Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Ferndale players celebrate their Milk Can win on Saturday.
By Ray Hamill — Even by the lofty standards of the most storied rivalry in H-DNL football, this was a showdown that will live long in the memory of anyone who saw it.
The Ferndale Wildcats welcomed neighbors and close rivals, the Fortuna Huskies, to Coach Carlson Wildcat Field for the 2024 Milk Can game on Saturday afternoon, and the two schools served up an instant classic for the large crowd in attendance in beautiful conditions.
The game wasn’t decided until the final 75 seconds, when a late Jonah Anderson interception ended a Huskies drive deep in Ferndale territory and gave the home team a thrilling 29-26 victory that sends the coveted Milk Can back to Ferndale for the second time in three years after spending the last 12 months in Fortuna.
It was a game that had it all and both teams left everything on the field in a very physical, hard-fought and highly entertaining showdown.
“What a great high school football game,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said.
Ferndale head coach Clint McClurg echoed the sentiment.
“It was just a classic football game between two football teams that like to establish their physicality,” the victorious coach said.
With a sea of blue and red surrounding the field on all sides and an atmosphere fitting for such a great rivalry, both schools came ready to play and took the game to their opponents from the opening kickoff.
“We were focused and ready to compete for four quarters of football, as was Fortuna,” said McClurg, who added “We’re a small school and we don’t have transfers coming in, and we have some outstanding young men and they were absolutely ready for this challenge and prepared to play four quarters.”
The Wildcats received the opening kickoff, but their first possession ended quickly on an interception by Fortuna’s Kavi Bolden, who had a memorable game in his first taste of varsity Milk Can action.
Just three plays later, the visitors opened the scoring when quarterback Chandler Crenshaw found the end zone on a QB sneak.
Check out Jonah Anderson’s game-sealing interception below …
The Wildcats to their credit did not allow the early setback to take them out of their game and they would enjoy the better of exchanges for the remainder of the first half, piecing together three lengthy and very impressive scoring drives to take a 21-12 lead into halftime.
Once again, quarterback Tanner Pidgeon was instrumental in almost everything Ferndale did well.
The outstanding junior capped a 16-play, 68-yard drive on his team’s second possession of the day with a two-yard QB sneak to open the Cats’ account late in the first quarter and the teams were tied 6-6.
It was a great response from the Ferndale players after the early turnover and would set a physical tone for the remainder of the afternoon.
Just four plays later, a fumble recovery by Ferndale’s Henry Westfall, who also had an outstanding afternoon, gave the Cats possession again and they would capitalize by marching 60 yards and scoring on Pidgeon’s second TD run of the game, this one from 16 yards out.
A Pidgeon two-point conversion put the home team up 14-6.
But just as it appeared as if the momentum was slipping away from the Huskies, they quickly responded with a long TD drive of their own, setting a physical tone themselves with their relentless ground attack, with Bolden, Crenshaw and Jake Houseworth leading the way.
Crenshaw scored his second TD of the game on a 12-yard run, but the Huskies would miss a two-point conversion and trailed 14-12.
The Wildcats got the ball back again with just a minute remaining in the half and they would piece together arguably their most impressive drive of the game, using a spread offense and showcasing their versatility on offense by quickly marching 52 yards on four plays and scoring on a seven-yard Pidgeon run to lead 21-12 at the half.
“No. 2 (Pidgeon) and his receiving crew, they’ve worked on this,” McClurg said of the two-minute drill. “It paid huge dividends. I just liked the execution … I think (Pidgeon) does have a gunslinger mentality.”
Some first-half injuries didn’t help matters for the Huskies, who were not as sharp as the home team for the opening two quarters.
“I think in the first half we struggled a little bit and we didn’t match the level of intensity that Ferndale had,” Benbow said. “But we challenged the kids at halftime and I was incredibly proud of the way we came back. Unfortunately we came up a little short.”
Check out Kavi Bolden’s two third-quarter TDs below …
The third quarter belonged to the Huskies, with Bolden scoring on a pair of TD runs to give his team a 26-21 lead, including a very impressive 48-yard run that saw him break several tackles on his way to the end zone.
The dynamic junior also found the end zone on a 41-yard run, a score that was set up by a Gavin Mayberry interception on Ferndale’s second possession of the half.
“Kavi Bolden had an outstanding football game,” Benbow said. “When we needed it, he was the guy.”
But the home team grabbed the momentum right back early in the fourth quarter, marching 80 yards and scoring on a two-yard Prescott Langer run.
Pidgeon then connected with Anderson for a successful two-point conversion and the Cats led 29-26 with six minutes remaining.
The game, however, was still far from decided, and the Huskies drove from their own 25 all the way to the Ferndale eight-yard line, before Anderson’s late interception secured the victory.
Check out Tanner Pidgeon’s two second-quarter TDs above …
“Jonah was making big plays all day, and he made them at crucial moments,” McClurg said of the standout senior, who along with Westfall tasted Milk Can success for the second time in his high school career. “And Henry Westfall played an outstanding game. Offensively and defensively he was very engaged. Those two seniors played some of their best football at critical times.
“That’s pretty cool for those two young men”
The Ferndale linemen also played a pivotal role in the win, helping to set a physical tone in the trenches.
“You’ve got to recognize those men up front, they do a lot of things for us,” McClurg said of the group that includes Westfall, Ruben Peredia, Angel Zaragoza and the always inspiring Ethan Weitzel who continues to lead the unit. “They’re young but they’re coming along.”
McClurg also paid tribute to lineman Jake Kurwitz.
“That dude’s been a blessing for Ferndale football,” he said.
Check out one of Chandler Crenshaw’s TDs above …
For Benbow and the Huskies, it was a disappointing outcome, but not a disappointing effort.
“The difference in the game, to me it boils down to making plays and Ferndale made more plays than we did,” the Fortuna head coach said. “When you’re in a tight game like that you’ve got to make plays. Hats off to Ferndale, they won the game.”
The return of Houseworth, who has verbally committed to play for the University of California after graduation but had missed much of the opening few games because of injury, certainly had an impact for the visitors.
“He’s back and he played as hard as he could,” Benbow said. “Unfortunately he hasn’t played a full football game (yet this season).”
Next weekend the Cats (3-0) will travel to Eureka to play St. Bernard’s (4-0) in another big rivalry game and a showdown between two unbeaten teams, while things won’t get any easier for the Huskies (2-2) when they travel to play a very good University Prep team.
