WEED – The College of the Siskiyous Screamin’ Eagles football team dominated the visiting College of the Redwoods Corsairs in their season opener on Saturday, 33-7. Among the standout performers for the Eagles were plenty of former Siskiyou County high school players. Mt. Shasta Bear grad Patrick Lunney ran through the Corsairs’ defense at will, amassing 251 yards, and two touchdowns. His scores came on runs of 86 and 22 yards.

“We have a nice big line this year, with a couple of linemen back. That makes a big difference,” said Lunney after the game. “I’m not satisfied yet. We’ve still got a long season.”

Yreka High grad Kyson Culp notched his first touchdown for the Eagles on a 53-yard pass reception.

“Amazing; it felt so good,” said Culp about his first college touchdown.

Another former Yreka High player, Devin Howard, recorded both of the Eagles’ sacks

COS racked up 544 yards of offense—274 rushing and 270 passing. When the Eagles’ offense took a rest, the defense went to work. The Eagles held the Corsairs to just four yards rushing, nine first downs, and 150 yards through the air. If not for a seemingly botched pass interference call, the COS defense may have pitched a shutout.

Following the game, COS Coach Eric Young told his team, “Nice job finishing. You did a good job.” He also said that they would be “focusing on fixing the details” in practice during the upcoming week, including better tackling and taking better care of the ball.

The Eagles drove to inside the Corsairs 10-yard-line on their second possession of the game, only to see the drive thwarted by a fumble. The Corsairs took over on their 13-yard-line but were unable to move the ball, forcing them to punt from deep in their own end. The punt was short, giving COS excellent field position.

The Eagles went to work from the Corsairs’ 30-yard-line. Two plays later, Lunney broke free and went 22-yards for the first touchdown of the game. Yreka High grad Aaron Sinnott added the PAT, and the Eagles led 7-0 with 5:28 to go in the first quarter.

The ensuing kickoff by Sinnott sailed over the Corsair kick return man and into the end zone. The Corsair attempted to return the kick and was tackled at his own two-yard-line. The Corsairs failed to move the ball, and were forced to punt from their end zone. The kick was short again, setting up the COS offense at the Corsair 28.

It appeared that COS was about to score on a pass from Josh Hudson to Zach Young, but the Corsairs forced a fumble and recovered at their 5-yard-line. COS also reached the red zone on its next possession, but turned the ball over via an interception in the end zone.

With about five minutes left in the first half, COS started a drive on their 15-yard-line. COS advanced to the Corsair 23 on six plays, with the big gainer coming on a 31-yard run by Lunney. Two play’s later, Hudson connected with Zach Young for a 24-yard touchdown. The PAT was no good, but COS led 13-0 with 1:22 left in the half. The score remained the same at the break.

The Corsairs scored their only TD on the first possession of the second half, aided by a disputed pass interference call. With the Corsairs on the COS 45, they threw a pass down the right sideline. The Corsair receiver grabbed the Eagle defender by the jersey and spun him to the ground. The receiver then caught the pass and was down at the COS 18-yard-line. An official threw the yellow hanky, much to the approval of the COS bench and coaching staff which assumed that the call was for offensive interference against the Corsair receiver. Elation turned to disbelief when it was signaled that the penalty was for defensive pass interference against the Eagles. The Corsairs declined the penalty, and took the play, giving them a first down at the 18.

The Corsairs connected on an 18-yard pass for a touchdown on the next play. With the PAT, it was Eagles 13-Corsairs 7. That, however, was the last gift the Corsairs would receive.

The Eagles added to their lead with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. COS took possession of the ball at its own 25, following a Corsair punt. Two Hudson passes to Zach Young for a total of 22 yards moved the ball to the COS 47-yard-line. Hudson then hit Kyson Culp, who raced 53 yards for his first career TD. The PAT failed, leaving COS with a 19-7 lead.

Early in the fourth Quarter, with the ball on the Corsairs’ 13, Hudson tossed his third and final TD pass. This time to Jerrell Young, who dove into the end zone for the score. Sinnott added the PAT, giving COS a 26-7 advantage with 13:36 to play.

The Eagles finished their scoring midway through the quarter, when a rested Lunney returned to the game. COS started the drive at its 7-yard-line, following a Jamal Pannell interception. On first down, Lunney picked up seven yards to the 14. On his next carry, he blew past the defense and sprinted 86 yards for his second TD of the day. Sinnott added the PAT to finish out the scoring for both squads, making the final 33-7.

Offensively for the Eagles, Lunney rushed for 251 yards and two TDs on 23 carries (10.9 yards/carry). Josh Hudson was 24/34 for 270 yards, with three TDs and one interception. Zach Young had 13 catches for 151 yards and a TD. Kyson Culp had 59 yards and a TD on two grabs. Jarrell Young had tree receptions for 30 yards and a TD.

AJ Randall led the Eagles in tackles with six. Myron Johnson recorded 4.5 tackles. Devin Howard had two sacks. Jamal Pannell had an interception, and Eric Jarvis recovered a fumble.