15 All-League Players Helped Eagle Football Return to Postseason

College of the Siskiyous' first Bowl game in seven years didn't go as planned, but there was much to love about Eagle football in 2024.

Five offensive linemen, three linebackers, and three defensive linemen are among the 15 Siskiyous players recognized on the Pacific 7 League 2024 Post Season Awards list.

Seven Eagle freshmen made 1st Team All-Conference along with sophomores Andrew Bouska (offensive line), Marcus Delgado (linebacker), and Demetrius McWillie (defensive back). Bouska was also 1st Team All-Conference last year.

Freshmen 1st Team picks are wide receiver David Wacenske, running back Bryson McFall, defensive lineman/short yardage running back Zaveon Jones, offensive linemen Howie Thorne and Brody Martin, and linebackers Cody Huntsinger and Cody Clarke.

Sophomore defensive linemen Key'Shawn Thomas and Julian Lehman and defensive back Saxon Farkas (a 1st Team choice last year) made Honorable Mention All-Conference along with freshman offensive linemen Nathaniel Barker and Zaidan Fejeran.

FOOTBALL PROGRAM'S QUICK TURNAROUND

That large All-Conference haul was a sign of the quick turnaround in the football program's fortunes. From winning just two games the previous year, the Eagles went 7-4 this fall, finished second in the Pac 7, and hosted the Northern California Bowl on Dec. 7 against San Jose.

They fell behind early against a big and effective San Jose team -- as they had in a loss when the two teams met early in the season. The Eagles trailed 35-7 at half time and 45-7 before freshman quarterback Andreus Smith's second two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. They scored two more touchdowns, on a tackle-breaking 10 yard run up the middle by sophomore Genaro Reyna and a 38 yard Smith pass that Wacenske caught in the end zone. The final score was 59-27.

In the end, San Jose celebrated by frolicking in patches of snow beyond Herschel Meredith Stadium's south end zone. The Eagles walked slowly to their post-game gathering in front of the north end zone where they heard encouraging words from head coach Adam Groppi.

They'll take many positive memories from the school's first winning football season since that last postseason appearance in 2017. They won three of their first four games and were 6-2 going into November. One of those losses was in overtime against Monterey Peninsula, a team that capped an undefeated season with a Bowl win over previously unbeaten De Anza.

The Eagles had their chances when they faced De Anza in the game that ultimately decided the Pac 7 championship Nov. 16 in Cupertino. With both teams undefeated in conference, the Eagles took a 28-25 lead with 2:17 to play, but then De Anza scored twice in the final minute and a-half.

A week later, the Eagles returned home and clinched a second place finish and home Bowl game with a dominating 41-18 win over Redwoods.

ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS

Unlike the other Pac 7 teams and most other teams, the Eagles had a majority of their offensive success on the ground. They led the conference and ranked 10th in the state with 2,040 rushing yards while running behind an offensive line that was all new this season except for Bouska.

Groppi said Bouska, a 6-foot-1, 300 pound left tackle from Glencoe, OR, was the most well-rounded of the award-winning Eagle offensive linemen, but they are all similar. "They're all tough, physical, never come out, and always give it their all. They all mesh. They show up everyday with a blue collar work ethic and help us control the clock. It's a good group; they improved a lot from day one."

The team's first-year head coach said the offensive line benefited from the teachings of assistant coaches Tim Frisbie and Charlie Roche, who were both offensive linemen and have both been coaching since the 1990s.

Brody Martin, a 6-3, 300 pound center from Puyallup, WA, "makes all the calls and sets us up for success," Groppi said.

The Eagles' other 1st Team offensive lineman is 6-1, 308 pound Howie Thorne of Pasco, WA. The Honorable Mention offensive linemen are 6-3, 285 pound Nathaniel Barker of Crescent City and 5-11, 320 pound Zaidan Fejeran of Lakewood, WA.

1st Team wide receiver David Wacenske was far and away the Eagles' top pass catcher, accounting for more than half the team's receiving yards. A 6-3, 215 pound freshman, Wacenske was 5th in conference with 47 receptions, 829 yards, and 8 touchdown catches. He had 93 yards on 3 catches in the Bowl game. Among pass catchers with more than 20 receptions this season, he ranked 2nd in conference with 17.6 yards per catch. He averaged just under 83 receiving yards per game while the Eagles as a team averaged 132. Groppi described Wacenske as "an ultimate competitor," and he showed that fire after his TD catch in the fourth quarter of the Bowl loss. "He's not overly fast but he's physical and he has some moves," Groppi said. "He also blocks well and is good running the fly sweep."

