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A team meeting this week helped clear the air and refocus the Eureka Loggers.

And that paid dividends on Friday night, as they ended a 16-game losing streak dating back to 2022 with a 14-7 win at Newark Memorial.

The Loggers overcame a second-half deficit with two late touchdowns to help seal the win.

“It was 100 percent the kids,” head coach Sam Edmonds said. “We had a heck of a week after the Shasta game (last weekend) and we made some adjustments.”

That all began with a team meeting.

“We talked about everything that’s been going wrong and instilled team core values,” the coach explained. “And once that happened, we had a good practice on Wednesday and Thursday and today we came out and played as a team.”

With the offensive line helping to set the tone, the Loggers grew into the game.

The score was tied 0-0 at halftime, before the home team opened up a 7-0 lead early in the second half.

But the Loggers refused to go down easily and would battle their way back,.

Tau Ou and Michael Jewell would each score a touchdown for the second straight week, before Mario Mainus sealed the win with an interception with just 45 seconds remaining in the game.

Ou opened the scoring for the visitors on a 14-yard TD run, but Eureka still trailed (6-7) after a missed two-point conversion attempt.

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However, they would take their first lead of the season with just three minutes remaining in the game when Jewell caught the ball on a tipped pass from quarterback Kyle Johnston and Ou would add a two-point conversion to put Eureka up 14-7.

“The biggest thing was the offensive line,” Edmonds added. “The offensive line did a heck of a job, They’re getting better each week.”

Ou had a good night running the ball, as did Johnston, who racked up 25 yards on three carries at crucial times.

Eureka is now 1-2 on the season, while Newark dropped to 1-2.

Next up, the Loggers will travel to play Willow Glen next weekend.

And Edmonds is hoping his players can carry the momentum from Friday’s win into that game.

“I think this week is huge turning point for us,” he said.

The Eureka JVs also won at Newark by a score of 28-6 and improved to 2-0-1 on the season.

“They did a phenomenal job,” Edmonds said of his JVs.