By Ray Hamill — High school football has a long and storied tradition here on the North Coast and it’s only getting better.

On Saturday afternoon, the Arcata Tigers defeated Miramonte 28-21 in the North Coast Section Division-6 championship game, becoming the eighth different league team out of nine programs to win at least one section championship in the past 15 postseasons.

But this one was particularly special.

It was a first for the school, following South Fork’s first-ever championship 12 months ago.

But they had to dig deep, and Arcata fans were living nervously until Skyler Collenberg sacked Miramonte quarterback Carson Blair with just 40 seconds remaining in the game — his second sack in four plays — to seal a big stand by the Arcata defense deep in Tigers territory and secure the historic championship.

Check out video highlights of the game and celebrations above, including Collenberg’s game-clinching sack …

It was a gutsy performance by Collenberg and the entire Arcata defense.

For a team that is not used to playing in close games and one that had cruised past each of its first two playoff opponents, questions were asked of the Tigers on Saturday and they answered them emphatically.

They stepped up when they needed to, just when the momentum appeared to have switched hands after the Matadors scored back-to-back TDs to pull even early in the fourth quarter.

Cal Tucker is one of four Arcata team captains and he played like it, giving his teammates a much-needed boost with a pivotal 87-yard kickoff return just seconds after Miramonte had pulled even.

That set up what would prove to be the championship-winning touchdown run by another team captain, the electrifying Luke Lemke, who found the end zone for the decisive score from three yards out just three plays later.

The Tigers would go for broke on the ensuing kickoff and recovered an onside kick, which not only gave them some added momentum but kept a dangerous Miramonte offense, which had moved the bay effectively on all of their second-half possessions, off the field.

The Matadors, however, were not going to go down easily.

Not too many teams at this stage of the season do, and the defending Division-5 NCS champs were the No. 2 seeds in this year’s D-6 bracket for a reason.

They had already battled back from a two-touchdown deficit and they quickly drove deep into Arcata territory one more time to set up an exciting finish.

But championship teams are defined during times of adversity and the Tigers defense was up for the challenge, stepping up when it needed to the most and finding a way to stop their opponents.

This was a performance worthy of a championship by a team that has lived up to its lofty billing, and it’s a season that will go down in Arcata sports history as one of the most memorable ever.

And we’re not done yet.

On Sunday, the NorCal championship matchups will be announced and the Tigers will be included.

The one thing we know about NCS champions is that they are always a tough draw in the regional games and usually have a legitimate shot at not only advancing to a state final but of winning one.

The H-DNL has been every bit as impressive as any of its NCS counterparts.

Four of the six league teams to advance past the NCS in the last eight postseasons have gone on to win a state championship, including Ferndale last year.

This group of Arcata players has already achieved something no other Arcata team that came before them ever has.

Now they get the chance to add to that legacy.

Can these Tigers now win a state championship?

Anyone who saw them play on Saturday will believe so.