers PeeWee’s will be traveling to Wheatland the play the Colusa Cowboys. The Yreka Midget’s are hosting the playoffs here at home.

Another great day of youth football.

The Junior Pee Wee Chargers played a tough last home game on Saturday against the Orland Aztecs.  The JPW fell behind by three scores in the first half.  The defense was led by Linebacker Pergish Montgomery and defensive guard Elijah Croy. Elijah was able to penetrate their offensive line and made several tackles in Orland’s backfield.  Defensive Ends Devon Applewhite and Randall Hughes sealed the outside.  Also Linebacker Titus Christy stepped in and was involved in several tackles.  Orland attempted several pass plays, but cornerbacks Avery Jerry, Jai Case, Wyatt Weddle and Safeties Davon Ruiz and Tanner Watson played great cover defense against Orland’s receivers.

Even with the slow start, the JPW regrouped in the second half and locked down Orland’s offense.  The Chargers were able to regain possession due to Linebacker Lyle Frank’s interception.  The Chargers offense, led by Quarterback Tyler Rightmier, responded by completing several pass plays.  WR Davon Ruiz had one reception.  Lyle Frank had another reception and ran it to the five yard line for a gain of sixty yards.  Tyler Rightmier was able to score the next play on a quarterback sneak behind his blockers Tanner Ewing, Tony Fernandez, Earl Croy, Jai Case and Kristopher Hogue.  The Aztecs were unable to put the ball in the end zone in the second half.

Pee Wee

The Chargers were on fire this weekend for the last home game of the season.  The first half began with a 30-yd, first down run by Cale Cool.  On the very next play Tyraye Bush scored a TD.  Our defense was amazing with tackles by Jacob Lisby, Skyler Conrad, Timothy Soli, Caden Corbin, Tyraye Bush, Trevor Ewing, Delbert Henson, and Tyler Robinson.  Jeremy Persing had three tackles in the backfield.  Our Charger offense was also on fire, with outstanding runs by Bush and Soli, which led to another Charger TD by Soli.  The Aztecs came back with a TD of their own, but Delbert Henson blocked the extra point.  Next, Bush ran back a 70 yd kickoff return for a TD, followed by a conversion by Cool.  Robert Giannini was the next Charger to score a TD run, with the extra point by Bush.  The score at halftime was Yreka 26 – Orland 6.

The second half of the game was more of the same.  Great defensive playing by Jamiel Nicholson, Tyler Robinson, Gabe Koch, Trevor Ewing, Timothy Soli, Kaleb Hammond, Delbert Henson, Caden Corbin, Kellen Smith, Cameron Hagerman, Lorenzo Martinez, and Anthoni Evangelisti.  There were two interceptions in the second half by Bush and Soli.  The offense was working hard with the skills of Cool, Bush, Giannini, Soli, Isaiah Martinez, Devin Gomes and Jeremy Persing.  There was a completed pass from Bush to Giannini for another Charger TD.  Final score of the game was Chargers 32 – Aztecs 6.  The Charger Pee Wee’s gave the crowd hard hitting and action filled football!

Jr Midgets

The Yreka Chargers came up short this Saturday after running into a very tough and prepared Orland team. With this loss, the Chargers are left with just one more chance to earn a playoff spot.
The Chargers struck first early in the first quarter on a 60 yard touchdown pass from the dynamic duo of Jeffrey Woodruff to David Ruiz, which came from great blocking by Hunter Cowley, Nathan Black, Tad Weed, Nick Schafer, and Gabe Hughes. It looked like it would be all Chargers from then on, but the Orland Aztecs never backed down. The Yreka Chargers pinned Orland back deep in their own territory on the ensuing kickoff, but Orland drove the ball down the field and scored a touchdown, followed by a 2 point kick to make it 8-6 Orland. After an Orland field goal before half, the score was 11-6 Orland.

