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Kessler shines, but Pirates lose opener PHOENIX � It was a frustrating season-opener for the Phoenix Pirates at Jack Woodward Stadium Friday. But a promising beginning for Eric Kessler. The Pirates controlled the football game early and shut out visiting Yreka in the second half, but still suffered a 19-6 loss to the Miners. Kessler was definitely a bright spot for Phoenix. The junior fullback accounted for 126 of the Pirates� 213 rushing yards and scored the team�s lone touchdown on a 64-yard pass play. "He had a great night," said Phoenix coach Joe Hagler. "He ran the ball hard. He did a great job of finding holes and lowering his head in traffic." Phoenix couldn�t capitalize on some early opportunities, then watched Yreka take control of the game. The Pirates recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and drove the ball to the Miners� 8, but Phoenix was eventually stopped on downs. Yreka took advantage of a first-quarter fumble recovery at the Phoenix 34 and scored three plays later on a 2-yard run by Ryan Betts. A 32-yard pass play from quarterback Casey Day to Kevin Moore took the ball to the Pirates� 2. The Miners went 53 yards in six plays for their second touchdown later in the opening period. Day hooked up with Moore on a 12-yard fade route for the score. Yreka upped its margin to 19-0 when Day connected on 4 of 5 passes on a nine-play, 67-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. Moore caught an 8-yard TD pass from Day to complete the Miners scoring. "We played a real tight man, bump-and-run defense," said Hagler. "We got caught a few times because we weren�t as physical as we should be." Kessler scored the Pirates� touchdown early in the fourth quarter when he took a short pass in the flat from quarterback Bobby Dawson and went the distance. "We learned a lot of things," said Hagler. "Offensively, we were one block away from some big plays. The defense played well, was active, but we have some work to do on the corners." Yreka........................................................13 6 0 0 � 19 Phoenix......................................................0 0 0 6 � 6 Y � Betts 2 run (Moore kick) Y � Moore 12 pass from Day (kick failed) Y � Moore 8 pass from Day (pass failed) P � Kessler 64 pass from Dawson (pass failed) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA