The third Impact Player Award for October goes to running back and linebacker Miguel Rodriguez of the Mt. Shasta Bears football team.

Early in the season I noticed Rodriguez in the back field, which was something new. Then, I noticed Rodriguez running over people and gaining big chunks of yardage. As the season has progressed, he’s shown more and more signs of being an Impact Player, on both offense and defense.

I began to think, “This guy deserves the award.”

One problem though, Miguel is my wife’s nephew, and I’ve always been a little uneasy about giving awards to family members. I’d never give one that wasn’t earned, but sometimes people are weird with their perceptions.

So, I explained the award to Mt. Shasta Bears football coach Mike Davis on the phone, and asked him to pick an Impact Player from his team. Davis thought for a few seconds.

“At this point, I would have to say Miguel Rodriguez. Overall, he’s played very, very well. He had four touchdowns against Pierce and 125 yards rushing. He also had 11 tackles and an interception. With the loss of Corben Brooks, he’s had to step up more on defense,” said Davis. “Miguel was going to play soccer this year. Thank goodness that he chose football.”

Well “Miggie,” that’s some pretty high praise from the coach. You’re an Impact Player—congratulations.

The Impact Player Award is given on a monthly basis and goes to Siskiyou County high school athletes, male or female, that have had a significant impact on the success of their team. I select the players based on my own observations, often in consultation with the player’s coaches, as I did this time around.

A total of four awards are given each month and are not school specific; they can go to a player at any school that Siskiyou Youth covers. Winners receive Impact T-shirts that were designed by Golden Grotto. The T-shirts and award are cosponsored by Siskiyou Youth and NorCal Classic Hits radio 102.3/101.7.

Previous winners this month were Alex Case from Etna, and Cory Knowles from Dunsmuir. There is still one more award to be given out this month. I’ll be watching.