OROVILLE, Calif. – Holden Gilbert racked up 182 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns but visiting Shasta College couldn't catch No. 8 Butte on Saturday, fall 53-34 in the season finale.

The Knights were within one score twice in the fourth quarter. Dennis Perez nailed a 38-yard field goal to trail by three and a Noah Benson interception and 55-yard return set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Eli Wehbey to Nathaniel Wilson to cut the deficit to 5 with 12:36 remaining.

But the Roadrunners scored the next 21 points behind a Spencer Obsorn pick-6, a 19-yard run from Caleb Ramseur and a 9-yard run by backup quarterback Rieger Sayre to pull away.

Shasta (2-3 NorCal Conference, 4-6) added one more score in the final minutes. Gilbert bounced off two defenders before breaking free for a 68-yard run, the longest run of the season for the Knights.

"Our guys played very well through three quarters," said Shasta College head coach Bryon Hamilton. "We gave ourselves a chance to win but in the fourth quarter we made too many mistakes. I was very proud of our guys."

Gilbert finished with nine carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns while catching three passes for 76 yards. He also added 34 yards on three kickoff returns.

Gilbert punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to cap Shasta's 12-play, 80-yard drive that lasted half of the first quarter. The Knights led 7-0 after the opening period and regained the lead at 14-10 on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Wehbey to tight end Tre Foster late in second quarter.

But Butte's Ramseur found pay dirt from 8-yards out to go into halftime with a 17-14 advantage.

Shasta knotted it at 17 with Perez's 26-yard field goal midway through the third but Butte responded two minutes later with a Hughes to Jailen Hammer 37-yard touchdown pass.

The Knights drove from their own 8 on the ensuing possession, using chunk plays to flip the field. Wehbey found Foster for 22 and 19 yards and Miles Wilson had an 18-yard rush before Perez split the uprights from 38-yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter to make a 23-20.

Hughes found Jackson downfield, who broke a tackle and sprinted for a touchdown. Shasta was backed up to its own 11 on the next drive and Wehbey was sacked by Elijah O'Neal for a safety.

Benson picked off Hughes on the following play from scrimmage to spark life in the Knights and Wilson's 16-yard touchdown, his only score of the season, made it a 5-point game.

But Butte pulled away late for the victory.

Wehbey completed 24 of 40 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Foster hauled in seven catches for 96 yards – both career-highs – while Tyler Carey caught seven passes for 45 yards. Miles Wilson rushed for 36 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, Anthony Slayton had 10 tackles and one for a loss. C.J. Williams Jr. had five tackles and an interception while Noah Benson had an interception and five tackles. Braden Rohde had the Knights' lone sack to finish with a team-high 4.5 sacks on the season.

GAME NOTES

Shasta is 12-36-2 all-time against Butte … Holden Gilbert had the season's longest run with a 68-yarder … Shasta averaged 27.8 points per game, the most in a 10-game season since 2017 …

AMONG STATE LEADERS

Tyler Carey was among the state receiving leaders, finished third in receiving yards (864), third in yards per catch (19.6) and third in receiving touchdowns (11), seventh in total touchdowns (14) and eighth in yards per game (86.4) … Anthony Slayton was second in the state in tackles (88), fourth in solo tackles (54) and sixth in tackles per game (8.8) … Eli Wehbey's 13 passing TDs were third-most in the state in conference play.

A PLACE IN THE RECORD BOOK

Eli Wehbey's 13 passing touchdowns were the third-most in the state during conference play … Wehbey threw 13 touchdowns in five games, becoming the 15th Knight to throw for at least 13 touchdowns in a season … Tyler Carey finishes single season history ranking fifth in receiving touchdowns (11), eighth in total touchdowns (14), 12th in yards (864) and 17th in receptions (44). He finishes among the career leaders, finishing fourth in receiving touchdowns (16), fifth in receiving yards (1,409), fifth in total touchdowns (21) and sixth in catches (80).

STANDINGS
#9 American River 5-0, 7-3
#8 Butte 4-1, 7-3
Sierra 2-3, 6-4
Shasta 2-3, 4-6
Santa Rosa 2-3, 4-6
Siskiyous 0-5, 1-8

Photo Credit: Mike Daly

Video YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Ctq95GPzXIQ