{"id":3816,"date":"2025-09-04T20:05:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T20:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=3816"},"modified":"2025-09-04T20:05:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T20:05:48","slug":"injuries-taking-their-toll-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=3816","title":{"rendered":"Injuries taking their toll early"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Clear Lake’s game at Pierce won’t happen; Knights, Mustangs play at home Friday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brian Sumpter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake County Sports on Facebook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAKE COUNTY >> It\u2019s only week two of the high school football season in Lake County, but there are some banged up teams out there, some more than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake (0-1), which suited up only 15 players in a 30-6 season-opening road loss to St. Bernard a week ago, is down to an even dozen and won\u2019t travel to Arbuckle on Friday night to play the Pierce Bears (1-0). Compounding head coach Augie Perez\u2019s situation is the lack of a quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injured starter AJ Bruch is out again this week though he\u2019s projected to start the Cardinals\u2019 league opener next week at home against Fort Bragg. Backup quarterback Zane McAuley, who passed for 236 yards and a touchdown against St. Bernard, is also out this week with a swollen knee, according to Perez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMonday he couldn\u2019t move on it,\u201d Perez said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to put my guys in that position with no quarterback. We\u2019ve got to get ready for league.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake and Pierce are trying to locate a replacement team to keep the Bears from having no game this week. If that can\u2019t be achieved at this late date the Cardinals will take a forfeit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While varsity teams generally pull up players from their junior varsity squad when these situations arise, Clear Lake\u2019s JV team is also hurting for numbers. The JV game against Pierce is still on for 5 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also have some kids with nagging injuries from last week,\u201d Perez said of the loss to St. Bernard. \u201cWe just need to get healthy for league.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other action Friday night, Kelseyville (0-0) opens its season at home against Orland (1-0), Middletown (0-1) hosts Piedmont (0-1), Lower Lake (1-0) travels to Healdsburg (0-1), and Upper Lake (0-1) visits Stuart Hall (1-0) for a varsity-only game in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orland at Kelseyville<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Knights had a bye last weekend as the other county teams opened their season, and Kelseyville used that extra week of practice to prepare for one tough customer in the Orland Trojans, who are coming off a season-opening 21-18 victory against Paradise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orland has been piling up the wins, regular season and postseason, in recent years. The Trojans went 10-3 a year ago and lost in their section championship game to Lassen, that after posting an 11-2 record and winning a section championship in 2023 when they lost in the opening round of the state playoffs. In 2022, Orland (15-0) won a section championship and beat Clear Lake 42-21 in the opening round of the state playoffs before going on to capture the state title with a 20-7 victory over Shafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a great program, very competitive,\u201d Kelseyville head coach Leo Flores said. \u201cI like putting my boys against that kind of competition. It opens their eyes. I\u2019m going to try and get these guys (on our schedule) the next couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelseyville is coming off a 9-2 season in 2024, including an 8-0 record in league play, but the Knights graduated the majority of the impact players who made it special year. Most, but not all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior running back Michael DeJohn, an All-League first-team selection in 2024, anchors the Knights\u2019 backfield again this season after rushing for a team-best 1,270 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. He also was among Kelseyville\u2019s top receivers with 21 receptions for 268 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking for him to have another big year,\u201d Flores said. \u201cHe gives me everything he has every play. He believes in my system and it\u2019s important to have kids believe in what you\u2019re doing out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeJohn was part of a sensational Kelseyville backfield in 2024 that featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers \u2013 Kyle Watkins was the other one \u2013 as well as a quarterback, Brock Barrick, who passed for 1,518 yards and 13 TDs. This year, DeJohn is joined in the backfield by senior quarterback Maxwell Lee, who is new to the position, as well as running backs Brayton Thomas, Jayden Fabisch and Andrew Souza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimo Brown, the projected starter at quarterback, is healing from an elbow injury that is likely to sideline him for several more weeks. His replacement, Lee, has a strong arm, according to Flores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelseyville\u2019s offensive line, another of the team\u2019s strengths in 2024, remains a work in progress, according to Flores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe extra week of practice helped us,\u201d Flores said. \u201cI think they\u2019re gelling. I\u2019ve tweaked some things, moving people around to find what works best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelseyville has another bye next week as the other eight NCL I schools open their league schedules. The Knights thought about trying to fill that bye with another non-league game but decided against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to do any last-minute things,\u201d Flores. \u201cWe\u2019ll use the extra week to better prepare us for our first league game (Sept. 19 at Fort Bragg).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another bye also will let the Knights, who should suit up 20 players against Orland, heal any bumps and bruises they incur during their season opener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey (Trojans) are a well-disciplined team, and they play with relentless effort,\u201d he said. \u201cWe found that out last year when we played them. It was a good experience for us to see that kind of competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orland won last year\u2019s meeting 44-21, also in week two, the only loss for the Knights until a 13-12 playoff setback to Del Norte more than two months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least the Knights will be able to play on their own field in 2025, something they couldn\u2019t do last year when \u201chome\u201d games took place at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport because of field renovations at Kelseyville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Lake at Healdsburg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Lake and Healdsburg play a varsity-only game that kicks off 7 p.m. at Recreation Park in Healdsburg. Lower Lake\u2019s JVs play Maxwell in a non-league game Thursday at 5 p.m. in Lower Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trojans, much like Clear Lake, have been hit hard with injuries in the early going. While Lower Lake was able to put that all aside in a 22-7 home win over Esparto in week one, they face a bigger challenge