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What a difference a year makes.

After being shut out by Arcata in their season opener a year ago, this time around the Eureka Loggers rolled to a 56-32 victory over the Tigers in both schools’ openers at McKinleyville on Saturday night.

Six different Eureka players combined for eight touchdowns in the win, as the Loggers offense enjoyed one of its biggest outings in years.

And the best part about it for the Loggers is the fact they feel they can play better.

“We definitely made mistakes. There were a lot of penalties, a lot of stupid penalties,” Eureka head coach Sam Edmonds said. “But the guys played hard. The offensive line played nasty, the running backs were running hard, and I like how we played together as a team, and it’s something I have been preaching.”

Tautua Ou and Isaac Lopez led the way with a pair of touchdown runs each, while Eddie Gonzalez, Tyler Johnston and Caden Ragins each also scored a rushing TD.

Quarterback Ben Klein also got in on the scoring action, throwing a TD pass to Brycen Mishmash.

And that stellar ground attack all began in the trenches with a big performance by the offensive line against the defending state champions.

“I think they all played pretty well,” Edmonds said of the line. “I really feel it was a group effort. They all played together.”

The win will be a big boost for the Loggers as they look to return to the North Coast Section playoffs this year for the first time since 2018.

“I’m beyond proud of the kids,” Edmonds added. “Honestly, I think they came out and played their hearts out. They came out ready to play.”

No details are available for the Arcata Tigers.

Next up, Eureka will hope to keep the momentum going when they host Shasta at the Redwood Bowl next weekend, while the Tigers will try to get back on track when they host Del Norte in two weeks.