The Yreka Chargers couldn’t find anything on offense to get them going after the big play, but the defense played lights out, led by Virusir Lantz, Lane Clark, Jesse Garcia, Tyler O’Gorman, and Roman Vulyak, among others.
In the second half the Chargers did a good job of stopping the Orland Aztecs tough rushing and passing attack, but they still could not find the spark that they needed in order to score on the offensive side of the ball. The second half also had defensive and special teams highlights. Blake Shepard got an interception, Payton Dickinson made a nice tackle for a loss on a punt return, and Dakota Estep had some very nice kicks for the Chargers. After another Orland score and kick, the score was 19-6 Orland, and that’s how it stayed for the rest of the game.

The Chargers have a bye this week, and look to prepare for a tough Anderson team. In order to make the playoffs, the Chargers need one more league win, and with one game left, it looks to be a good one.

Midgets

In their last home game in league play for the 2011 season, the Chargers Midgets welcomed the Orland Aztecs into Miner Stadium for a game with playoff seeding on everyone’s mind. The annual theme for October, which brings awareness to breast cancer, saw the field, fans, players and coaches dressed out in pink to show their support.

As the game got underway, tensions were high. Orland’s fast, physical style of play was key to their success, and Yreka needed to stop it. With a 6-minute drive, Orland scored their first TD, and a 2-point PAT to go up 8-0. On their ensuing kick off, Orland recovered a Yreka fumble. The next play was a 50-yard run for a TD, and another successful 2 point PAT. At the end of the 1st quarter, Yreka had just a couple of minutes of offense on the field and were down 16 to 0. The Chargers battled with heads held high.

After some offensive production, and the defense tightening up, the momentum started to shift over to Yreka and the beating began. Ryan Bridenstine and Dom Villagomes, who were both hooking up with their favorite receivers, shared the QB duties. Ethan Frank, Gar Weed and Sean Glasford each were hauling the ball in for 10 and 15 yards at a time. Dom finally ran it in for the first TD and the kick PAT was no good. Yreka’s Defense came out and forced a change of possession in four downs. With a Dom to Drew pass play and 60 yard run, Yreka scored again. And with a PAT good for two, Yreka was clearly taking charge by the end of the 1st half.
With the 2nd half underway, both defenses were getting stingy and forcing change of possessions. Joe Smith was wrapping up tackles in the middle and Wesley Hazelton held the edge to get the Charger ‘O’ Line back on the field.

A Drew Kannely-Robles option play found Matt Novello for a 20 yard TD pass reception. The ‘O’ line suffered some injuries, but was anchored by Joe Betts and Alex Anderson providing excellent pass protection. As Dom ran in 20 yards for the final Yreka score, Orland was on its heels. Down to the final 16 seconds, Orland tried to score one more, and with Yreka clearly in the drivers seat, they failed.

With the 26 to 16 victory over the previously undefeated Aztecs, the Chargers Midgets go to 4-1 in League and solidify a playoff seed for 2011 season. After a bye this week, they will be facing Anderson on October 22nd. With a win against Anderson, the Chargers Midgets will secure early round playoffs at home in Yreka.

The Yreka Chargers Jr. Pee Wees played a tough away game in Corning last Saturday. The Corning Lions scored twice in the first half. The offensive backfield was led by Pergish Montgomery at quarterback. The offensive line consisting of Earl Croy Jr., Tony Fernandez, Kris Hogue, Tanner Ewing, Tyler Rightmier, and RV Hughes, worked hard at keeping the Lions at bay. Lineman Elijah Butterfly, Kyle Jorgenson, Olivia Lopez, and Wyatt Tannaci also helped out on key offensive plays. RV Hughes stepped up to fill in for injured running back Davon Ruiz. The hard blocking paid off when the Chargers rallied back with a 70 yard score from running back Lyle Frank to end the half.

In the second half, the Chargers offense played hard , but were unable to put the ball in the end zone again. The Chargers defense remained focused and made some great tackles. Ewing and Rightmier anchored the defensive line whileTakatama Montgomery, Avery Jerry, Jai Case and Devon Applewhite secured the outside. Croy Jr. also chipped in and recovered a fumble. Titus Christy helped at defensive End and made a great tackle. Wyatt Weddle helped the team out and filled in at the safety position. Also filling in at Safety, Tanner Watson once again used his speed to make a touchdown-saving tackle.

