Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/738690
ByChipThompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter REDBLUFF Withthreeweeksleft in the season the Red Bluff Spar- tans and Corning Cardinals have different goals — the former re- building and hoping to add a cou- ple more Ws before the off season, the latter poised for a top seed en- tering the playoffs. When the Cardinals come to Red Bluff tonight for the an- nual Tehama County Shootout, though, all bets are off. Corning has taken home the trophy in recent years, but in 2015 the Spartans pulled within a touchdown in the final minute of the game. That was in Corning. And the field was dry. Wind and rain forecasted will add another element to the con- test, which will boil down to the Spartans passing game finding its groove and the defense stepping up to stop the Cardinals' formida- ble ground game. The Spartans are coming off a big loss to the West Valley Ea- gles last week after two strong game — a near win at the Lassen Grizzlies 42-41 on Sept. 23 and a homecoming win over the Yreka Miners 36-14 Sept. 30. The Cardinals are riding high, having won five straight since dropping the season opener to the Enterprise Hornets. The big- gest wins came at home Sept. 9 over the rival Orland Trojans 27- 25 on a last-second field goal and their last game Sept. 30 on the road over the Anderson Cubs 35- 20. They had a bye last week. Corning's threat is a balanced running game with Oscar Garcia leading the team with 431 yards and nine touchdowns, but three other backs with 25 or more car- ries on the season. Nolan Perter- son has 355 yards and six scores, quarterback Devin Wunsch has 238 yards and three rushing touchdowns, Cole Parker has 170 yards and five touchdowns and Curtis McCoy has 133 yards and a touchdown. The Spartans will be leaning on the arm of Marshall Brose and the hands of Conner McKenzie and Cameron Ortega. Brose has 1,017 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. McKenzie has 810 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while Ortega has 371 yards and three scores. Offense will only get the Spar- tans so far, especially if condi- tions are sloppy, and a stiff de- fense will be needed for a win. The Cardinals are averaging nearly 40 points per game and the Spartans are allowing just more than 40 per game. That will have to change. A wet field could favor the Cardinals, who can use the run- ning game to control field po- sition. And the Cardinals have been stingy this season, allow- ing just 20 points a game. The Spartans are averaging 27 points per game. Kickoff is scheduled for around 7:30 p.m. at Red Bluff High School. FOOTBALL Shootoutnotjustbraggingrights RedBlufftoleanonQBBrose,receiverswhen hosting county rival Corning's ground attack Special to the DN RED BLUFF Nine Red Bluff Spar- tan swimmers swam in their last home meet Wednesday against Chico High School. Although the Spartans lost the meet, the following seniors received roses in honor of their dedication to the program: Na- than Fregoso, Jacob Patterson, Angel Hoffman, Ariel Lund, El- lie Fletcher, Julia Brandt, Emer- son Marple, Lacy John and Jor- dan Johnson. Two of the seniors have left their names in the record books. Brandt, who has been ill with mononucleosis most of the sea- son, swam in her last home meet holding six of the eight school re- cords — 200-yard individual med- ley (2 minutes, 18.66 seconds), 50 freestyle (25.90), 200 freestyle (2:03.35), 100 butterfly (1:01.35), 100 freestyle (55.19) and the 100 backstroke (1:04.70). She has the second-fastest time ever in the 500 freestyle (5:44.14) and the 100 breaststroke (1:12.67). Fletcher finished as the fourth- fastest ever in the 100 breast- stroke (1:16.01), sixth-fastest ever in the 200 IM at 2:31.79 and 10th- fastest ever in the 50 freestyle at 27.96. The meet against Chico fea- tured lots of fast swims by the Spartans. Jayne Brandt led the way for the girls' team with a pair of SWIMMING SPARTANS' SENIORS END HOME CAREERS Nine Red Bluff swimmers compete at home for final time with top times, individual event wins NineRedBluffHighswimmerscompetedintheirlasthome meet on Wednesday. Pictured, from le , are assistant coach Kathy Brandt, Nathan Fregoso, Jacob Patterson, Angel Hoffman, Ariel Lund, Ellie Fletcher, Julia Brandt, Emerson Marple, Lacy John, Jordan Johnson and head coach Lisa Null. The Spartans won several individual events despite falling to Chico. