Not bad for a little website that does not try to get placed on Google or advertise to get noticed. What DunsmuirSports relies on is you the great fans!

DunsmuirSports started almost two years ago as DunsmuirSchools.com. Our goal was to post pictures online so athletes, their parents and friends could see the cool things they were doing. In July of 2010 we reorganized and developed a simple navigational site that linked the game and the individual pictures together. We also added ad banners to help raise money for the high school.

This year DunsmuirSports added a new look, a Facebook page, and video highlights to some of the sporting events. So what is next? Maybe larger Facebook Pictures? You tell us what you would like to see.

What a tough game. A fight to the very end.

With only 46 seconds on the clock and the score 27-26 in favor of the Butte Valley Bulldogs, and with the Bulldogs in possession trying to run out the clock the Tigers forced a turnover! You can’t get anymore excitement than that!

Nail biting is one term that comes to mind.

With no time outs the Tigers have only one chance—pass every down and hope one connects. Starting from mid-field, Jake Mekeel fired off four passes that just did not connect. An upset for the Tigers, but a real display of leadership on Mekeel.

You could see these boys gave as good as the got. They played their heart out to the very end. Some played injured and hurting, while almost all played tired and exhausted, but they never quit.

We often want to look for moments that cost the game. Was it a single play, a field goal or the referee’? That only looks for fault and blame—our coaches will examine the films and work on shortcomings. As for me I just want to say “Thank you for being my heroes’.” It takes a lot of courage and character to do the things y'all do and play the way y'all play. My heart goes out to Brian Taylor who was injured during the game as well as Cody Rooney who was also injured.

I also want to send a shout out to Jake Mekeel for his leadership and character during a tough game. As you are discovering being a leader means you take the good and the bad and we all see that you have the character to take it all—you’re still the best!

After a grim start in preseason the Lady Tigers Volleyball team has gone undefeated in league moving them past rival Tulelake.

The Tigers started off this year against a tough preseason wining only once against Providence. However, going toe-to-toe with the Lady Cougars of Weed, in the last game of preseason, this team is turned a corner and are something impressive on the court.

With players on both sides strutting their pink ribbons, shoelaces, and socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month, Thursday night, the Lady Tigers came out ready to go point-for-point against the Lady Bulldogs of Butte Valley. Last year the Tigers split the win/lost with the Lady Bulldogs going 1-3 and 3-1. This tear the Tigers one quickly 3-0.

With their win over the Bulldogs the Tigers are now in first place with a 4-0 league record and a 5-9 overall record. With wins over Happy Camp, Big Valley, and Butte Valley the Ladies only have Tulelake and Surprise Valley to beat to sweep the league.

The headline says it all. It seemed like the Red Sox’s curse, but this Friday night, the Dunsmuir Tigers beat the Hayfork Timberjacks 59-30.

The game started with a quick score by Justin Declusin who went on to score three more times as well as a two point conversion for a total of twenty-six points. That was followed with a fumble recovery by James Adams for forty-eight yard touchdown. However, the Timberjacks would not go down easy and kept the game close throughout the first quarter and into the second. Yet, the second quarter was where the Tigers pulled away scoring 30 points to the Timberjacks 8.

At the end of the first half the Tigers were ahead 48-24. Jake Mekeel had taken the helm as quarterback and led the Tigers to victory. Mekeel passed for 241 yards, his second best game of the season, and rushed for 104 yards with 1 interception for a 20 yard run-back out of the end zone. However, what got fans on their feet was Mekeel’s two-point conversion as he mowed over a Hayforks player at the goal line.

Brian Taylor added to the score with three touchdowns and two conversions. Taylor rushed for forty yards and had four receptions for an added ninety-two yards.

Randy Hix finished off the scoring with his first 30 yard field goal, his first in regulation play.

The defense was very impressive Friday night with a total of 80 tackles two defense interceptions, and a fumble recovery; however, the defense made their greatest contribution with the most sacks per game and the greatest loss to the opposing team.

Hayfork could not hold back the line. The Tigers sacked Hayfork seven times for a loss of fifty yards. Mason Mekeel led in sacks with 2.5 followed by with Justin DeClusin with 2, Jeff Rhoades with 1.5, and Cody Rooney with 1.

This is a team to remember. The Tigers, with Head Coach Ray Kellar and Assistant coaches: Jason Young, Jimmy Palmer, Robert Wallace, Chris Ballard, Scott Sordahl, and Bruce Stainbrook have molded this group of young men into a well tuned machine. And as mentioned in an earlier blog, this could be the year.

The Lady Tiger Volleyball started the league season with a rip-roaring doubleheader against the Lady Indians of Happy Camp, giving them a 2-0 record in league with an overall 3-7 record.

