Is it an omen when your bus breaks down twice on the way to a game? Can it just be coincidence? If looking for the answers, just ask the Mount Shasta High School football team because that’s just what happened to them. 
Not once but twice the bus over-heated on the way to play the Modoc Braves on Friday night.
Playing their first game since teammate Corben Brooks’ serious injuries, head coach Mike Davis said it all added up to an off night and a 33-13 defeat.
“We were there physically but not mentally,” Davis said on Monday. “We just weren’t focused.”
If looking at the statistic sheet, anyone would have believed the Bears won their season opener. Turnovers and mental mistakes led to their demise. Davis expected some mistakes in the first real game of the season, but these “shot them in the foot.”
According to Davis, the offense did whatever they wanted to do on the field. The Bears  racked up 406 yards total offense. 
Royce Autry had 17 carries for 159 yards, and Marekomicheal Maumasi added 115 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown.
Unfortunately Autry and Miguel Rodriguez both lost fumbles on the 10 yard line.   
Near the end of the second quarter, Mount Shasta had the ball before throwing an interception on the 20 yard line. Modoc took the ball and ran back to inside the five yard line near their own end zone. The defense couldn’t stop them and the game went into half time with Modoc leading, 7-0.
The Bears got close in the first half but a holding penalty brought back a score and they eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Mount Shasta had 75 penalty yards for the game.  
“The way we were moving the ball, we should have been up by 21, but we couldn’t get the ball in there,” Davis said about the problems they had.     
The only thing missing from the game was passing. The Bears were 3-for-15 for 16 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. Steven Reed was threw both interceptions,  while  Jake Padula was 3-for-5 for 16 yards and a score. 
Tim Jaegel caught the touchdown pass from Padula on a short play. Klayton Davis was the Bears’ leading receiver with six yards. 
Davis said the defense dominated Modoc’s offense, giving up only 200 yards of total offense to the Braves.
Maumasi led the defense with 11 tackles and a sack.  Brendon Zehsazian had 10 tackles and a sack, and Klayton Davis added nine tackles.  Davis said most of his defensive players had three or more tackles in the game. 
Padula and Rodriguez both added a fumble recovery.
Even the special teams were doing what they wanted. The Bears had 184 return yards for the game. That doesn’t include a 90 yard punt return for a touchdown that was called back because of a block in the back.
“We stopped ourselves,” Davis said. “We have to refocus and get our mental state going.”
The Bears will be facing the Weed Cougars on Friday, Sept. 5 in the Black Butte Bowl in Mount Shasta. Junior varsity begins at 5:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m.