By Ray Hamill — Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow admitted his players were hungry to get back out on the field after a disappointing loss to Arcata last week.

And it showed, as the Huskies rolled over the McKinleyville Panthers 36-0 in Fortuna on Friday night.

“Our kids played well,” Benbow said. “They came out and took care of business. Our kids were pretty dialed in and we were pretty hungry to get back (out there) after last week.”

After turning the ball over on downs on their opening drive of the game, the Huskies quickly took control with touchdowns on their next four possession and they carried a commanding 28-0 lead into the break.

But it was the team defense that really set the tone, posting a second shutout in three games.

In fact, with the exception of the late letdown against Arcata, the Fortuna defense has been close to perfect in 11 of the 12 quarters the Huskies have played this year.

“I think our defense flew around really well and we were super aggressive and we tackled well,” the head coach added. “We have a lot of seniors and they’re jelling at the right time.”

Inside linebackers Brad Essig and Kameron Elam helped set the tone for the dominating defensive performance and were particularly effective.

Offensively, several Fortuna players had a big impact, including senior quarterback Chandler Crenshaw and junior running back Kavi Bolden, each of whom accounted for a pair of touchdowns in the win.

Bolden, who has been one of the most effective running backs in the H-DNL through the opening few weeks of the 2024 season, got the party started on Friday night when he ran in for a 13-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.

Kicker Blayne Barrote added the PAT to put the home team up 7-0.

Check out Kavi Bolden’s long TD run above, and his first TD run of the night below …

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Fortuna quarterback Chandler Crenshaw celebrates his first-half touchdown run.

The Huskies widened the gap just three minutes into the second quarter when Crenshaw connected with Marquis Ludd on a. 15-yard TD pass.

Bolden added a second TD midway through the quarter on what was the play of the night, breaking several tackles on his way to the end zone on a 64-yard scoring run to put the home team up by three touchdowns.

Crenshaw also had a big TD run on the Huskies’ next possession, scoring from 36 yards out to all but end the game as a contest before halftime.

The Fortuna defense got in on the scoring in the second half, when defensive back Hunter Reback scored on a pick six to further frustrate the visitors.

Even when things didn’t go their way, the Huskies still found a way to succeed.

A botched PAT after the fifth TD was picked up by Reback, who threw to Tim Still for a two-point conversion and the final score of the game.

With the game well in hand, Fortuna senior standout Jake Houseworth saw very limited action as he continues his way back from an injury suffered in the opening game of the season.

Check out Chandler Crenshaw’s TD pass to Marquis Ludd below …

The University of Cal commit, however, is expected to see more time when the Huskies take on the rival Wildcats in next week’s highly-anticipated Milk Can showdown in Ferndale

“He’s coming along,” Benbow said. “He’ll be ready to roll next week.”

Four different Huskies rushed for at least 42 yards in the win, as the Fortuna ground attack racked up an impressive 245 yards.

Bolden had 88 yards on four carries, while Crenshaw had 52 yards on three carries.

Lolo Payne also had 45 yards on three carries and Hunter Kelley added 42 yards on six carries.

The longtime Fortuna coach also paid tribute to the McKinleyville players, who dropped to 0-2 on the season.

“Hats off to McKinleyville, their boys played hard the entire game,” he said.

The Panthers, who were playing for the first time since opening weekend after a bye last week, will try to bounce back when they host University Prep next weekend.

The Fortuna JVs, meanwhile, also won on Friday night to top to 3-0, beating McKinleyville 42-15.