The night started for the Lady Tigers with Clara Weld serving 13 straight points. Yet that wasn’t the only excitement of the night.

In three sets of the first game the Lady Tigers won with an overall high hitting average. Chelsea Helms made some outstanding kills getting by numerous opponents and was only blocked at the net a few times. Jessica Hatten made tremendous sets for the Lady Tigers giving the ladies a 3-0 win.

The next game was more evenly played with the Lady Tigers winning in four sets. Both teams showed signs of exhaustion due to long volleys and spectacular saves.

During the sixth game of the evening the Lady Indians took a ten point lead over the Tigers with a score of 20-10. However, after the Happy Camp rally Corrin Webb made a great comeback by brining in ten great serves to tie the match 20-20. However, after a few good volleys the Lady Indians were able to secure their only win of the night 25-23.

The final set scores for the first game was: 25-10, 25-17, 25-15. The set scores of the second game was: 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18.

The Lady Tigers host Big Valley next on October 4, 2011, 5:30 p.m.

Ninety-one yards rushing yards, eight tackles, one sack, a sixty-six yard kick-off return and a touchdown, all in 100 degree heat, and blisters on his feet---it is no wonder Justin Declusin was named the Dunsmuir Player of the week.

With the opening of the season being an away game, that is not unusual. Yet, with the opening of the season being played two and a half hours away in 100 degree temperature, that is a crucible.

For the first time in four years the Dunsmuir Tigers started the season on the road against the Princeton Eagles. The Eagles, finishing last season with a 4-6 record, gave as good as they got against the Tigers. After a botched punt by Jake Mekeel, the Eagles scored on the next down with a forty-two yard pass reception. The next time the Eagles would score would be in the third quarter.

Jake Mekeel led the Tigers as the QB for most of the game passing for 251 yards, the longest a seventy-three yard completion to CJ Palmer. Mekeel also rushed for forty-nine yards, had eight tackles with five assists, and had two punts for fifty-one yards.

However, in the third quarter Mekeel left the game with leg cramps and his brother Mason came in to lead the Tigers. M. Mekeel rushed for two yards and had six tackles and four assists.

CJ Palmer lead the Tigers in scoring with eighteen points. Six of those eighteen points was from a seventy-three yard reception, his longest of the night. Palmer rushed for six yards but added ground for the Tigers with one hundred and forty-three receiving yards. Palmer also had four tackles and two assists.

Other Tigers who aided in the win were: Brian Taylor who rushed for sixty-three yards and scored a touch down on a five yard reception; Cody Hagedon rushed for twenty-three yards but was cut short of the goal line; Jacob Greeno added six points with a one yard reception; and Randy Hix showed off his kicking skills by making 5 of 6 field goal attempts.

All in all the Tigers started the season very well. They were able to read their opponent and take advantage of situations. Like normal (and according to most columnists) our Tigers are the team to watch.

In 8-man Division VI football, if you want to win the championship Hayfork was the team to beat; however, that might not be the case this year.

For two straight years the Hayfork Timberjacks have dominated the Northern Section 8-man football. With their perfect 23-0 records they have earned the top ranking for the past two years. But things are changing.

As the teams got their first look at the competition for the Evergreen League this past Saturday, during the annual Dunsmuir scrimmage August 27, 2011, the Dunsmuir Tigers stood-out as the team to beat.

With all eyes on the Tigers, they started the scrimmage off on a down beat as they were taken to task by the Butte Valley Bulldogs. However, they quickly recovered and were able to dominate the competition for the rest of the scrimmage.

Coach Ray Kellar told the Mt. Shasta News the Tigers "started a little slow vs. Butte Valley, but gained momentum quickly."

Last season, the Bulldogs were the only other team to defeat the Tigers next to Hayfork. This year things will be a little different.

With the return of most of the starters the Tigers are ready to take on the Princeton Eagles, Friday, September 2, at 4:00 p.m. Last year the Tigers beat the Eagles 54-6 at home.

Kellar expects the Eagles to "throw the ball down the middle of the field and run quick pitches and counters as they did last year." but like last year, the Tigers will be ready!

It’s that time a year again and your Dunsmuir Tigers are preparing for the season. Last year the Tigers had a great 9-3 season only to be defeated by the Hayfork Timberjacks in the playoffs. But that was then, and we don’t cry over spilt milk!

This year the Tigers are looking better than ever. The Tigers started preparing for their possible championship season with the dreaded two-a-day practice. And like every year the two-a-days showed who was ready and who wasn’t.

Coaches Ray Kellar, Jason Young, Jimmy Palmer, Scott Sordahl, Robert Wallace, & Chris Ballard are all returning for what could be a section title year. Many old faces still glean the gridiron with Jake Mekeel as QB and running backs CJ Palmer, Justin Declusin and others backing him up. The front-line has changed but the heart of the Tigers beats in all.

