Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The Crusaders scored on each of their opening four possessions of the game on the way to a comfortable 34-6 win over Arcata at McKinleyville High on Saturday night.

The foggy conditions didn’t slow the St. Bernard’s offense, with senior running back Grant Omey leading the way.

Omey, who returned from injury last week, scored three first-half touchdowns as St. Bernard’s opened up a 34-0 lead before halftime.

“He’s just electric as a football player,” Crusaders head coach Matt Tomlin said of his senior co-captain. “And he leads our team through through his actions, the way he practices, the way he plays. I’m very proud of him. He was definitely the MVP of our game.”

Quarterback Drew Sisemore also continued to play a key role and accounted for three of his team’s TDs, one on a pass and two on short runs.

The St. Bernard’s line set the tempo early and also had a big night, most notably right tackle Jamarious January, who has been consistently improving every game.

Defensive ends Ulysses Bailey Jr. and Wyatt Simoni also had a big impact, containing the Tigers’ outside running game as the home team managed just three first downs in the first half.

“I was just happy with our entire team,” Tomlin said.

Wilson Medina scored Arcata’s only TD of the night on a five-yard run late in the game and he earned the respect of the St. Bernard’s coach, whose game plan centered on limiting the dynamic back.

“Wilson Medina is just an electric running back,” Tomlin said. “He’s a player we have a lot of respect for.”

The St. Bernard’s JVs rounded out an impressive day for the program with a 19-18 win at Hoopa earlier in the day.

The win was the young Crusaders’ first of the season.

Freshman Tyler Hinrichs kicked two field goals to help secure the victory, one from 37 yards and one from 31.

In other JV action, the Eureka Loggers won 19-7 at Piner on Friday night, while Fortuna fell 26-20 to Foothill.