Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKinleyville’s Tyler Marsh celebrates a touchdown against Willits earlier in the season.

By Ray Hamill — Both Eureka and Fortuna will be looking to bounce back from tough losses a week ago when they open the Big 4 against each other on Friday night.

The Loggers (1-2), who are coming off back-to-back losses at Shasta and Windsor, will try to get back to winning ways when they travel to play the Huskies (3-1), who are also coming off a big loss to a good Foothill team.

And both head coaches are expecting a battle.

“They do a lot of really good things, they’re very well coached and their kids play hard,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said of Eureka. “They run a lot of misdirection on offense and that makes it tough on our defense, and they’re always tough on defense.”

Eureka head coach Andrew Haraldson is also expecting a battle.

“They’re always so well coached,” he said of the Huskies. “And they run their stuff clean. Their players are bought in. Their players never quit.”

One of the biggest challenges for any team playing the Huskies, according to Haraldson, is that they always run some different things, and he says his players will have to be ready to adjust to that.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., with the JVs playing at 5.

Ferndale (0-3) at Arcata (2-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Tigers will look for their third straight win when they open the Little 4 against the Wildcats in a game that will be played at McKinleyville High.

After opening the season with tough road losses at St. Bernard’s and Sutter, Arcata has impressed on offense the last two weeks.

Senior QB Shane Purcell has done a good job directing a lightning fast passing game, and the Tigers will carry plenty of momentum into conference play.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, have not played in three weeks and have struggled this season with injuries and COVID protocols taking their toll on a new-look roster.

Arcata head coach Jamal Jones, however, is expecting a battle from a Ferndale program that is usually tough to overcome in conference play.

“We know they’re going to be well-coached and ready to go,” Jones said of the Wildcats after last weekend’s win over Pinole Valley. “For us, it’s about having a solid week of practice, but we’re getting better. I’ve got faith in our staff and I’ve got faith in our players.”

There will be no JV game.

McKinleyville (3-1) at Hoopa (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

Off to their best start in years, the Panthers will carry plenty of confidence into conference play.

These two teams could be the Tigers’ biggest challengers for a Little 4 title this season, so Friday’s game will be key to that challenge for both.

NCS playoff positioning is also on the line in this matchup between two Division-7 teams, each of which has playoff ambitions beyond conference play.

The two teams have played a common opponent this season — Fort Bragg — with the Warriors losing a close battle and the Panthers winning comfortably.

McKinleyville head coach Fel Barlow says he is expecting a tough battle and says his players need to play disciplined.

“The thing about Hoopa is they play physical,” Barlow said. “They’re going to push your buttons.”

The Warriors, meanwhile, are 1-1 on the season after following the Fort Bragg loss with a big victory over Trinity.

Both Mack and Hoopa are coming off a bye.

The schools’ JV teams play at 5 p.m.