None-the-less controversy blooms in the media over who is posed to take the title. According to an August 9, 2011 column by Kevin Askeland in the Redding Record Searchlight, Hayfork is still situated to be the section champion. This prediction comes from Askeland and his belief that “coach Randy Harrison, is still around and that will be the difference.”

Not to take anything away from Harrison, but we have our head coach Ray Kellar — and he can get the job done!

Talking with Kellar about the team he says, “The team is great! We are twenty strong and working hard toward our goal of a league and section championship.”

So come out and watch the Tiger’s ten week march to the playoffs. The first game is against the Princeton Eagles at Princeton, September 2, 2011.

However, if you can’t wait for the first game, the Dunsmuir Scrimmage is August 28, 2011 at the ballfield.

This is a day for picnics, parades, and setting off fireworks (which I will be taking part of in a few hours) and, for this great nation, it is that plus more.

We love our freedoms. We love our rights: our freedom of speech, to peaceably assemble, and our religions. We love all that is America. From sea to shining sea we love America. Yes, there are things we do not like, but nothing this side of glory is perfect. For all the good people and services we do there will always come some bad— that’s life and also in America that is sometimes freedom.

Yesterday at church we celebrated our freedom, but we called it something else — “liberty.” Liberty echos all around us but we don’t really stop to consider what the term means. Our pledge to our flag and nation ends with these words, “and liberty, and justice for all.” The preamble to our Constitution include these words, “and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Even when we declared our independence from England our fore-fathers wrote that all men should have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

So what is liberty?

Well, it is an archaic word that means freedom with responsibility. Philosophers have tried to tangle the word in rhetoric, politicians have tried to fix it to their causes, but the fact still remains we have our freedom and we need to use it with responsibility. I till my children, “just because you have the right doesn’t mean you should take your right. Be responsible in your right.”

This is not anything new. You can find similar writings like this in most blogs and newspapers throughout America today. I never said I was original. I just wanted to stand up and give a salute the men and women who have and are serving to preserve our liberties. For those who put on a uniform, whether serving overseas or here at home; whether it is military or as a civilian, you are the men and women who continue to secure our future.

From all of us at DunsmuirSports — Thank you.

We are always trying to stay on the cutting edge, and the new look of DunsmuirSports.com is better than ever.

At DunsmuirSports.com we looked at what we had done over the past two years and how we could make it better. We felt the old look had a cartoonish feel, where the new has a more cutting edge style and feel

The site still operates the same as it did with a standard header and navigation bar. A number of the graphics are now flash based so the site can load faster (Don't worry iPad/iPhone fans we got you covered. Read below). However, the same structure and ease of navigation is still available at DunsmuirSports.com. You can navigate through the home page to any of the twelve sports. Once you choose a sport you will be taken to the "event" sport page where you can navigate to a game or check the team roster.

Also, a new feature that we tried with wrestling last year is the "Video" link. For most games we hope to be able to offer video highlights of each game and stream them to the site. Look for "Video" under each game to link to the video page.

Go and check out the new site. Oh, by the way, if you are looking for the old site and pictures, well, you still can get them. Just go to the bottom of the page.

New year, new uniforms, new basketball court, and a few new faces, this is what starts almost every year in high school sports. Seniors graduate, freshmen come in, and the process roles on. It is like the cycle of the seasons – fall, winter, spring, and summer; however, in sports it is different. In high school sports these seasons are called by different names: football, basketball, baseball, etc. They are our reference to the changing tides of high school.

Dreams are made during these high school days. Dreams like making the catch, or sinking the basket, or even dreams about being there as a fan when “it” happened — these are what stick with you throughout the years.

I tell our local heros all the time, “These are the days you will always remember. You will rehearse them with your friends and share them with your children. These are the days to remember.”

I always wish the cares of this world would not rest on the shoulders of our youth until after high school — but, unfortunately, the pressures of life also roles on. We cannot stop the encumbrance; however, we can help them remember the “moments.”

This is the main reason I created Tigers Year in Sports. It is a way to help our heros remember the “Glory Days,” to give them a respite from life and tell the stories in the days and years to come.

So sit back and reminisce about when you were there. Tell your children and your grandchildren about the catch, the basket, or the spike. Relive the days when life was slower and we had heros. Remember, those were the “Glory Days.”

Richard D. McCormack
May 13, 2011

As we come down to the final stretch there are still some races separated by less than ten votes. And there have been a couple of changes over the weekend.

In Baseball Justin DeClusin has moved into second behind Jake Mekeel. DeClusin has also come up in Football to make a third place run.

