JV squads tie 20-20

YREKA – Every football team wants to spoil another team’s homecoming. The JV Bears nearly played spoiler, coming within an extra point of beating the JV Miners. Early in the varsity contest, it appeared that Mt. Shasta’s upper class men might just pull off an upset.

On Mt. Shasta’s second play from scrimmage, Royce Autry sprinted 60 yards for a TD. The PAT was blocked, but the Bears had the start they needed. Mt. Shasta’s sideline was jumping with optimism and fire.

Late in the first quarter, the Miners set up shop on their own 25-yard-line, following a Bear punt. On the first play of the possession, Miner running back Kurt Lorenzini blasted through the Bear defense, shedding tacklers, before breaking into the clear and going 75 yards for the TD. Yreka failed to convert the PAT, leaving the score tied at the end of the first quarter.

Yreka struck again just over a minute into the second quarter. This time, after a Bear punt, the Miners started at their own 40. Again, it took just one play to score, with Manny Barragan sprinting 60 yards to pay dirt. QB Joe Wilson picked up the 2-point conversion on a keeper, to give the Miners a 14-6 lead.

In a game where the Miners were the heavy favorites, it appeared that Yreka had taken control.

However, someone forgot to tell the Bears it was over. Autry returned the ensuing kickoff to the Yreka 45-yard-line. Mt. Shasta moved the ball down the field to the Yreka 11, where Mark Maumasi capped the drive with an 11-yard run, stretching across the goal line for the score. Maumasi also scored the 2-pointer, to tie the game 14-14, with 6:53 left in the half.

After the Bears kickoff, Yreka started at its 36. The formula for Yreka was simple. Give the ball to Lorenzini, and mix in a little Barragan along the way. Lorenzini had three runs over 10 yards, and Barragan ripped off a 10-yarder, as the Miners marched down the field. Wilson put the Miners back in the lead via a 22-yard keeper, making it 20-14. The PAT failed.

The Bears responded by mounting a drive of their own, starting from their 34. Aided by a rouging the passer penalty on a fake punt attempt, the Bears moved down to the Miner 19. With the clock running down, Miner Andrew Ward came up with a huge sack to thwart the threat, at the end of the half.

Neither squad mounted another serious threat until late in the quarter, when Yreka took possession on its 42. The Miners had moved to the Bear 28 by the time the fourth quarter started. Two plays later, Wilson hit Ward for a 26-yard TD strike. Wilson picked up the 2-point conversion on a keeper, increasing the Miners lead to 28-14

The Miners completed the scoring with 6:52 left to play in the game, when Lorenzini raced 56 yards for six points. The PAT failed, making the final 34-14.

Junior Varsity

In the JV contest, Yreka was first on the board when Travis Fonseca punched it over from four yards out. The 2-point attempt failed, and Yreka led 6-0 with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Bears answered with a 71-yard finished off by a 26-yard TD pass from Johnathan Dutra to Brendan Hickey. The 2-point try failed, and the score was knotted at six.

The JV Bears recovered a fumble on the Miners’ next possession, at the Yreka 35. Dutra again connected with Hickey for a 24-yard TD. Mt. Shasta added a 2-point conversion, and led 14-6, where the score remained going into halftime.

The Miners drove 61 yards on the opening drive of the second half, with Sarome Eng finishing it off with an 8-yard TD jaunt. The 2-point try was no good, leaving the Miners trailing by a deuce, 14-12.

Yreka took back the lead with about a minute to play in the third quarter, when QB Adam Kleier rushed 23 yards to the end zone. Kleier also scored the 2-pointer on a keeper, giving Yreka the lead 20-14.

With 6:00 left in the game, the JV Bears took possession on downs at their own 35. A holding penalty on first down moved them back to the 25. The situation looked bleak for Mt. Shasta. But, Bear Dustin McDaniel picked up five and six yards on two carries, making it third-and-11. Jordan Hanna was called upon to pick up the remaining yardage, and he went for 39 yards, giving the Bears a first down on the Yreka 15. On the next play Dutra found Hickey for the third time in the game, tying the score at 20-20. The PAT failed.

On their next possession, the Miners were able to move to just inside the Bear 10-yard-line, where they had a first-and-goal. The Miners and Bears exchange major penalties, and the Bears came up with a big defensive stand, forcing Yreka to turn over the ball on downs at the Bear 9-yard-line.

Mt. Shasta was unable to move the ball, and the clock ran out on Yreka’s next possession, ending the game in a 20-20 tie.

Varsity stats will be posted when available.