Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Huskies in action at last weekend’s scrimmage.
By Ray Hamill — After graduating a large senior class earlier this summer, the Fortuna Huskies will feature a very new-look team in football this fall.
But that doesn’t mean one of the most consistent programs in the H-DNL won’t continue to be competitive.
“We don’t have many seniors, and we’re definitely not as seasoned as we have been,” said long-time head coach Mike Benbow, who added that “(The players) come with a work-first mentality. They’re working hard every day, and we see improvement, and we’re getting better and better every time we get on the field.”
Benbow and his staff of coaches got to see the players in action at a three-team scrimmage against Eureka and Arcata over the weekend, and saw plenty of positives and plenty of things they still need to work on.
“I think any time you get an opportunity to go against someone other than yourself there’s lots to be learned,” Benbow said. “Some kids showed us some things. For the most part it was pretty good, but we’re still rusty and still learning.”
The Huskies finished up 4-1 in the spring, with their only loss coming in overtime against Eureka in the season finale.
After also fielding a B team for the shortened spring season, the younger Fortuna players have plenty of game-time experience, which should help them develop quicker at the varsity level.
Three players in particular will be expected to provide some leadership this fall, including senior lineman Keith Chittendon, who was a first-team all-league selection in the spring and is one of the best linemen on the North Coast.
Chittendon is expected to carry on from his breakout junior campaign when the Huskies kick off the new season at home to Justin-Siena on Friday night.
Linebacker/running back Breck Bishop is also back after earning an all-league honorable mention in the spring, and he is also expected to play a key leadership role, as is outside linebacker and offensive lineman Weylan McKnight.
Junior Coltyn Corning, meanwhile, looks set to start at quarterback for the young Huskies, although several other starting spots remain up for grabs and could change from week to week with such a new-look roster.
“We’re still a work in progress,” Benbow said.
After Justin-Siena, the Huskies will host Ferndale in the highly-anticipated annual Milk Can showdown against neighbors and close rivals, Ferndale, on the following Friday at Fortuna.
The schedule, which includes six home games this fall, also features games against Kelseyville (home) and Foothill (away), and a six-game Big 4 schedule.
“Our schedule is tough but I like our schedule,” Benbow said. “We have six home games, and I think we have a good balance of teams.”
And Benbow expects the Big 4 to be every bit as competitive as it has been in recent years, with all four teams regularly making noise in the playoffs.
“Eureka looks pretty darn good. They have a lot of good returners,” Benbow said. “Del Norte always does really darn well, and St. Bernard’s has a lot of guys coming back. So the league is going to be very tough.”
This year, all four teams are also in the same North Coast Section division, which means the winning team should be among the top seeds in the playoffs.
“It’s going to be a great year,” Benbow said.