The Cheerleading is still too close to call with Eleena Vigil holding the lead. There is still only 8 votes separating the three leaders.

So what happens on April 1, 2011?

To make it all fair there are some steps we will be taking. First we will check for duplicate email entries. Second, we will verify real emails from made-up emails. Then we will check the server for hacks (yes we get hacked every once in a while). Then we will recount the votes to make sure they are all counted. Finally the official count with the cover will be announced April 5, 2011.

So keep those votes coming.

With voting for, “Who do you want to see on the cover?” almost over, there have been some changes in leaders through out the two weeks of voting. . . . but it is not over yet!

As in any race the ending often looks different than it did at the beginning or in the middle. We will just have to wait on how the weekend looks.

Keep those votes coming in.

As voting continues some of the races look as if they will come down to the wire.

In Cheerleading there is a new leader, Elenna Vigil. Votes for Vigil came in over night helping her move from third to first. However, there are still only four votes separating the three leaders.

In Softball, Krystal Palmer still maintains her lead, but moving up the ladder is Maria Gutierrez who moved ahead of Jessica Hatten for second.

Clara Weld takes a surge in votes bringing her within striking distance of Katie McIntyre in Varsity Volleyball.

Good luck guys and gals.

Keep those votes coming.

Today there is little change as voting calms down for the first time in ten days. Of all the votes cast there are some sports where only a few votes separate third from first. This is not to mention that those just out of third are still in the running.

Today, with all the votes counted the big changes lie in Basketball.

Collin Lattanzio broke away from Kile Beck with a few votes to take second in Boys Basketball.

In Girls Basketball Chelsea Helms moved up to third again knocking off Jessica Hatten.

The Jr. Varsity Basketball saw a change also as Mason Mekeel moved back into third behind Kyle Rooney.

The voting is slowing down so now is the time to get your great-grandmother to cast her vote.

Today, there were some surprises and close calls in the voting. One big surprise was the push by voters for Jessica Hatten and Jake Mekeel. Their afficionados made a surprising push to move them up on the votes.

In Cheerleading, Jessica Hatten squeaked past Allie Belzer by two votes to take first.

In Football Jake Mekeel knocked off his brother Mason to rally for third. However, Coltton Sordahl moved into first ahead of Justin Shuler by a few votes.

In Girls Basketball, Jessica Hatten moved into third just ahead of Chelsea Helms.

Justin DeClusin moved up to first ahead of Kyle Rooney in Jr. Varsity Basketball.

However, just off the radar are some who have been at a strong fourth and some who have bounced in and out of third. So if there was a fourth place vote, today, in Football the honors would go to Mason Mekeel. In Cheerleading they would go to Tayler Shuler; Varsity Volleyball, Allie Belzer; Jr. Varsity Volleyball, Kalia Kaili; Boys Varsity Basketball, Christian DeLeon; Girls Varsity Basketball, Chelsea Helms; Boys Jr. Varsity Basketball, Randy Hix; Baseball, Dylan Brashear; Softball, Taylor Mitchell; Tennis there would be a three way tie between: Kendall Clark, Kile Beck, and Scott Headly; Track, Remi Ewens; and Wrestling, CJ Palmer.

No matter what the sport or how the votes may fall, in the end, they are all, whether first or tenth, heros in my book.

Keep on voting, you never know who will come out the victor.

Over the weekend voting saw a strong push to move our favorite athletes into solid positions while bringing new faces into the light.

In Baseball, Dylan Brashear was knocked off the top three as Colton "Crash" Sordahl makes his push for the top.

For the first time we have a tie for first place. Justin Shuler and Colton "Crash" Sordahl have been battling for the number one position in Football all throughout the voting. Today, they are both king-of-the-hill. Who will get knocked off first?

Randy Hix makes his debut in JV Boys Basketball as he topples Jeff Rhoades and Mason Mekeel for third.

Kendall Clark once again shows she is still in the running as she moves back into third in JV Volleyball.

Collin Lattanzio continues to dominate in Tennis, however, Lilah Saverimuttu has moved out of the pack securing the second position ahead of Patrick Carr.

In Track, Jeff Rhoades still holds on to the number one position; yet, battling for the third position is a four-way tie between: Clara Weld, CJ Palmer, Matt Hall, and Randy Hix.

Finally, in Wrestling, a push in the voting brings a new face into the light. Trent "T-Rex" Johnson moves into third as the voting continues.

Who will come out on top? Check with us tomorrow and see if the person you voted for still holds the lead.

None of the leaders changed overnight, however several second place spots are gaining momentum.

In Cheerleading Jessica Hatten makes a strong push for first as she passes Elenna Vigil who moves down to third from second.

Mason Mekeel comes out of no where to make a solid third in football. Mason also comes into the light to tie for third in Jr. Varsity Basketball with Justin DeClusin.

Marki Stibi runs ahead of Maria Gutierrez for third place in Softball, but Krystal Palmer continues to hold a strong lead in first.

In Tennis Collin Lattanzio continues his reign in first however there is a battle for second between Lilah Severimuttu and Patrick Carr.

A new development evolves as a three way tie between Clara Weld, Katie McIntyre, and Matt Hall. The second and third spots are separated by only 3 votes.

Only 20 more days of voting left.

A new day of voting and a few upsets and some surprises.

In football the race for first is neck and neck with Dylan Brashear moving into a strong third.

Cheerleading is also close with a battle for first between Allie Belzer and Elenna Vigil.

In Varsity Volleyball Clara Weld falls to third as Jessica Hatten makes a strong run for second.

Maria Gutierrez, Tayler Shuler, and Kendall Clark are neck-and-neck in Jr. Varsity Volleyball with only five votes separating the three leaders.

Out of nowhere Kile Beck climbs up the pole in Boys Varsity Basketball to second moving Collin Latanzio to third.

In Girls Basketball Clara Weld makes a strong presence taking the second spot from Chelsea Helms.

Kyle Ronney holds on to the number one spot in Jr. Varsity Boys just ahead of Justin DeClusin who made a strong push up to number two.

Also, out of nowhere comes Jessica Hatten in Softball giving her the number two ranking.

Keep your votes coming. Things are looking close.

Both the Tigers in baseball, and the Lady Tigers in softball were disappointed Tuesday, as they fell to the Weed Cougars and Lady Cougars on their season openers in Weed.

The Tigers were overcome 3-4 after going into the bottom of the 7th tied at 3-3. What appeared to be the coming of an extra inning wound up being an ending inning as a base hit snuck past the infield allowing the Cougars catcher, C. Sanchez, to score the winning run.

Three pitchers for the Tigers took the mound as new Tiger baseball couch, Robert Wallace, tried out his bullpen on their first game out. Colton Sordahl opened the stretch with two innings, followed by Jake Mekeel and his brother Mason. Both threw for two innings apiece.

“We didn’t do bad,” said catcher Colton Sordahl, especially since we have not had any batting practice nor practiced on a field.”

Wallace commented he was proud of his new team and that they did very well since they had only had six indoor practices before the game.

The Tigers did very well with four singles and a double.

The Lady Tigers lead against the Lady Cougars until the last inning when the Lady Cougars put up a rally to finish the Lady Tigers 8-12.

The Ladies had their own rally in the 2nd inning as they lead off with six runs before being shut down on their second time through the lineup. They continued to keep the pace through the fifth inning, but was overcome in the sixth.

Three pitchers from the Lady Tigers also graced the mound. Krystale Palmer with her stinging fastball opened the game holding the Lady Cougars to only two runs. Jessica Hatton came in from short stop to follow Palmer, and was later followed by Chelsea Helms who caught most the game.

Both teams did very well spite the low 40 degree wether with moderate winds. Both the Tigers and the Lady Tigers take on the Indians at Happy Camp Friday, wether permitting.

DunsmuirSports.com announces it has received over 500,000 hit on its website and is still going strong.

Because of the enormous popularity of the website DunsmuirSports.com is throwing a pizza party for Dunsmuir High School on Friday, March 4, 2011, during lunch, as a way of saying, “Thank you,” to the students body and coaches who have made this possible.

“The popularity of the site for students, parents, grandparents, and friends is more than I could have ever dreamed,” said Richard D. McCormack, designer and photographer for DunsmuirSports.com. “It all started as a service for the high school yearbook, and has grown into much much more.”

The website is more than just a place to view pictures of the games, it is also a place where local businesses can advertise to a niche audience. McCormack says that 75% of the advertising dollars goes to the high school athletic department.

“With all the cutbacks imposed against our schools, it only makes sense to do all that we can to secure the future of our schools,” McCormack said.

DunsmuirSports.com will also unveil the cover of the 2010-2011, Tigers Year in Sports at the high school pizza party.

“This cover has a different twist to it,” McCormack said. “You will just have to be at the unveiling to see what I mean.”

Background information.