this week, according to head coach Jay Jakubowski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Lake began the week with only two healthy starting linemen. One sustained a non-football injury last weekend, another is nursing an existing injury, and still another has been sick since Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to pull up three kids from the JV team just to get through practices,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cHopefully we\u2019ll be in better shape by Friday. It\u2019s just been a nightmare so far this week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday was the first day of full practice for the Trojans this week owing to the manpower shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Lake is also likely to be without one its top defensive linemen, Noel Pereira, because of injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pretty much in the same situation we were going into last week,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cWe\u2019re just hoping for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the only break for the Trojans is that the Healdsburg Greyhounds, coming off a heartbreaking 35-34 home loss to Washington in their opener last week, are also missing some key players owing to suspensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, the Greyhounds have more weapons than Esparto, which had to forfeit to Lower Lake late in the first half because of an excessive number of injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have a couple of guys who look good,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cThey have two athletic wide receivers, an athletic quarterback, and some size. I think they\u2019re going to have something when they\u2019re 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piedmont at Middletown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mustangs welcome senior Jon Hawkins back this week as they open their home schedule against a Piedmont team that handed them a 42-21 loss last year in Piedmont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins missed the Mustangs\u2019 22-14 loss to Berean Christian a week ago in Walnut Creek because he was showing animals at the Lake County Fair. While Middletown is stacked with talent at the skill positions, Hawkins\u2019 presence gives them an added dimension on both sides of the football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of the best athletes to come through Middletown in a long time,\u201d Middletown head coach Kurtis Woodard said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mustangs were also missing a handful of linemen in their season opener. Their status for the Piedmont game is less certain, according to Woodard, who said he should know more about their availability late Thursday or early Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a good week in practice, more focused and dialed in,\u201d Woodard said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been conditioning a little more, maybe that was part of what went wrong last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then again, maybe not. Middletown\u2019s loss to Berean Christian came in triple-digit heat on a hot Saturday afternoon in Walnut Creek, a situation made worse by the artificial surface the teams were playing on. Two heat delays totaling more than an hour slowed everything down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were in gear for five hours in those conditions,\u201d Woodard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piedmont lost 41-17 on the road to Salesian in its season opener last weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPiedmont played a tough Salesian team,\u201d Woodard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown\u2019s loss at Piedmont a year ago came against a senior-dominated Highlanders squad, and that game had a lasting effect on the Mustangs\u2019 season even if they didn\u2019t realize it at the time. Middletown quarterback Blake Costlow sustained a broken foot late in the game, an injury diagnosed after the loss, and he didn\u2019t return to the lineup until the final game of the season. Hawkins went out with an injury a few weeks later, complicating the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Hawkins and Costlow are back healthy for their senior year, and the Mustangs are looking for a better result this year against Piedmont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re optimistic about how our guys measure up to their guys,\u201d Woodard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown will be without sophomore tackle\/defensive lineman Josue Gutierrez, who has a torn meniscus. No one worked harder in the offseason for the Mustangs, according to Woodard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of a bummer for him.\u201d Woodard said. \u201cHe\u2019ll put in the rehab time and get back as soon as he can. No one works harder than that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upper Lake at Stuart Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Clear Lake and Lower Lake are both struggling with injury issues this week, the Upper Lake Cougars aren\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travis McCutcheon, a junior tackle\/defensive end, sustained an arm injury late in the fourth quarter of Upper Lake\u2019s 40-0 loss to Los Molinos and could miss six to seven weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was engaged in a block, landed on it wrong and he said someone fell on it (the arm),\u201d Upper Lake head coach Derek Milhaupt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also out is senior wide receiver Trevan Fabisch with a wrist injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illness has also kept players out of practice this week, according to Milhaupt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to more some people around to see what works,\u201d Milhaupt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What didn\u2019t work a week ago was Upper Lake\u2019s offense, which couldn\u2019t stay on the field long enough to do much. The Cougars had almost no running game and only 38 yards of total offense, and that left the Upper Lake defense on the field far too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s back to the basics for us,\u201d Milhaupt said. \u201cWe need to put together an offense that can move the ball a little bit. We\u2019ve been focusing on line play, and we need our quarterback to hit some open people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because there is no JV game this week, Upper Lake has moved up some players to help out, according to Milhaupt. Varsity kickoff is 6 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart Hall is transitioning from eight-man football to the 11-man game, and the Knights will play both eight- and 11-man games this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey definitely have enough players for 11-man,\u201d Milhaupt said. \u201cThey looked good and physical last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart Hall beat Mammoth 26-12 a week ago in the season opener for both teams, an eight-man game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clear Lake’s game at Pierce won’t happen; Knights, Mustangs play at home Friday By Brian Sumpter Lake County Sports on Facebook LAKE COUNTY >> It\u2019s only week two of the high school football season in Lake County, but there are some banged up teams out there, some more than others. Clear Lake (0-1), which suited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,110,26,17,18,19,50],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3816"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3816"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3818,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3816\/revisions\/3818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}