1st Team running back Bryson McFall took a year off from football before coming to the Eagles from Pleasant Valley High School in Chico. He missed a couple games this season but still ranked 2nd in conference with 758 rushing yards, 84.2 yards per game, and 6 yards per carry. At 5-7, 186 pounds, McFall is "fast and physical for his size," Groppi said. He ran for 89 yards in the Bowl game.

Although he's listed as a defensive lineman on the All-Conference 1st Team, 6-1, 275 pound Zaveon Jones of Mt Lake Terrace, WA, ranked 2nd in conference with 13 touchdown runs in the Eagles' short-yardage offensive set. He ranked 3rd in conference with 80 points scored. He played tight end on PAT and field goal teams and had a blocked kick. On defense, he ranked 1st in conference with 3 forced fumbles, led the Eagles and ranked 7th in conference with 10 tackles for loss, had 33 total tackles, and a fumble recovery. When Jones got the ball as a running back, Groppi said the Eagle coaches

called it "making business decisions" the way opposing cornerbacks shied away from trying to tackle him.

1st Team linebackers Cody Huntsinger and Cody Clarke both came to Siskiyous after playing high school football together in Battle Ground, WA. "They're both good football players and better human beings," Groppi said. "They're team players, always in good moods."

Huntsinger ranked 4th in conference with 43 solo tackles and 74 total tackles and 8th with 31 assists. He had 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, a pass interception that he returned for 32 yards, and broke up 2 passes. He was on the kickoff and punt teams, PAT and field goal teams, and was often a lead blocker for Jones in the short yardage offense. "He was all over the field," Groppi said. "He's smart and always gives great effort. He 100 percent fits the tradition of solid linebackers in Eagle history."

Cody Clarke, who also played on special teams, was 2nd on the team with 16 tackle assists. He was also 2nd on the team with 2 pass interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, all in the big win over Redwoods. Clarke had 2.5 tackles for loss this season, while only Huntsinger and defensive back Juan Serna (39) had more than his 37 total tackles. Marcus Delgado (36), Saxon Farkas (36), Zaveon Jones (33) and defensive back Andrew Robinson (33) were close behind.

1st Team linebacker Delgado tied with Julian Lehman for the team lead in quarterback sacks (4), led the Eagles with 2 fumble recoveries and was 2nd on the team and 10th in conference with 7.5 tackles for loss. He had 21 solo tackles, 36 total tackles and forced a fumble. Groppi said Delgado "knows his assignments, shows up and plays hard every day all over the field." Groppi and Delgado were on opposing sides when Groppi coached at Weed High School and Delgado played for the Mount Shasta Bears. "He was one of the better players we saw that year," Groppi said.

1st team defensive back Demetrius McWillie led the conference with 174 pass interception return yards. He led the Eagles and ranked 4th in conference with 3 interceptions. Groppi said McWillie stood out because he made those picks in big games, A sophomore from Rogue River, OR, McWillie returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in the Eagles' 32-20 win at Chabot. His interception and 64 yard return led to the touchdown that gave the Eagles a short-lived 28-25 lead late in the De Anza game. He also intercepted a pass against Redwoods, ranked 4th in conference with 301 kickoff return yards and 3rd in conference with 30.1 yards per kickoff return. He blocked a PAT kick in the Bowl game and had his longest kickoff return of the season, 55 yards, to set up the Eagles for their third touchdown.

McWillie and Farkas were standouts in a defensive backfield that played well most of the season. Farkas, from Chico, missed a couple games but still ranked tied Robinson for 2nd on the team with 27 solo tackles and was 5th on the team with 35 total tackles. He had an interception and was 3rd on the team with 3 pass breakups.

Key'Shawn Thomas and Julian Lehman made their presence felt on the defensive line. Thomas, from Bremerton, WA, was 4th on the team with 6 tackles for loss, 2 of them in the Bowl game. Though he was only credited with 1 sack for the season, Groppi described Thomas as "a pass rush specialist who gets to the quarterback a lot." He also forced a fumble and blocked a kick.

Lehman, from Corvallis, OR, tied for the team lead with 4 quarterback sacks and had a fumble recovery. "He didn't miss anything. He fit the system," Groppi said.