* DunsmuirSports.com originally launched December 19, 2010 under the website www.DunsmuirSchools.com.
* DunsmuirSports.com re-launched in late July 2010 on the website www.DunsmuirSports.com.
* DunsmuirSports.com receives on average 70,000 hits a month since its re-launch.
* DunsmuirSports.com mission statement is 1) Provide quality photographs of school athletes for the yearbook, athletes, parents, and friends to download free of charge; 2) to give a good return on investment (ROI) for advertisers and sponsors; and 2) to support Dunsmuir high school both financially and as a patron.
* Businesses can advertise on the website for $30.00 a month
* 75% of advertising revenue goes to support the athletic department at Dunsmuir High school

Wednesday night the #9 seeded Lady Tigers beat back the #8 seeded Champion Christian Lady Mustangs 44-43. This makes the first time in Dunsmuir’s history the varsity girls basketball team has advanced in playoffs.

According to early reports, the Tigers held off the Mustangs drive for the basket as time was running out.

This has been long up and down season for the Lady Tigers as they ran through the pre-season with a 9-1 record before league games — ranking them #1; to starting playoffs with a 11-10 record — ranking them #4 in league.

The Ladies take on Westwood, Friday night at Westwood.

Keep it up ladies!

There was a lot that developed this weekend, and to begin, I don’t know where to start.

For the first time in . . . (well nobody really remembers), both the Tigers and the Lady Tigers are in the playoffs in basketball. Way to go Tigers!

The Lady Tigers finish the season with an overall record of 11-10 with a 2-8 record in league. That seeded them 9th in Division VI playoffs just behind #8 Champion Christian. The ladies will travel Wednesday to Chico and be hosted by Champion Christian.

The Tigers finished their season with an overall record of 12-10 with a 6-4 record in league. That seeded them #8 just ahead of American Christian. The seeding also allows the Tigers to host the first round at home Tuesday night. They will face off against American Christian who they have beat two out of three times.

The boys have a similar seeding this year to last year, except for the hosting. If the Tigers get out of the first round they will play Paradise Adventist who they played in the second round last year and beat them 68-55. Then, if they get pasts Paradise Adventist they will go up against Maxwell in the semi-finals — who, by the way, won Division VI last year.

Can anyone say, “deja vu.”

And we don’t want to forget our Tiger JV team who went 9-5 this season giving them a great season! I cannot wait to see these young men play on varsity.

Also advancing in wrestling is our very own Jay Rhoades. Rhoades who wrestles at 189 pounds took second in Division III & IV. This moves him into Sections this Saturday in Redding and seeds him pretty high (official seeding will be announced later this week).

John Slinger also goes to sections as an alternate after taking fifth in his weight class. Others who placed but do not advance are CJ Palmer (125 pound) who took sixth and Justin Schuler (171 pound) who took sixth also.

Overall our local heros are going strong. They are giving everything they gave and I for one am proud of our heros.

Go Tigers!

The varsity boys have had a rough start to the season, however, did you know three of our Tigers rank in the top five for: average points scored in a game, rebounds, and assists. Fact is, as of today, at least one Tiger made the top five rankings of all the stats except block shots.

Jake Mekeel starts off the stats with being ranked second in the Evergreen League in average points scored in a game with a total of 12.3 points per game. Mekeel also is ranked in the top five rankings with: second in 3 pointers, 1.7 per game; fifth in rebounds, 4.2 per game; third in assists, 2.4 per game; first in charges, 3 per game; and third in free throws with 26 of 47. Way to go Jake!

Collin Lattanzio ranks in the top five with third in average points scored in a game with a total of 11.8 points per game, first in rebounds with 10.3 per game, and fourth in steals with 2 per game.

Christian DeLeon also ranks in the top five as number five in average points scored in a game with a total of 9.6 points per game and steals where he is ranked fourth with 1.5 per game.

Daniel Ballard also made the top five rankings as number three in three pointers with .9 per game, first in assists with 3.4 per game, and third in charge with 1 per game.

Kile Beck completes the top five rankings in the Evergreen League as being ranked third in rebounds averaging 5.6 per game.

Others who made the top twenty list in scoring were: Daniel Ballard seventh with 6.4 points per game; Kile Beck eleventh with 4 points per game; Skylar Padula thirteenth with 2.7 points per game; Patrick Carr fifteenth with 2.4 points per game; James Witherell sixteenth with 2.3 points per game; Josh Meyer seventeenth with 1.6 points per game; and Ryan Kerttula eighteenth with 1.4 points per game.

Sometimes the score does not reflect the game or the players. With 61 players on the roster of the six teams that make up the Evergreen League, the Dunsmuir Tigers have all of their players ranked in the top twenty and the majority ranked in the top ten. That is saying something!

The Lady Tigers added to their preseason record after a sweep at the 16th Annual Christian Classic, January 7-8, 2011, in Redding. With one more game in preseason the ladies have made a great start with a 9-1 record.

From what started as an uphill struggle for the Lady Tigers over last year last place finish, has now moved them into the number one seeded slot in the Evergreen League and #2 in Division IV, just behind Westwood. This gives the Ladies something to roar about.

