Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — Ferndale football has experienced some pretty big moments in a long and storied history, but the Wildcats are entering new territory this year.

On Friday night, they comfortably took care of business against Portola in a NorCal Regional championship game, pulling away in the second half on the way to a 32-7 win at the Redwood Bowl.

The victory sets up a Division 7-AA state championship appearance against Fairfax in SoCal next week and leaves the Cats one win from a possible first-ever state championship.

Special teams was huge on Friday, scoring one of Ferndale’s five touchdowns and setting up another, while the Cats defense continued to set the tone and was outstanding once again as Ferndale came away with four takeaways.

In four playoff games, the Ferndale defense has allowed just four TDs, including just two in the last three and a half games.

Ferndale raced out to a 12-0 lead in the opening few minutes, but after a scoreless second quarter the game was still in the balance at halftime with the Cats leading 12-7.

But the Ferndale players came out fired up for the second half and quickly ended the game as a contest.

Isaak Kasso broke free for a long return on opening kickoff to give Ferndale possession at the Portola 14-yard line and just five plays later Trent Titus ran in for a four-yard touchdown.

A Dayton Comer PAT put the Wildcats up 19-7 and they began to take control of the game.

“That really set the tone,” head coach Clint McClurg said of Kasso’s big return. “Isaak Kasso showed up in a monster way. He really stood out for us.”

Kasso and Titus continued to impress after that. 

Just moments after he scored his touchdown, Titus recovered a fumble on defense to give Ferndale possession in Portola territory, and six plays later quarterback Tanner Pidgeon and Kasso combined on a 24-yard play action TD pass to widen the gap further.

“He has that big-play ability,” McClurg said of Kasso. “We have a few that have that big-play ability.”

Check out some highlights below, including Isaak Kasso’s big return and touchdown catch, as well as TD runs by Trent Titus and Tanner Pidgeon …

Prescott Langer returns a fumble recovery on his way to scoring a touchdown.

Ferndale would add a third second-half touchdown two possessions later after the defense stopped the Portola offense on downs at the Tigers 26 barely a minute into the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats then capped a four-play drive with a 17-yard Pidgeon TD run that saw the quarterback break multiple tackles on his way to the end zone.

That was the end of the scoring, but with the Ferndale defense playing as well as it was there was no way back for the Tigers after that.

Kasso would add a fourth Ferndale takeaway with a late interception.

Ferndale got the game off to a near perfect start.

After forcing a quick three-and-out on the Tigers’ first possession of the night, they quickly marched 67 yards on seven plays and scored the opening TD on a QB sneak by Pidgeon.

The sensational sophomore helped set the score up after breaking free for a 45-yard gain.

The Tigers would then fumble the ball on the ensuing kickoff and it popped up into the hands of Prescott Langer, who ran 35 yards down the sideline to give the Cats a two-touchdown lead barely five minutes into the game.

“I think our young men were ready for the challenge Portola was going to present,” McClurg said. “And it goes back to preparation and mental focus. We just didn’t have the mental mistakes. 

“I think we continue to improve as a football team and we’re playing our best and we’re playing complimentary football.

“Special teams showed up, and the defense is still creating turnovers. Our special teams played a huge role.”

The Tigers, who came into the game with an unblemished record of 12-0 after winning the Division-5 Northern Section championship last week, began to settle into the game after the early onslaught and would piece together an impressive 65-yard scoring drive on 12 plays.

But that was the last time they would see the end zone all night.

The gap could have been bigger at halftime after the Wildcats drove 46 yards to the Portola six-yard line early in the second quarter only to turn the ball over on downs.

Titus also had a second-quarter punt return for a TD called back on a block in the back penalty.

McClurg also praised the Ferndale support, which showed up in big numbers and made their voices heard throughout.

No official date or time has yet been set for next week’s state bowl game but the Wildcats will face Fairfax out of Los Angeles at a SoCal venue.

Ferndale is now 10-4 on the season, as are the Fairfax Lions, who had a bye this weekend.