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS Senior Ellie Fletcher swims the 100-yard breaststroke in her last home meet on Wednesday against Chico High. Online: For more coverage of sports in Tehama County, visit REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM/SPORTS. By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group SANFRANCISCO DuringtheSan Francisco Giants' brief playoff run, someone asked CEO Larry Baer where he planned to put a Madison Bumgarner statue. "We have a rule that you have to be retired for that to happen," Baer said with a laugh. Bumgarner is nowhere near retirement age, and although he's under club control for three more seasons, the Giants would like to assure an animated ver- sion of their ace is with them well beyond 2019. GM Bobby Ev- ans confirmed he has had pre- liminary talks with Bumgarner and his agent about a major re- structuring of the left-hander's contract. "When they're interested in talking, we want to make sure we're available," Evans said. "But we don't have a timeline. We want Madison to be here for a long time. At the right time, we'll address this when his camp is ready to talk." Bumgarner, 27, should be a first-time free agent this win- ter, and considering his combi- nation of age, accomplishments and a bare market for pitch- ers, he most assuredly would destroy the record salary for a pitcher both in terms of guar- anteed money ($217 million to David Price) and average an- nual value ($34.417 million to Zack Greinke). Instead, the Giants have him locked into an $11.5 million sal- ary next year, and hold $12 mil- lion club options for the follow- ing two seasons. The contract he signed in 2012 has turned into baseball's biggest bargain. Baer described Bumgarner's value to the Giants as "incalcu- lable" but was vague when asked how much of a priority a restruc- tured contract would be. "I think that remains to be seen," Baer said. "It'll be the product of conversations go- ing forward. ... He's been a tre- GIANTS Extending Bumgarner among main priorities Sunday: San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills, 10a.m., TV on FOX. TUNEIN By Jerry McDonald Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA Chip Kelly sees no point in the kind of sleight of hand that goes on routinely re- garding lineup changes in the NFL. That's why Kelly, in a stark con- trast from ultra-secretive former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, went ahead and named Colin Kaepernick the starting quarterback, rather than conduct a charade to put doubt in the minds of the Buffalo Bills. "I don't buy where you put a banana in the tailpipe and tell them the car is broken," Kelly said Thursday. Kelly doubted Buffalo coach Rex Ryan was staying up nights worrying about whether it would be Kaepernick or Blaine Gabbert under center, and said chances are the news would have leaked before Sunday's game anyway. "I think we live in a society where there are no secrets," Kelly said. "So if Colin took all the reps with the ones Tuesday, Wednes- day and Thursday, somebody's mole would have told them. And I don't really care. We have two similar quarterbacks. Our offense doesn't change. "I don't think you're going to outsmart people in the NFL where, all of a sudden, the second quarterback is playing and Rex is going to tear up his game plan and say, 'We're screwed. We have no idea how to defend them.' Peo- ple over-analyze the whole thing. You ask me a question, I'm going to tell you an answer." Safety Antoine Bethea, an 11- year veteran, said he can't think of a single instance where he was on a defense that wasn't prepared for the quarterback that took the field. "Regardless of who the quar- terback is, if he's in the system, they're going to run that same system," Bethea said. "Not much is going to change unless it's a mo- bile quarterback, and you might have put a spy or some D-line stunts. But there's not too many surprises in this league. You kind of get an idea of what's going on." • Before practice, Kelly de- clined to give a progress report on Kaepernick because it had only been two practices. After prac- tice, running back Carlos Hyde gave a glowing review. "Man, I see Kap on the money," Hyde said. "The way he's been practicing during the week, if he carries that over to Sunday, then we're going to have a really good chance of winning this game." • Kelly said it had not been de- termined whether rookie first- round pick Joshua Garnett or An- drew Tiller would start at right guard against Buffalo. The Bay Area News Group reported Tues- NFL No secret, Kelly says Kap will play QB 49ers coach has no problem going public SWIMMING PAGE 2 GIANTS PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, October 14, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1