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The Fortuna defense dug deep on Friday night, as the Huskies got a much-needed win to keep their Big 4 and playoff ambitions alive in their first home game since Sept. 13.

In what was a must-win showdown for them, the Huskies shut out the St. Bernard’s Crusaders 12-0 to end a five-game losing streak. with all five of those losses coming on the road.

The victory lifts the Huskies to 1-1 in the Big 4 and 3-6 overall and keeps them in contention for a share of this year’s conference championship and a place in the North Coast Section playoffs.

Also in action on Friday night, the South Fork Cubs won 38-8 at Calistoga for their second straight win, which also keeps them in contention for the section playoffs.

The high-flying Arcata Tigers also were in action and clinched at least a share of a second straight Little 4 championship with a 60-6 win over Hoopa in Arcata.

The win lifts the Tigers to 5-0 in conference play with one game remaining and 9-0 on the season.

The Tigers will look to close out a perfect regular season when they travel to play the Wildcats in Ferndale in eight days.

The Cats, who are 4-1 in the Little 4 (7-1 overall) will host McKinleyville on Saturday afternoon as they try to remain in the hunt.

Playing in wet and muddy conditions, Fortuna scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns and that would prove to be enough.

The defense ended four St. Bernard’s drives in the red zone and capped an impressive night with a Jake Houseworth interception at the Huskies’ six-yard line late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

“I’ve been preaching trying to finish games and our guys stepped up and made plays, and I think as a group we finally finished a game,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said. “Our kids stepped up when they had to and I’m super proud of the effort.

“it’s been a long time since we put together a four-quarter game.”

The Huskies quickly took control of the game, marching 69 yards on six plays on their opening drive and scoring on a 30-yard Kavi Bolden touchdown run.

After stopping the Crusaders on downs on the ensuing drive, the Huskies added to their advantage just moments later when Bolden took a short pass from quarterback Chandler Crenshaw and took it 55 yards to the end zone for a 12-0 lead.

The Crusaders would settle into the game and were able to move the ball effectively for much of the night

However, too many St. Bernard’s drives would end on downs or turnovers deep in Fortuna territory, as the home defense held firm when it mattered most.

Fortuna’s Hunter Reback had a monster night on defense and finished with two interceptions as well as making a late-game, touchdown-saving tackle on St. Bernard’s Michael Manzi, who was wide open and took a reception from quarterback Trenten Hagler 82 yards deep into Fortuna territory.

Moments later Houseworth came up with the game-sealing interception.

“We had a bunch of dudes make incredible plays at crucial times,” said Benbow, who described Reback’s big tackle as “the play of the game defensively for us.”

The Huskies finished with 284 yards rushing on 33 carries, including 105 yards for Bolden on 11 carries.

Mako Limon also had a good night running the ball and added 95 yards on seven carries, while Houseworth and Crenshaw each had 42 yards rushing.

All four of those players helped set the tone for their team and made some big contributions in the win.

“Chandler Crenshaw did a good job handling their defense,” Benbow said. “And Kavi Bolden had a great game, and of course Jake does all kind of things that people never know he’s doing.”

The loss was the second straight for St. Bernard’s, which dropped to 0-2 in the Big 4 and 6-3 overall and is now out of contention for the conference title.

However, the Crusaders’ overall record makes them playoff eligible.

The Huskies meanwhile, can potentially claim a share of this year’s crown and make themselves playoff eligible with a win over Eureka at Husky Field next week.

“Any time you get a Big 4 win, it’s great and it’s important,” said Benbow, who added “We’re going to be focused for next week and you never know what might happen next week.”

The Big 4 action continues on Saturday night, when the Eureka Loggers host the Del Norte Warriors at the Redwood Bowl, with the winner guaranteed at least a share of the conference championship.

In JV action on Friday night, Fortuna and St. Bernard’s tied 13-13 in what might have been a championship showdown.

The Crusaders and Huskies have been the best two JV teams in the H-DNL this fall and both are now 1-0-1 in the Big 4 with one game remaining each.

The tie keeps Fortuna undefeated on the season at 7-0-1, while SB is now 6-1-1.

If both teams win their regular-season and conference finales next week they will be crowned co-champs of the Big 4.