Eagle Football Hosts Top Pac 7 Team Saturday
October 14, 2023

Eagle Football Hosts Top Pac 7 Team Saturday

A young College of the Siskiyous football team has been gaining experience while falling short on the scoreboard so far this fall.

With a roster of 48 freshmen and just 9 sophomores, the Eagles have put up good numbers in some areas during their first six games. Now they'll face a stiff challenge on their home field this Saturday in a Pacific 7 game against undefeated Foothill (2-0, 7-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Among the highlights for the Eagles has been the play of freshman wide receiver Neil Kniefel of Salem, OR, who wears jersey #1. He ranks 3rd among Pac 7 pass catchers with 26 receptions and 4.3 receptions per game, 7th in conference with 311 receiving yards, 8th with 51.8 receiving yards per game, and 9th with an average of 12 yards per catch. Kniefel leads the Eagles with 270 kick return yards and 581 all-purpose yards.

A trio of freshman linebackers have been leading the defense:

Dre'Quan Williams (#23) of Troutdale, OR, tops the team in solo tackles, total tackles and tackles per game. He's tied for 1st among Pac 7 defensive players with 30 solo tackles and ranks 6th in the Pac 7 with 44 total tackles and 7.3 tackles per game. He's had 5 tackles for loss.

Noah Snyder (#48) of Eugene, OR, ranks third in conference with 8.5 tackles for loss and is tied for the team lead with 2 quarterback sacks. He has 21 solo tackles, 32 total tackles, and a forced fumble.

Marcus Delgado of Mount Shasta (#44) is 6th in conference with 26 solo tackles, 9th with 39 total tackles, and 10th with 6.5 tackles per game. He's been credited with 3.5 tackles for loss.

A pair of freshmen quarterbacks, #14 Taylor Ioane of Camas, WA, and #17 Wayce Saluskin of Klamath Falls, OR, have been directing the offense. Ioane has completed 55.2 percent of his pass attempts for 476 yards, 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions for an 89.9 pass efficiency rating. Saluskin has thrown for 386 yards with 3 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and an 87.1 rating.

Sophomore kicker Ryan Travis of Pierce (#3) leads the team in scoring. He has made 4 of his 6 field goal attempts, including successful kicks from 39 and 40 yards. Travis is 7 for 8 on extra point attempts while averaging 39.8 yards on 34 punts, including 10 that have ended inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Sophomore wide receiver Trey Woodrich (#11) of Astoria, OR, is 10th in conference with 10.9 yards per catch, including a 30-yard touchdown pass from Saluskin late in the first quarter of a Pac 7 loss at Los Medanos on Oct. 14.

The Eagles' leading running back, #24 Demetrius McWillie of Rogue River, OR, ranks 7th in conference with 4.1 yards per carry and is 9th with 209 yards rushing. He also has 82 yards on pass catches, 133 kick return yards, and is second on the team with 424 all-purpose yards.

Freshman wide receiver Kyaw Po (#33) of Fairfield, Australia, leads the Eagles with 25 yards per kick return and is second to Kniefel with 200 kick return yards.

Other Eagle defensive standouts this season include freshman defensive back Saxon Farkas of Chico (#31), who is third on the team with 23 solo tackles and has 28 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

Freshman defensive lineman Key'Shawn Thomas (#38) of Bremerton, WA, has 20 total tackles, a sack, 3 tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive back Jarvis McKyer (#5) of Bryan, TX, leads the team with 2 pass interceptions, while sophomore defensive backs Jehan King (#2) of Madison, AL, and Andre Estrada (#30) of Independence, OR, are among the team leaders with 14 and 13 solo tackles, respectively.

Though he's only been in on 12 total tackles, freshman defensive lineman Elijah Freauff (#49) of Prineville, OR, has 11 solo tackles and ranks 9th in the Pac 7 with 6 tackles for loss.

Among the top plays for the Eagles this season was a 58-yard touchdown by freshman running back Tyler Johnson (#4) of McDonough, GA. After catching a short pass from Saluskin late in the Eagles' Sept. 16 home game against Monterey Peninsula, Johnson broke tackles, sprinted down the sideline, got turned around, and ran the final yards backwards into the end zone.

Freshman defensive back Adrian Barnett (#10) of Kirkland, WA, returned an interception 54 yards for the Eagles' only score in a 13-7 loss at Carbrillo on Sept. 9.

Saluskin also ran for a 25-yard score in the conference-opener against Yuba.

McWillie had a 45-yard run from scrimmage, and he scored from 24 yards out on a pass from Ioane in the Eagles' season-opener against Hartnell.

Saluskin and Woodrich hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass play to get the Eagles within 10 points during their more recent game, Oct. 14 at Los Medanos.

After Saturday's game against Foothill, the Eagles will play their two nearest foes in the Pac 7 standings. They'll go on the road for a non-conference rematch against Yuba (1-2, 1-6) at 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, then play their final home game of the season Nov. 11 against De Anza (1-1, 2-5) starting at noon.

The Eagles will finish their season Nov. 18 at Redwoods (2-1, 5-2), a former rival that hasn't been on Siskiyous' schedule for the past 10 years.

 

By Steve Gerace

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