Submitted photo – The Ferndale players and coaches celebrate their win on Friday.

The Ferndale Wildcats are state champions after rallying from a three-touchdown deficit in Friday afternoon’s CIF Division 7-AA championship game at El Camino College.

Facing Fairfax of Los Angeles, the Cats found themselves in a big hole early in the game and trailed 21-0 early in the second quarter.

Ferndale, however, would dominate the rest of the game and capped the most memorable season in school history with a 29-21 victory to secure a first-ever state championship.

Sophomore quarterback Tanner Pidgeon ran in for three touchdowns and Prescott Langer added a fourth, and that was enough for a Ferndale defense that has been outstanding through five playoff games and one that found its feet on Friday after looking completely overmatched early in the game.

The Lions scored TDs on three of their opening four possessions of the game and it appeared the Cats had no answer for their dynamic air attack, which marched up the field at ease, including a 75-yard TD reception that put them up 21-0.

It could have been worse but for a Jonah Anderson fumble recovery for Ferndale at their own two-yard line late in the first quarter.

But the Wildcats began to settle into the game and pieced together two nice drives in the second quarter, although both of them would end on fumbles deep in Fairfax territory, adding to the early frustration.

It appeared as if nothing was going their way, but the Wildcats would finally get on the scoreboard when Langer blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety, a score that was set up on back-to-back sacks moments before by Wes Renner and Ethan Weitzel.

That seemed to spark the Ferndale players into life, and the defense would force a quick three-and-out on the Lions’ next possession.

The Cats would then march deep into Fairfax territory for a third consecutive drive and this time they made sure they would not walk away empty handed, with Pidgeon scoring the first of his touchdowns on a 13-yard run with just 46 seconds remaining in the half.

The momentum continued to swing the Cats way after the interval and Ferndale dominated the third quarter to quickly take control of the game.

They pulled within six points on a 40-yard Pidgeon TD run and a Dayton Comer PAT on their opening possession of the half, and after Weitzel recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Cats quickly drove 40 yards for their third TD of the game, finding the end zone on a six-yard Langer run.

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Comer’s second PAT of the day put Ferndale up by one point midway through the third.

Both of the third-quarter TDs were set up on key fourth-down conversions, as the Ferndale offensive line began to grow in stature.

The Ferndale defense then forced another quick three-and-out, but the offense was stopped on downs after driving all the way to the Fairfax 14.

The Lions, who only had to travel 30 minutes for the game in Torrance, began to unravel and persistent mental mistakes and silly penalties played a part in their demise.

But so did a composed Wildcats team, which once again made few mental mistakes and kept its collective composure, as these players have throughout this memorable playoff run, a run that saw them win four road games.

Even more impressive, it was a Ferndale team of mostly two-way players that out-hustled the Fairfax team of mostly one-way players as the game went on.

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The outstanding Pidgeon would score a third TD on a quarterback sneak with six minutes remaining and Comer’s third PAT put Ferndale up 29-21.

That touchdown was set up on an Isaak Kasso interception on the Lions’ second possession of the half, and you could sense at that stage there was just no way back for Fairfax.

After managing just three offensive plays in the entire third quarter, the Lions finally got their first first down of the half with 5:54 remaining in the game, but they would turn the ball over on downs moments later as their dynamic air attack fizzled completely.

The Cats ate up the final 4:20 of the game with a relentless ground attack that the Fairfax defense just could not stop once it got going.

This was small-town football at its best, much as it has been through this remarkable, memorable and historic playoff run.

After 14 North Coast Section championships, which is second only to nationally recognized De La Salle, the Ferndale Wildcats are finally state champions.