Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — After a longer preseason than most teams, the Ferndale Wildcats will finally kick off their season this weekend when they travel to play Fort Bragg.
And expectations are high for a Ferndale team that returns most of its players from last year when the Wildcats reached a second straight North Coast Section championship game, barely losing to eventual state champ Moreau Catholic.
But if anything, the Ferndale players and coaches seem to be embracing those expectations and are coming off a very productive few weeks of practice and a strong showing at the recent H-DNL preseason jamboree.
Asked what he likes about this year’s team, head coach Clint McClurg didn’t shy away from the obvious.
“What don’t I like,” he said. “I love all aspects of this team. They love the game of football and they’re willing to do what it takes.”
Last year, the Wildcats shared the Little 4 title with Arcata, although with the Tigers graduating so many key players from their state championship team, the Cats will be considered heavy favorites to win this year’s title.
They certainly have a stacked roster, a group that includes a pair of returning co-MVPs.
Senior Ethan Weitzel, who was the 2024 Little 4 co-MVP on defense, is back to anchor both lines, while senior Tanner Pidgeon, who was last year’s L4 co-MVP on offense, is back at quarterback and safety.
The Cats appear stacked at the skill positions and in the trenches, but more importantly this is a group of players that are focused and appear determined to live up to the lofty expectations placed on their young shoulders.
“This is a group of young men that love the game of football and continually put in their best effort,” McClurg said. “I’m definitely proud of the effort these young men have put in.”
While the team features several potential game changers alongside Pidgeon at the skill positions, it’s the linemen who set the tone a year ago and that should be the case once again this fall.
In addition to the outstanding Weitzel, who could be the best lineman in the entire H-DNL right now, the Wildcats are also expecting big seasons out of juniors Ruben Peredia and Angel Zaragoza and senior Jake Kurwitz, the latter of whom is “playing with a sense of urgency that we love,” according to McClurg.
“We’re looking to forward to seeing what they can do,” said the head coach, who also praised the impact of busy offensive line coach Jim Cook, who also is the head coach of the program’s JV team.
The dominating offensive and defensive lines feature mostly the same players and continually wear down opponents as the games progress.
That opens up opportunities for the skill position players, who usually take full advantage.
In addition to the always dangerous Pidgeon, who is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball, the Cats also feature senior Prescott Langer, who is the catalyst for the relentless ground attack and rarely disappoints.
Brothers Rolland McClurg, a senior wide receiver and cornerback, and Garyn McClurg, a junior running back and linebacker, have also been impressing their coaches through the preseason.
“Rolland and Garyn have just continued to improve and bring great energy,” the head coach said.
Rolland is one of four team captains this season, along with Pidgeon, Langer and Weitzel.
Those four captains, along with many of their teammates, were a part of the Ferndale state championship team in 2023 and have been a big part of this program for their entire high school careers.
“We have a lot of captains on our team,” Clint McClurg said, referring to the leadership throughout the roster. “And those four have really carried this program to new heights, so I’m really proud of their accomplishments.
“This is a very special group of student-athletes and it’s not just the seniors.”
Versatile junior Luke Dixon also looks set for a big fall after a big sophomore year and he will see time at running back, tight end and linebacker, while the addition of Tyler Broderick should only make the Cats even better than a year ago, on both sides of the ball.
Broderick, who played youth football with many of the Ferndale players, transferred to Ferndale High during the 2024 season and will be ready to go on opening night, where he will see some time at tight end and running back, and linebacker in particular.
“I think he’s going to be pretty solid for us,” Clint McClurg said.
Junior Christian Enriquez also looks set for a breakout campaign after “a very, very solid summer camp,” according to the head coach.
Enriquez won one of the starting cornerback spots ahead of fellow junior Adrian Lopez, who also will see time at the position and gives the team some necessary depth in the defensive backfield.
Another junior, Brandon Bailey, is also expected to play a big role this fall at linebacker and along the lines.
“He’s another fast, athletic returning player,” Clint McClurg said of the versatile Bailey. “He has a very, very unique skill set.
“I could go on about the whole team. We’re looking to see good things from everybody.”
The team’s performance at the recent league jamboree was up and down — perhaps mostly up — with some good performances mixed in with the usual early-season miscues.
“There were a lot of areas for improvement,” the head coach said. “I think our student-athletes right now are ready to continue to get better, and that’s what we took from the jamboree.”
They will have to hit the ground running against a Fort Bragg team that has a point to prove this weekend and a team that Clint McClurg expects to be a challenge.
The Timberwolves fell 28-6 at McKinleyville in their opening game, but unlike the Cats they now have a game under their belts and that could make a difference on Friday night.
“Fort Bragg is a very, very scary opponent, and they have talent,” the coach said. “When I look at them I see fast, I see physical and I see talent.”
Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with the two schools’ JV teams also playing at 5.
