Story and photos by Jasha Reynolds

ETNA  – Lion football  in 2009 has seen its share of twists and turns. Bottom line, it is what it is. Make do with what you got, and get things done one game at a time.

With a never give up attitude, an all but new offensive play book, new head coach Andy Dean,  and a new outlook, the Etna Lions came from behind Friday night to beat the Weed Cougars 32-26 to move to 4-5 on the season.

Senior Hank Johnson scored first for Etna on a 4-yard plunge up the gut to give the Lions an early 6-0 lead. But, the always tough Weed Cougars had an answer. Cougar signal caller, Cody Beam, hooked up with wide-out Micah White for a 33-yard touchdown, after the PAT Weed led 7-6.

Back-to-back Etna fumble’s set up Weed’s next scoring drive which ended on a 3-yard touchdown by Robert Aquila. The score was set up by tough running by Aquila and counterpart Travis Andrews.

Trailing by eight points on a 4^th and 4 from the Weed 10, Etna quarterback Clink Eastlick hit senior Devin Franco coming out the back field for the score. Eastlick then hit Jarom Hiett for the two-point conversion to knot the score at 14-14. Lions never looked back.

With 9:26 left in the third quarter and Weed pounding the ball, the Lions got the break they needed. It came in the form of a pick-six when cornerback Ryan Hicks intercepted a Weed pass and took it home for a 23-yard touchdown.

Hicks scored again five minutes later on a 4^th and 14 when he and Eastlick hooked  up from 24 yards out to give Etna a 26-14 lead with  4:39 left in the third.

The Cougars under first year head coach Erik Johnson were far from finished though. With 6:04 left in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback, Liam Hagarty, who replaced the injured Beam, scored on a keeper from two yards out to make it 26-20 Etna.

Not to be out done the Eastlick–Hicks combo capped off the scoring for Etna as they connected from 32 yards out to make it 32-20 with 1:14 left in the game.  Weed countered with: 08 seconds left on a controversial half back pass from Andrews to tight end Robert West to make the final 32-26.

The 2-3 Shasta Cascade League Lions head to 3-1 Fall River on Friday and the Cougars head to Redding to take on University Prep.