“The girls are working very hard and we are very pleased with their effort,” said Jim Rinne, coach of the Lady Tigers. “It is a total team effort, and we do know we have to continue to get better to complete in league.”

The Ladies started the tournament at Simpson University in Redding with a 35-25 victory Friday over the American Christian Academy Eagles of Citrus Heights.

“I think we are doing an awesome job,” said Katie McIntyre. “In the last four years I have been here we haven’t done this good. Going from last place to first has been really an incredible experience.”

McIntyre led the scoring with 13 of the 35 points which kept her ranked #1 in league and #4 in sections for average points scored in a game. Chelsea Helms also contributed to the score with 8 points which kept her ranked #4 in league for average points scored in a game. Krystale Palmer and Clara Weld respectively rounded out the top ten places in league also for average scored in a game.

“I think we have worked hard to be here,” said McIntyre about the rankings.

Others who scored in the game on Friday were: Krystale Palmer with 4, Marki Stibi with 4, and Jessica Hatten, Maria Gutierrez, and Corinn Webb, each contributing 2 points.

Saturday the ladies played two games. The first against the Lady Crusaders of New Life Christian in Marysville. With a victory of 33-22 over the Eagles, Chelsea Helms led the scoring in this match-up with 13 points — 2 of which came from the line. Other contributors were: Katie McIntyre, 9 points; Allie Belzer with 3, Clara Weld with 3, Remi Ewens with 2, Jessica Hatten with 2, and Corinn Webb with a free throw.

In their second game on Saturday the ladies completed their sweep with a 40-29 victory over the Lady Eagles from American Christian Academy in Palo Cedro. McIntyre once again led the team in scoring with 19 points — 4 of which were from the line. Others who added to the score were: Chelsea Helms with 8, Krystale Palmer with 5, Taylor Mitchell with 4, Clara Weld with 2, and Ashley Waite with 2.

“We think we played one of our best game,” said Rinne.

Overall, Katie McIntyre lead the scoring for the Lady Tigers with a total, for the three games, of 41 points. Eight of those points coming from free throws where McIntyre went 8 for 16 from the line. McIntyre is also ranked #7 in Division IV for free throws and #1 in the Evergreen League for the same.

McIntyre, as selected by the opposing coaches, was recognized as the MVP of the tournament. Rinne also commented the other coaches said, “McIntyre was clearly the best athlete at the tournament.”

“Her most valuable part come from her court leadership,” Rinne said. “When Katie is on the court everyone plays better.”

Chelsea Helms was also recognized at the tournament as The All Tournament Player.

“She is our best outside shooter and does extremely well inside,” said Rinne.

The Lady Tigers face off against Mercy Tuesday, January 11, 2011, in their last preseason game. Mercy is seeded #10 in Division VI.

For the Lady Tigers there is a lot to brag about. With a starting record of 7-1 our Lady Tigers find themself seeded #1 in the Evergreen Girls Basketball Standings (although MaxPreps only shows a 6-1 record due to one win being against a JV team). This is a far cry from last year when they ended the season in last place. Although the Lady Tigers have not entered league play as of yet, they certainly seem ready. After their only loss to a Division V team, Redding Christian, and a win in double overtime to another Division V team, Weed, The Ladies are eager to get underway in league.

However, being seeded #1 is not all. What is really impressive is our very own Katie McIntyre is the Evergreen League leader in scoring averaging 15.9 points per game. As one of only two seniors on the team, McIntyre goes out every game and plays her heart out. Freshman, Chelsea Helms is also among the top five scorers in the league averaging 7.4 points per game. Helms, with her height and aggressiveness is something to watch, especially as a freshman. The other three slots of the top five league scorers are all from Tulelake, which of course is no surprise, seeing how they should . . .

Katie McIntyre is also ranked second in free throws shooting 44% with 21 out of 44 attempts. Also, in the three point ranking Chelsea Helms takes second place and Remi Ewens takes fourth in league standings.

Thus far the Lady Tigers are scoring well with an average of 40.5 points per game and giving up only 33.4 points per game.

This team is impressive.

The Lady Tigers roared into the Redding Christian Tournament on fire after a big win oner the Redding Adventist Lady Lumberjacks on Tuesday night. The team started action on Friday night with a win over The Redding Christian JV team, who took the place of the Global Youth Charter at the last minute. The Lady Tigers easily defeated the young Lions 25-45. However things were different when they took on the Varsity Lady Lions.

As last years Tri City league team, the Lady Lions took the court against the Lady Tigers and play was a little lopsided. It was easy to tell that the brackets were stacked in the Lions favor. Yet, the Lady Tigers gave a great fight to the end losing the match-up 30-54. It was easy to watch the Lady Lion’s take home the gold.

