Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — Their season may ended in disappointment on Friday night, but the Eureka Loggers showed a lot of fight this fall and should be a force to be reckoned with once again in the coming years.
A 28-20 loss in an entertaining and hard-fought showdown at Fortuna ended any hopes of playoff qualification for the Loggers and first-year head coach Sam Edmonds.
However, this year’s team was the most competitive the school has seen in a few years and it suggests that the Loggers will be conference contenders in 2025.
“We faced a lot of adversity having a tough schedule and (the players) always seemed to bounce back,” Edmonds said. “They never gave up. It was definitely a turn in the right direction and we kind of restored pride in Loggers football.
“The one thing I can say is, win or lose these boys played hard, they finished strong and they didn’t quit.
“They’re an incredible team.”
The Loggers matched the Huskies stride for stride for much of the game, which was tied 14-14 at halftime.
However, the host Huskies would enjoy the better of exchanges in the second half on their way to their second straight win, which will give them some momentum heading into next week’s North Coast Section postseason.
Jaydn Payton opened the Loggers’ account on an eight-yard TD reception from quarterback Kyle Johnston early in the second quarter, with Johnston adding a six-yard TD run later in the quarter.
Cole Harbin scored Eureka’s only TD of the second half on a pass from Michael Jewell.
Overall, it was an entertaining battle with little to separate the two teams.
“Fortuna came ready to play and our guys came ready to play, and basically it came down to who was going to make that one mistake to allow the other team to win,” Edmonds said, “We just couldn’t get in the end zone (late in the game).”
While he was disappointed with the outcome, Edmonds was more than happy with the effort of his players, most notably a talented group of seniors who were playing their final high school football game.
“All my seniors, they played hard,” the head coach said. “There was a lot on the line last night with our first chance of going to the postseason in a few years. They wanted it.
“They didn’t give up. We got behind and they kept fighting. It was pretty awesome to watch.”
The Loggers haven’t been shut out since week one and they showed a lot of improvement as the season went on, including a big win over St. Bernard’s a couple of weeks ago to end a long conference losing streak.
“It was definitely a memorable season in my first year as head coach,” Edmonds added. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys.”
In particular, Edmonds praised the contributions of his seniors, a group that includes Jewell, Chayton Rose, Cole Zellar, Dallin Baker and Michael Been, as well as Johnston.
“Kyle Johnston is definitely one of the most under-rated quarterbacks in the H-DN and watching him play and watching his ability to read defenses is amazing,” Edmonds said. “He is definitely one of the true leaders on our team, along with Michael Jewell.”
For more on the Huskies and their big win, see Huskies top the Loggers, keep Big 4 and NCS playoff hopes alive …
