Local Football, 11/26

Last week, three of the teams we have been following during this year’s football season took the field in postseason games. Unfortunately, none were able to post victories. Here are details about these games:

Lassen Grizzlies: Riding into their Division 3 semifinal game against the Orland Trojans with a seven-game winning streak and home-field advantage, we favored the Grizzlies to move on to the division’s championship game against either the Gridley Bulldogs or Arbuckle’s Pierce Bears on November 29.

Unfortunately, on a cold evening before a crowd of hundreds, after the Grizzlies led 13-0 early in the second quarter and took a 16-7 lead by the end of the first half, the Trojans’ defense held the Grizzlies scoreless throughout the second half.

Meanwhile, the visitors’ offense passed for a touchdown in the third quarter and rushed for another touchdown in the fourth to take the lead, 20-16, with six minutes left in the game.

However, in a tense, exciting finish, the Grizzlies had two chances to regain the lead before the clock ran out. First, they drove down the field to Orland’s 25-yard line with two minutes left in the game before losing possession on downs. Then, with one minute left, they recovered a fumble at Orland’s 30-yard line and were only 10 yards from the end zone when time expired.

Having gained 351 all-purpose yards compared to the Trojans’ 333 (with Trojans senior Dathen Moore rushing for 209 yards and receiving passes for another 21 yards), it was a bitter end to the Grizzlies’ season. Nonetheless, the team compiled a 9-3 win-loss record and will always be able to look back on the season with pride.

Loyalton Grizzlies: Last Saturday, Loyalton’s team traveled to Trinity County to vie for California’s Northern Section 8-Man Football Championship in a game against the Hayfork Timberjacks.

Having made this long, at least 4.5-hour journey earlier in the season, and having returned to Loyalton after being shut out by the Timberjacks’ defense while their offense scored 52 points, Loyalton’s team had good reason to feel like sacrificial lambs when they took the field last week.

And, as it happened, led by Levi Cavalli, who rushed for 298 yards and five touchdowns while also returning an interception 37 yards for a sixth score (bringing his total number of touchdowns for the season up to 61), the unbeaten Timberjacks won the 8-Man Football Championship, 58-0.

Again, the Grizzlies, who came into last week’s game with a 7-3 overall record for the season and a four-game winning streak, could nurse their wounds on the way back to Loyalton knowing they had had a season to remember with pride.

Portola Tigers: As with the Loyalton Grizzlies, when the Tigers traveled to play the Biggs Wolverines in a Northern Section-Division 5 “bowl” game, the Tigers had little likelihood of beating their opponent last Friday evening. Yes, back in mid-October, Biggs had traveled to Portola and beat the Tigers 42-8.

So, when Wolverines’ Cashton Acosta, a junior running back and pass receiver, rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown, caught three passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and posted a 40-yard, pick-six, interception return to fuel Biggs’ 33-6 victory, the Tigers could not have been particularly surprised.

However, the Tigers fielded a young team this season, and only seven of the team’s 28-man roster will have graduated before the 2026 season begins. So, while the game in Biggs was a tough loss, the contest provided the young Tigers with a bit more experience, a vital asset going into their next season.