Then in the final game the Lady Tigers loosed their roar and went on the prowl to beat Sacramento Country Day school 36-20. This cinched the 2nd place position of the round-robin tournament.

Just a few comments about the Lady Tigers: They are playing as a good unit. Their passing and ball handling is doing very well. They are putting the ball up more — with greater accuracy. With Chelsea Helms posting up on offense and defense, and Katie McIntyre and Clara Weld driving the line, not to mention Krystal Palmer shooting from the “cheap seats,” this team is really pushing forward. I cannot wait to see what these ladies do for the rest of the season.

If you see me on the street we are probably talking about one or two of my favorite topics: Our life in Christ or our hometown heros. The first you can hear me preach on Sunday at First Baptist Church in Dunsmuir (shameless plug), but the second, well, that is what I want to talk about today.

The volleyball and football teams both had great seasons. Yes, the volleyball team struggled this year as they rebuilt their team after losing five of their six starters due to graduation, but overall the team did rather well.

The Lady Tigers finished the year with a 5-13 record, 4-6 in league; however, the score doesn’t always tell the story. Sometimes you need to look below the score. Like, did you know that 6 of our 8 Lady Tigers were ranked with the Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball? Like I said, sometimes you need to look beyond the score board.

Katie McIntyre, who is a senior and will be graduating this year played 52 matches of which she had 212 attacks and 87 kills at the net. That makes her ranked 17th in the Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball. She also served for 148 points of which 28 were aces.

Regina Rodarmel, a senior, who will also be graduating this year, helped the team with 38 points served of which 4 were aces. She also helped out on defense with a number of saves and sets.

Clara Weld, a junior, also had a great year playing in 49 of the 52 matches. She had 72 attacks with 13 kills at the net. She also led the team in scoring with 176 points served, 29 being an ace. This placed her 32nd in Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball for aces.

Allie Belzer, a junior, had 68 attacks with 16 kills at the net. She also contributed 70 points serving with 24 being aces. This placed her 49th in Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball for aces.

Jessica Hatten, a sophomore, contributed 101 points to the team in serving, of which 12 were aces. However, her greatest contribution would have to be in sets. Jessica took on a new role this year as the team setter. Her place as the setter paved the way for more than 150 kills at the net by other team players.

Chelsea Helms, a freshman, led the team in aces. With 88 served points, 32 of those points came from aces. This ranked her 26th in Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball for aces.

Marki Stibi, a freshman, finished the season being ranked 74th in Northern Section Division 6 Girls Volleyball for aces. She had 62 points served for the team of which 16 were aces. She also played a mean defense with 73 attacks and 24 kills at the net.

Corin Webb, a freshman, played a unique spot on the team as an alternating substitute. Although her stats do not shoe it, like Jessica Hatten, her role as an alternating substitute was vital to the performance of the team.

I always believe you can find good in everything, especially our children; however, these “home town heros” made it easy. It was a real pleasure watching each game these ladies played. They were real winners on the court every time they played. Win or lose they gave their all and left with admired dignity. Never talking back to the officials, always being great sports to the other team. I also want to say a special thanks to the couches, Lisa Kirch and Sara Jackson. Their leadership and coaching brought out the best in these ladies— Thanks coaches.

Both varsity boys and girls basketball teams won their first game of the season defeating the Redding Adventist Lumberjacks at Redding. The Lady tigers beat the Lady Jacks 34-29, while the Tiger boys held on to a nail-bighting win 51-52.

The Tigers go to Redding Christian High school Friday and Saturday where they will take part in a round-robin tournament. According to the posted schedule the Lady Tigers play Global Youth Charter at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and the Tigers play Global Youth Charter at 4:30. On Saturday the Lady Tigers play Redding Christian at 10:00 a.m. and Sacramento County Day at 2:30 p.m. The Tigers play Redding Christian at 11:30 a.m. and Sacramento County Dat at 5:30 p.m.

All times are approximate and the schedule notes that all teams should “be prepared to play 20 minutes before posted times.

The Jr. Varsity will start their season against Yreka on the 7th as they take on Yreka Freshman at Yreka.

The Tigers held off the Westwood Lumberjacks football team by a score of 40-38 in Friday’s non-league game. The battle came down to the wire as the Tigers “held the line” and denied the two point conversion to win the game. Dunsmuir now stands at 7-1 on the season and 3-1 in league. The Tigers host the Big Valley Cardinals this Friday, October 29. The Cardinals come to play the Tigers with a 4-4 record and are seeded 5th in league. Big Valley lost 16-14 to Happy Camp in their last outing.

With the win against Westwood the Tigers hold on to their #2 seed in league and division VI sections just behind Hayfork.