Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Friday night’s game between Eureka and Fortuna.
One week after a disappointing loss at St. Bernard’s in their conference opener, the Fortuna Huskies responded the way you would expect them to with a much improved performance in a 38-14 win at Eureka on Friday night.
The game was close throughout the opening half, with just one TD separating the two teams at the break, but the Huskies would pull away in the second half with 17 unanswered points.
“Our kids responded from a tough one last week,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said. “We had a great week of practice and I was really happy with how we responded.”
With the win, the Huskies improved to 6-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 4 and they remain in the chase for a share of the league title, something they can now achieve with a win over Del Norte at Husky Field next weekend.
On Friday night, the Warriors improved to 2-0 in the Big 4 and 6-2 overall with a thrilling 18-17 win over St. Bernard’s in Crescent City.
The first half at Albee Stadium was an exciting back-and-forth battle.
The Huskies pulled ahead on a two-yard Caden Wilkinson touchdown run midway through the first quarter and they would lead the remainder of the game.
Quinn Hall added to the advantage a little over two minutes into the second quarter when he scored on a 65-yard punt return.
The Loggers, however, got their offense going on the following possession and scored their first touchdown less than a minute later.
Quarterback Kyle Johnston completed a pass up the middle to Gavyn Haberman, who broke a tackle and took it to the end zone for a 70-yard score.
Midway through the quarter, Fortuna quarterback Chad Mussey threw a 37-yard TD pass to Kallen Barrote to restore a two-TD lead, but the Loggers would respond again before halftime, when Cole Zellar scored on a 28-yard TD run.
The second half, however, belonged to the visitors, who added 17 points to their tally to take control of the game, including a 35-yard field goal by Barrote.
Check out Kallen Barrote’s TD catch below …
“Our kids definitely stepped up,” Benbow said. “We were more aggressive right out of the shoot.”
Junior Jake Houseworth was instrumental for the Huskies once again and had a big game on both sides of the ball, as did Wilkinson, who has established himself as one of his team’s most consistent and dangerous players.
In his second outing back from an injury that saw him miss three games, Mussey was a difference maker and threw the ball effectively.
“Chad Mussey did a really nice job controlling the game,” Benbow said. “He had one of his best games for us.”
The Huskies now hold their fate in their own hands and know they will be crowned co-champs of the Big 4 with a win over Del Norte.
“We’re playing for a championship,” Benbow said. “So we’re going to prepare for that, and we’re excited about the opportunity.”
We’ll have more on Friday’s on Saturday, including a breakdown of all the stats.
Check out Cole Zellar’s TD run below …
