REDDING, Calif. – The Shasta College football team closed out the 2021 season with a 27-26 home loss to College of the Sequoias Saturday at Memorial Stadium on Sophomore night.
Quarterback Toren Tuttle connected with Tyler Carey on a 63-yard touchdown catch to bring the Knights within one with 6:21 remaining in the game. But Shasta kicker Dennis Perez slipped on his approach and his extra point attempt was blocked – the Knights' second missed PAT of the game.
Sequoias (5-5) never gave the ball back, converting two third down plays on the legs of quarterback Nathan Lamb to run out the clock to hand Shasta (4-6) a four-game losing streak to end the year.
Despite Shasta holding Sequoias to 11 rushing yards on 10 carries in the first half, the Giants finished with 149 yards on the ground with Lamb rushing for a game-high 98 yards on 14 carries, which included five runs of at least nine yards in the second half.
Sequoias had a short field to start the game, returning the opening kickoff 64 yards to the Shasta 15. Two plays later Lamb connected with Bryson Allen for a 6-yard score for a 6-0 lead in the first minute.
Shasta answered midway through the period when Tuttle hooked up with Josiah Graham over the middle for a 34-yard touchdown pass but Shasta missed the extra point to even the score at 6.
After allowing a score on the opening drive, the Knights defense held strong. Noah Benson intercepted a pass and the unit forced the Giants to go three-and-out on four straight series. That momentum transferred to the offense and Shasta took a 13-6 lead into the break when Tyler Carey cruised in for a 1-yard receiver sweep to cap a 13-play drive that took 5 minutes off the clock.
Sequoias tied it at 13 on its first drive of the third period with Lamb rushing it in from 6 yards out. Lamb converted fourth-and-2 with a 9-yard naked bootleg run and finished the drive with a 6-yard score on fourth-and-goal.
Tuttle responded by throwing his first of three touchdown passes on the day, connecting with tight end Trevahn Foster for a 30-yard scoring strike. Tuttle completed 16 of 23 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns and an interception and commanded an up-tempo offensive attack that allowed the Knights to be in rhythm early on.
However, Sequoias matched the score with Lamb escaping pressure and finding Jaedyn Pineda in the flat for an 8-yard touchdown just before the end of the third period. Sequoias added a score on its third straight drive to go ahead 27-20 when Lamb found pay dirt from 1 yard out. He finished the day 16 of 34 for 228 yards passing and two scores and added a pair of rushing scores.
Both teams stalled on their next offensive series but Shasta struck quick to bring it within one. One the second play of the drive midway through the fourth, Tuttle heaved it down the right sideline and hit Carey in stride for the longest pass play of the season. But the Knights, who have struggled with special teams the last half of the season, had the point after attempt blocked and was unable to tie the game.
Shasta forced Sequoias into third-and-long twice but Lamb found Pineda wide open for a 19-yard gain on third-and-13 and then Lamb ran it 10 yards on third-and-10 to move the chains and kneel in victory formation inside the Shasta 5.
Tyler Boston led Shasta in rushing with 61 yards on 15 attempts and hauled in four passes for 37 yards. Carey caught five passes for 101 yards and a score.
Defensively, Tyrese Randall had a team-high eight tackles, CJ Williams had seven tackles and a sack and Aiden Allsop had seven tackles. Anthony Slayton, Shasta's leading tackler, had five tackles and a sack before leaving the game with a knee injury in the second half.
GAME NOTES
Tyler Boston finished the season with 790 rushing yards, 13th most in Knights' single-season history … Boston had 337 carries for a career, which is third-all-time in program history … Boston ends his Shasta career with 1,760 rushing yards, which ranks fifth all-time in program history … Boston also finished with 22 total touchdowns, which is third-most for the Knights all-time … Carey's 101 receiving yards was the second time a receiver reached 100 yards in a game this season … Shasta ended the season on a four-game losing streak, the last time the Knights did that was in 2007.
Photo Credit: Mike Daly