After a couple of rough away games, the Chargers are looking forward to returning home to host the Orland Aztecs this Saturday.

Pee Wees

The Charger Pee Wees played a difficult game last Saturday. This game was a defensive battle all around, with each team scoring only one TD.  The game was decided by the extra point kick, which Corning made and Yreka did not.  Our defense was strong with the tackling skills of Robert Giannini, Caden Corbin, Timothy Soli, Devin Gomes, Cale Cool, Jacob Lisby, Trevor Ewing, Tyraye Bush, and Jeremy Persing.  Our offense was unable to score until the second half when Tyraye Bush made a 70 yd TD run to the outside. Jamiel Nicholson had a great game with an interception and a fumble recovery.

Jr Midgets

The Yreka Charger Jr. Midgets were looking for that important third win this weekend in Corning but instead found a very tough Lion team.
The first half of the game was all Lions. The Charger defense kept us in the game by allowing Corning to score only twice. The defense was lead by Virusir Lantz, Charles Lopez, Dalton Fraser, David Ruiz, Steve Evangelisti and Brian Aldrete.

For the second half, the Chargers came out ready to put points on the board and the first Charger points were provided by Hayz Story Lantz on a nice screen play from QB Jeff Woodruff. However the Charger defense was again put to the test by a tough Corning squad who scored well in the second half.One high point was when the Charger defense came up with a big fumble recovery by Blake Shepard in the 4th quarter, which led to the Chargers scoring again on the hard run into the end zone by Brandon Hanna. Hanna carried the ball 40 yards for the TD after breaking several Lion tackles.

The offensive blocking was great all day, led by Nathan Black, Gabe Hughes, Tad Weed and Nick Schafer, but the Lions offense proved solid and well executed.
The final score of 44-14 favored the Corning Lions. The Chargers hope to see the Lions again in post-season playoffs for another chance to dominate. The Chargers next face a tough Orland squad at home this Saturday at 2:00 pm. The Jr. Midgets look to win another league game in their quest for a playoff spot. Come out and join the fun and cheer on your Charger Jr Midgets!

Midgets

Along with the seasonal change to cold and rain, came the Yreka Chargers Midgets first defeat in league play. The powerful Corning Lions were up to their usual intimidating tactics, both on and off the field in their 44 to 14 victory.

In the first half of play, Corning got off to a 14-0 lead with some big yardage scores, and looked to run away with this one early. Yreka made adjustments and took advantage of Corning’s secondary vulnerabilities, with Ryan Bridenstine hooking up with Drew Kannely-Robles for a 25-yard pass play. As the 2nd quarter began, Yreka found some more rhythm and Bridenstine hooked up with Ethan Frank for a 30-yard touchdown reception. Jan Henson added the PAT. With a little momentum gained and a deep kick off, Yreka was quickly deflated as the return came back 80 yards for a Corning TD. Sticking to the air attack, Dom Villagomes found Matt Novello for a 20-yard strike, and then found Sean Glasford for a 35-yard TD pass reception. Corning showed their own passing abilities with a 40-yard strike for a TD as the 1st half ended, Corning 30, Yreka 14 and everyone knowing that Yreka was still in this game.

With Yreka kicking off to open the 2nd half, it was the up to the Charger defense to stop the Lions and get their offense back on the field. With Josh Hansen lined up in man on man coverage all game, Evan Shinar and Blake Batchelor were free to play run stop behind their aggressive D-line, and that’s just what they did as they forced Corning to a three-and-out in the first drive. But, after four possession changes, two interceptions by Corning and two fumble recoveries by Yreka, the 3rd quarter was a stalemate. The last quarter of the game saw Corning score two more TDs with runs of 40 and 75 yards. Yreka threatened to score on a couple of drives with nice runs, but as Corning sat back and took the pass attack away from Yreka, time expired.

The after game sentiment from both sidelines was respect for the well fought battle, and, see you in the championships.

