Arcata Tigers dominate the Wildcats to take control of L4

By barstoolfanatics on October 19, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Friday night’s game.

By Ray Hamill — If there were any lingering doubt as to which is the best local high school football team this fall, that question was answered in emphatic fashion at McKinleyville High School on Friday night.

In a showdown between the last two remaining undefeated teams in the H-DNL and the most anticipated game of the local season so far, the host Arcata Tigers cruised to a 35-7 win over the Ferndale Wildcats in a game that was decided long before the final buzzer.

Celebrating their homecoming, the Tigers dominated in all aspects of the game and controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball while wearing down a physical Ferndale front that was never able to build momentum.

Arcata junior Luke Lemke showed why he is the best quarterback in the H-DNL and accounted for all five of his team’s touchdowns in the win, throwing for four and running in for another.

It took them a while to assert their dominance and some first-quarter penalties by both teams left them deadlocked after the opening 12 minutes.

But the Tigers were just getting warmed up, and once they got going there was no stopping them.

With Alex Greenway running the ball effectively behind an impressive Arcata offensive line, the Tigers grew into the game.

And that allowed Lemke to connect with his receivers, who took full advantage of their opportunities, in particular the sure-handed Jackson Strand and Cal Tucker, who each finished the game with two touchdown receptions.

After their opening drive of the game stalled at midfield thanks to a plethora of early penalties, the Tigers began their second drive early in the second quarter and this time there would be no letdown.

Lemke and the offense marched 57 yards on 10 plays and capped the drive with a 14-yard scoring pass to Strand.

They would add to their lead just before halftime when Tucker broke down the sideline and caught his first TD catch in good coverage in the end zone, giving his team a 14-0 lead at the break.

Check out three of Luke Lemke’s TD passes below …

Check out Luke Lemke’s TD run above …

The Ferndale defense would hold firm on the opening drive of the third quarter and took over on downs at midfield.

But just two plays later, Strand came up with an interception to set up his team’s third scoring drive of the night, which he capped himself with his second TD of the night, this one on a 30-yard reception.

With the game quickly getting away from them, the Wildcats then had a quick three and out and punted the ball back to the home team.

And the Tigers would take full advantage once again, scoring just seven plays later when Lemke broke free for a 39-yard TD run to put his team up 28-0 before the end of the third quarter.

With their defense continuing to frustrate the visitors, the Tigers took over on downs early in the fourth and they would add to their lead on the very next play when Tucker pulled in a reception and broke free for a 67-yard TD.

The Cats would finally find the end zone on the ensuing possession, when quarterback Tanner Pidgeon scored on a 22-yard TD run.

But unfortunately for the visitors it was too little too late and the loss ended a 12-game winning streak dating back to last season.

Coincidently, the last team to have beaten them was Arcata.

With the victory, the Tigers improved to 7-0 on the year and 3-0 in the Little 4, leaving them alone atop the conference standings as they look for a third Little 4 championship in four seasons.

The Wildcats, who dropped to 6-1 and 2-1, will get another shot at the Tigers on the final day of the season in Ferndale.