File photo – Jack Clancy

With a new head coach calling the shots, the McKinleyville Panthers got the new football season off to an impressive start on Friday night, traveling to Yreka and coming away with a 30-0 victory.

The win ended a 12-game losing streak dating back almost two years, and was the first shutout for the team since beating South Fork 39-0 in September 2016.

“I thought we played fairly well for an up-and-coming team,” said new head coach Fel Barlow, who was an assistant coach with the program for the past few years. “They competed and that’s something we haven’t seen in a minute.”

Senior running back Connor Berg ran in for two of his team’s four touchdowns, while junior quarterback Jack Clancy accounted for two TDs, one on the ground and  a 20-plus yard TD pass to junior receiver Mettah Kuska.

Senior kicker Logan Maher, who is also playing soccer this fall, added six points, nailing 3-of-4 PATs and adding a 47-yard field goal.

Defensively, the Panthers held Yreka out of the end zone, with several players stepping up.

“The whole defense, they all rallied to the ball,” Barlow said. “We had some nice big hits last night. It’s a group effort right now. We’re trying to let them build as a family.

“I like that defensive foundation in a program. We want to set the tempo.”

Barlow, who played at Humboldt State back in the 90s and has been coaching local youth and high school football in the area for over 20 years, takes over this year from Keoki Burbank, who stepped down after the spring.

And he liked a lot of what he saw from his players on opening night, including “no dumb penalties.”

Offensively, the talented Clancy is improved from the spring and is expected to play a bigger role this fall.

“He looks a lot more confident than he looked last year,” Barlow said. “He’s starting to understand things better and see things better. He’s going to be a good leader for us.”

Likewise with Berg, the only senior on offense and a player who showed plenty of promise running the ball in the opener. 

Junior John Randall and sophomore Tyler Marsh also ran the ball well.

“It was a well-rounded offense,” Barlow said. 

The Mack JVs also won their opener at Yreka on Friday night, 32-8, carrying on from a good spring season that saw them win two of their three games and holding the home team scoreless until late in the game.

“The JVs did well,” Barlow said. “They almost had a shutout.”

The Panthers will be on the road again next week when they travel to Anderson, before playing Willits in their home opener a week later.

And Barlow expects the team to continue to grow together.

“I think we’re going to be competitive,” he said. “It’s not about wins and losses, it’s about establishing a program here. That’s what I want to see.”

And the players appear to be responding.

“They are buying in,” the coach said. “They see what we need to be doing.”