Eagles, with 12 All-Conference players, host Northern California Bowl Saturday

The Eagle football team will host conference foe San Joaquin Delta in Saturday's Northern California Bowl at Herschel Meredith Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

It's the second year in a row the Eagles have hosted the Northern California Bowl, and they'll be looking to improve on last year's 59-27 loss to San Jose.

After a 35-14 loss at Feather River earlier this month, the Eagles finished third in the Pacific Conference with a 3-2 record, while Delta placed fourth at 2-3. The Eagles are 6-4 overall. Delta is 5-5.

Feather River went 5-0 to win the conference title and is 9-1 overall. Los Medanos was second at 4-1 and is also 9-1 overall.

Many Eagles were recognized with All-Conference honors after the Pac 7 season. See the details about that below.

When the Eagles played at Delta in conference in late October, the lead changed hands often and they didn't secure their 29-23 victory until the final minute.

Siskiyous fell behind 10-0 early in the second quarter, then took the lead after two touchdown passes from quarterback Brayden Schiefer to two-time All-Conference wide receiver David Wacenske. The first one went for 80 yards, the second for 38 yards to give the Eagles a 14-10 lead at the half.

The Eagles trailed 17-14 before going back ahead on speedy freshman wide receiver/kick returner Rafael Bauman's 97 yard kickoff return.

Delta regained the lead with 4 minutes to play in the 4th quarter on a 33 yard run, then the Eagles got the ball at their own 45 when Delta's short kickoff went out of bounds. It took the just three plays to score what proved to be the winning points, as Schiefer connected with Asher Lucas on a 37 yard pass play, Schiefer ran for 5 yards, then two-time All-Conference defensive lineman/short yardage running back Zaveon Jones took it in from 4 yards out and Schiefer threw a two-point conversion pass to Talon Hernandez.

Two subsequent Delta holding penalties helped the Eagles hold their lead. One negated a 60 yard kickoff return; the other negated a 52 yard screen pass play that would have put the ball on the Eagles' 28 yard line. Instead, Delta had a 1st and 20 at their own 10 yard line. The Eagle defense held for four plays and the offense ran out the final 1:45 for the win.

Siskiyous head coach Adam Groppi expects another tough game Saturday, and unfortunately, his team will be without the services of Bauman, who is out with an injury. A 5-11, 178 pound freshman from Vancouver, WA, Bauman only caught 12 passes this year, but 4 of them went for touchdowns and he averaged 20.6 yards per catch, including one for 67 yards. His 97 yard kickoff return against Delta was the 6th longest return of the season in the state.

"It's awesome," Groppi said of the Eagles hosting the Northern California Bowl for the second year in a row. He's hoping cold northern California temperatures will give his team advantage against a well-coached Delta team that has a good offense, good defense, and good running back. "They're big and physical and do what they do. They don't panic."

In their previous meeting, the Eagles won despite finishing second in key statistical categories. Delta had a 7-minute time of possession advantage and had 388 yards of total offense compared to the Eagles' 258. Schiefer passed for 176 yards, but the ground game wasn't what it usually is, especially compared to Delta's 279 rushing yards. It did help the Eagles' that Delta was called for 9 penalties for 118 yards.

The Eagles will be looking to keep Delta running back Maurice Griffin Jr. in check. Last time, he rushed 27 times for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Schiefer has been efficient for the Eagles this season, completing 109 of his 176 pass attempts (61.9%) for 1,469 yards and 14 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions. His 14 TD passes are tied for 2nd most in conference, albeit well behind Los Medanos' Aidan Crawford, who has 40.

Schiefer has been supported by a big offensive line that features three of the Eagles' 12 All-Conference players.

ALL-PACIFIC 7 CONFERENCE EAGLES

Eagles making 1st Team All-Conference this season are sophomore wide receiver David Wacenske, sophomore running back Bryson McFall, sophomore linebacker Cody Clarke, sophomore linebacker Cody Huntsinger, sophomore defensive lineman Zaveon Jones, sophomore offensive lineman Howie Thorne, freshman defensive back Aidan Nelson, freshman nose guard Kyrese Banks, and freshman offensive lineman Turtle Muliagatele-Plummer.

Three Eagles earned Honorable Mention: sophomore offensive lineman Brody Martin, sophomore defensive lineman Aisea Takau, and sophomore defensive lineman Dalton Hickey.

Thorne, Jones, Huntsinger, Clarke, McFall, and Wacenske are all 1st Team All-Conference for the second year in a row. Martin was a 1st Team pick last year.

The Eagle offense has benefited from their big All-Conference linemen, Howie Thorne (6-2, 312), Turtle Muliagatele-Plummer (6-2, 332), and Brody Martin (6-3, 312).

Turtle, from Graham, WA, uses his feet well at left tackle, according to Groppi. "He's athletic and learns quickly."

Thorne, from Pasco, WA, has been a constant physical blocker at right guard for the Eagles the past two seasons.

Brody Martin, an athletic center from Puyallup, WA, makes all the calls for the offense. "He's the leader of the group," said Groppi. Martin has also punted for the Eagles, less this year than last. He's averaged 39.5 yards on 8 punts this year, including a 60 yarder and 2 that pinned opponents inside the 20.

On defense, the Codys, Clarke and Huntsinger, both came to Siskiyous from Battle Ground High School in Battle Ground, WA, just north and east of the Oregon border. They'll both leave having established their places in the pantheon of outstanding linebackers in Eagle history. They're both fast, physical and seemingly always near the ball. "They're smart, and they have great instincts," Groppi said. "They play special teams too."

Clarke ranks 1st in conference and No. 4 in the state with 98 total tackles, and he leads the state with 66 solo tackles. Huntsinger ranks 14th in state and 3rd in conference with 50 solo tackles, and he's tied for 14th in state with 76 total tackles. He and Zaveon Jones are tied for 5th in conference with 4 pass breakups.

David Wacenske ranks 2nd among Pacific 7 pass catchers and 8th in the state with 888 receiving yards. He's 10th in the state with 56 receptions and tied for third in conference with 8 touchdown catches. His 80 yard pass play against San Joaquin Delta was the 3rd longest of the season by a Pac 7 player. His career pass catching stats place him high on the Eagles' all-time list. He ranks second in Eagle career receiving yards and third and fourth in receiving yards per season. Only Darius Davis (2007-2008) has more receiving yards in a season and more career receiving yards in Eagle history. Davis had 952 yards in 2007 and 928 in 2008. Wacenske had 829 yards last year. At 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, Wacenske is big and physical and has a knack for getting open. "He's a match-up guy who plays in the slot," said Groppi. "He's a competitor." With 8 touchdown catches in both of his seasons at Siskiyous, Wacenske trails Davis (18) by 2 on the Eagles' all-time list for career TD catches.

Bryson McFall, 5-8, 186 pounds from Chico, had his second stellar season as an Eagle running back, and his numbers are very similar to last year. His 827 rushing yards this season are 4th most in conference and rank 16th in state. He's averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 145 rushes in 10 games and is 6th in conference with 7 rushing touchdowns. Last year, in 9 games, he had 758 yards on 127 carries, averaging 84.2 yards per game and 6 yards per carry with 6 touchdowns. Another stat that stands out for McFall and a sign of his strength: one fumble in two seasons on 272 rushes. "He's a physical downhill runner with good speed," Groppi said. "He's very physical for his size." Physical enough to break tackles and keep his legs churning forward amid a pile of defenders.

Zaveon Jones, #99, has the last number on the roster but has given Eagle fans many top rate memories the past two seasons. Playing both defensive end and nose, the 6-1 258 pounder from Mountlake Terrace, WA, is "super athletic and unblockable at times," Groppi said. Jones had 30 solo tackles and 41 total tackles this season and has 24.5 tackles for loss the past two years, including 14.5 this year. He's also forced 5 fumbles in two years, recovered 3, and broke up 4 passes this season. That's what he's done on defense. On offense, he's been an unstoppable force as a short yardage ball carrier who has met few immovable objects on his way to scoring 23 touchdowns in two years, 10 this season, which is tied for 10th in the state and ranks 3rd in conference among all ball carriers.

He made 1st Team All-Conference as a defensive lineman for the second year in a row.

Freshman Kyrese Banks added to the Eagles strength on the defensive line this season, contributing 16 solo tackles and 25 total tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. A 6-1, 250 pound nose guard from Casa Grande, AZ, Banks uses his speed off the ball to get into the opposing team's backfield and cause havoc.

Aidan Nelson is a 6-1, 184 pound defensive back from North Bend, OR, who is tied for second in conference with 4 pass interceptions and has far and away the most interception return yardage in conference with 148. He was second on the team with 3 pass breakups, tied for first with 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He had 31 solo tackles and 44 total tackles, ranking 3rd and 4th on the team and top 15 in conference in those categories. "He makes a lot of great plays," Groppi said. "He has good range and is a good tackler."

Like Jones, Aisea Takau, #94, has helped the Eagle defense at both end and nose and is unblockable at times. The 5-11, 241 pound sophomore from Portland has 10 solo tackles and 20 total tackles this season and 5 tackles for loss, including one for a safety in the Eagles' big win over Contra Costa. His numbers this year are very similar to last year's 12 solo tackles, 19 total tackles, and 5.5 tackles for loss. "He's physical and passionate and gets the team fired up," Groppi said.

Dalton Hickey, #92, is a physical 6-3, 238 pound defensive end from Everson, WA, who held the edge for two seasons and has contributed 4 tackles for loss this year. "He knows his assignments well and is always in the right spot," Groppi said.

By Steve Gerace