On Saturday night the Arcata Tigers became the fourth H-DNL school to win a state championship in football in the last 10 years and they did so in thrilling fashion.

It took an overtime period to achieve it, a late touchdown to get there, and an anxious conclusion to regulation for Arcata fans, as a last-second field goal attempt by Portola fell just short.

This was a game that had it all and a night that will go down as the greatest ever in Arcata High sports history.

Two weeks after clinching a first-ever North Coast Section championship and one week after adding an historic first-ever NorCal Regional title, the Tigers are now Division 6-AA state champs after beating Portola 27-21 at Fullerton District Stadium.

They follow in the footsteps of St. Bernard’s in 2015 and 2019, Fortuna in 2017 and Ferndale last year, giving the H-DNL a fifth state crown in just nine postseasons, a remarkable achievement for the local league.

Junior quarterback Luke Lemke, who has thrilled local fans all season with his electrifying performances, led the way again in Saturday’s showdown, scoring three touchdowns on his way to being named player of the game.

But he was far from the only hero for the Tigers.

Lennon Gieder made the play of his young life on Portola’s first overtime possession, stripping the ball out of the grasp of a Bulldogs running back to set up the game-winning drive.

Jackson Strand also pulled in a huge reception with time running down in the fourth quarter to set up a game-tying TD run by Lemke.

And the quarterback had a miraculous run to set up his own OT touchdown, somehow evading the grasp of two would-be sackers on a third-and-three play and scrambling inside the 5 to give his team a first-and-goal just short of the goal line.

On the very next play he snuck in for the championship-winning score and the celebrations began.

For much of the night there was little to separate the two schools, neither of which ever led by more than one score and each of which always seemed to find an answer when they needed it.

Check out Luke Lemke’s first-half touchdown run above …

Photo by Michelle Conley

After a scoreless first quarter, it was the Bulldogs who broke the deadlock on their second possession of the night, a TD that was set up on a Tigers fumble just as they were driving comfortably towards the end zone, thanks in large part to the rushing of Tony Buchanan, who had 46 yards rushing on six carries on that drive, behind a Tigers line that was clearly up for game.

But the fumble, which came on on an exchange between Lemke and Buchanan, ended the threat in the red zone and the Bulldogs took over.

After a three-and-out on their first possession, this time the Bulldogs showcased just why they were SoCal regional champs and they methodically marched 81 yards on 14 plays, finding the end zone on a seven-yard TD run by Timothy Grettenberg to take a 7-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.

The Tigers answered emphatically on their next possession and this time there would be no late letdown deep in Portola territory, as Lemke capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with his first TD of the night, scoring from three yards out.

With two long drives under their belts, nerves were clearly not a factor for the Arcata players on the biggest night of their young athletic careers.

Later in the quarter, Buchanan was rewarded for all of his hard work when he scored on a one-yard TD run to cap a 12-play, 68-yard drive, and the ever-reliable foot of Paul VandenBranden made the second of his three PATs for the night to put the Tigers up 14-7.

Arcata had just four first-half possessions — two of which ended with TDs and two of which ended on turnovers — and they carried a one-touchdown lead into halftime.

Photo by Michelle Conley

The second half, however, would prove to be a very different story, at least early on, and the Arcata offense began to sputter, as penalties, poor field position and a Portola defense growing in stature all began to take their toll.

The Tigers managed just two first downs in the third quarter, one of them on a spectacular 50-yard completed pass from Lemke to Gieder, who has made a habit of making big plays this postseason.

The Tigers were unable to get much going on offense for much of the second half, with their first four possessions of the half all stalling.

Conversely, the Bulldogs began to find their rhythm on offense and would score back-to-back TDs to turn a seven-point halftime deficit into a seven-point advantage with a little over five minutes remaining in the game.

But just as it appeared the momentum had switched, the Tigers quickly grabbed it back again, with Strand’s big reception setting up another spectacular Lemke TD run, this one from 33 yards out with 2:21 on the clock.

The NFHS Network commentators were in awe at Lemke’s electrifying talent, but for Arcata fans it was merely another day at the office.

We’ve seen it before from one of the biggest playmakers the H-DNL has seen in recent decades, and yet it never gets old.

With the game now tied 21-21, the Bulldogs began to drive and they quickly marched into Arcata territory to set up a field goal attempt just as time was running out.

From 45 yards out, however, it was far from easy, and when it came up short of its intended target, we headed to overtime.

The Bulldogs had the first possession, which included a converted fourth-and-one attempt to give them possession at the Arcata 14.

Two plays later, however, Gieder’s crucial takeaway ended the threat and gave possession to the Tigers, who knew if they could score they would walk away as state champs.

They did not disappoint.

Just three plays later, Lemke somehow converted on a third-and-three with the sort of maneuver that will leave two Portola defenders wondering exactly how he managed to escape their grasp and how they failed to bring him down.

And on the very next play, Lemke found the end zone one more time for the game-winning score, signaling a brilliant end to what has simply been a brilliant season for this team.

The Tigers are state champs!