The Chargers Jr. Pee Wees offense saw an improvement to the offensive line, but unfortunately weren’t able to put the ball in the end zone against the Red Bluff Jr.Spartans. The offense was led by quarterback Pergish Montgomery. Providing protection on the offensive line were Earl Croy, Antonio Fernandez, Kristopher Hogue, Tanner Ewing, Tyler Rightmier and RV Hughes. Running backs Davon Ruiz and Lyle Frank both had great runs. Wide receivers Takatama Montgomery and Avery Jerry provided the outside blocking.

After the Jr. Spartans scored two touchdowns the first half, the Chargers defense became more aggressive. The Chargers defense allowed only one more score during the second half. The defense was led by Jai Case with Elijah Butterfly and Titus Christy up front and sealing the outside was Devon Applewhite, who had several tackles. First year players Olivia Lopez, Cameron Aguirre, Isaiah Nowdesha, Wyatt Tannaci, Kyle Jorgenson and Tanner Watson show improvement each week. Tanner Watson used his tremendous speed and had an outstanding touchdown saving tackle. The Jr. Pee Wees are unfortunately playing without Michael Caveye III, who broke his leg during practice earlier this month. Caveye continues to support the Jr. Pee Wees from the sidelines, both at home and away games. The Chargers look forward to traveling to Corning this upcoming Saturday.

PeeWee

The Yreka Charger Pee Wee team traveled to Red Bluff this last weekend to battle the Red Bluff Spartans. The first half of the game was grim for the Chargers as the Red Bluff Spartans had both strong offense and defense. The Charger offense struggled to move the ball against the Spartan defense down the hot turf field; while the Charger defense was unable to contain the Spartan offense.

After the half time break the Yreka Chargers came back on the field putting forth a tough defensive effort; allowing the Spartans one touchdown during the second half of the game. There were two forced fumbles by the Charger defense in the second half. Defensive tackle Skylar Conrad forced the Spartans to fumble the ball which was caught by defensive end Cale Cool giving the ball back to the Charger offense. In the second half Bowen Christy stepped in as offensive guard putting forth an excellent effort against a tough Spartan defense. The fourth quarter highlight by the Charger offense was Cale Cool’s 10 yard run up the middle for a Charger first down.

The final score was 24-0, for the Chargers first loss of the season. Next week the Chargers travel to Corning where the Pee Wee team will be ready to defend their record.

Midgets

Last Saturday found the Yreka Chargers down in Red Bluff, home of the Spartans, on an over cast afternoon tailor made for football. The Chargers Midgets made the two hour drive with the sole intention of remaining undefeated. Even in the face of competing without some key players, the Midgets not only overcame the adversity, but assumed total control of this contest early on and ended it with a 42-6 win.

Once again, the tip of the spear for this offensive attack was Drew kannely-Robles and his ability to find daylight for huge gains. With nearly 200 yards rushing and two TDs, he also hauled in a pass from Ryan Bridenstine for a score and still managed over 100 yards on punt returns with one going in for a TD. Showing his own play-making skills, Dom Villagomes rushed up the gut 12 yards for a TD. At QB, he hooked up with his “go to” receiver Josh Hansen for a 50 yd TD, in which Josh earned the last 15 yards by spinning, fighting and dragging a Spartan defender in with him. Jan Henson was good for three kick PATs.

After the Spartan pick-6 in the firsdt quarter, Yreka got stingy and played shut out football for the duration. The D-line’s middle three of Jovani Guevara, Dom Villagomes and Tyler Smith, gave the Spartans no chance of production. The rotation of Aaron Durney and Ethan Frank kept the Charger rush to maximum intensity all game long. For those back in Y-Town who may have heard the two sonic booms, those were the result of Garrett Plucker and Juan Cota. On separate special team’s plays, both administered near lethal hits to Spartan attackers during punt returns. The Yreka Chargers Midgets will take their dominant style of winning football games and put it to the test as they prepare this week to face off with arch rivals the Lions on Corning turf.

Hey, you guys are fun to watch!

Good job guys!