COS to kick off football season Saturday in Redding: Here's how to watch

The College of the Siskiyous football team will at long last take the field for a game on Saturday at Shasta College in Redding.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined the Eagles since the fall of 2020, but they’ll have the chance to play in four games this spring, facing Shasta College and Feather River twice each.

No fans will be allowed at the games, which will be broadcast online live.

This Saturday’s game begins at 1 p.m. and will be shown at the www.shastasportsnetwork.com and Gmooreaudio.com. The streams will begin one hour before kick-off.

COS next plays at Feather River on March 20. They’ll host the Knights on April 3 and end the season against Feather River at home on April 10.

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The roster reveals a familiar name: Mount Shasta High School graduate Jackson May is No. 19, playing tight end and defensive line for the Eagles. The six foot, three inch May played football for MSHS for four years. 

The only other Siskiyou County player on the roster is McCloud High School graduate David Wolfe.

“Practices have been going well,” said first-year COS head coach Tyler Knudsen. “They are all excited to get out there, put the pads on and get ready for a game.”

The team is taking several safety measures, including COVID-19 testing 48 hours before the game.  

Players are practicing in pods with teammates in the same position some distance away from others. 

Knudsen said to make sure they have all their bases covered, players will be playing both offense and defense, so if someone is unable to play they will have other options.

COS generally starts fall practices with more than 100 players and coaches are forced to whittle the roster to around 85.

This year, there are a few more than 60 players on the roster, which is understandable, Knudsen said, considering the circumstances. Some players are opting to wait until the fall to play a full season. Other issues include COS not having much housing on campus.  

For instance, Knudsen said, dorm rooms usually house two to three people, but due to COVID-19, only one person is allowed per dorm room.

He said these issues are also affecting other two-year football programs in the state, such as their two opponents.

“We’re all in the same boat tying to figure ot everything and being ready to play football,” Knudsen said.

While of course there has been a bit of rust, the Eagles have been working hard at practices and said Knudsen said he’s proud of their dedication.

“They all have been through a lot this past year but are holding tough through these different times,” he said. “They have had  a great attitude.”

Knudsen thanked everyone at COS for working hard to ensure the sports teams are able to practice and get ready for the season, including staff and faculty members and the custodial crew, who makes sure everything is sanitized and safe for them to use. 

“It takes a lot of work from a lot of people to make this work,” Knudsen said. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes making things happen and doing what needs to be done to allow us to practice and play.”