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A couple of key injuries and the hot conditions didn’t help matters for the Eureka Loggers in a close matchup at Novato on Saturday, as they fell 21-20.
The Loggers led by two points late in the game, but saw the advantage slip away when the home team kicked a game-winning field goal with three minutes remaining.
The loss was the second straight for Eureka, which had a bye last week and dropped to 1-2.
“The biggest thing is the heat got to us for sure,” Eureka head coach Sam Edmonds said. “And it was frustrating going into the game with guys getting injured. We moved the ball well, but we couldn’t execute when it mattered most.”
Influential seniors Cole Harbin (lineman) and Tautua Ou (RB/LB) suffered what could be season-ending injuries in the first and third quarters, respectively.
Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for the team.
Sophomore Jackson Herbert opened the scoring for the Loggers in the first quarter on a five-yard TD run and they led 6-0 going into the second.
Michael O’Shaughnessy added to the team’s tally on a 12-yard TD run in the second quarter and Brycen Mishmash added a two-point conversion run.
Alex Her closed out the scoring for the visitors on a five-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
Those four players all played well in the loss, with Mishmash also making some big plays at middle linebacker.
Edmonds also praised the play of his defensive line, most notably the performance of junior Gavin Francis.
Both of the Loggers’ loses this season have come by just nine points combined, including an eight-point defeat to Shasta two weeks ago.
“We’re losing close games,” Edmonds said. “We just put ourselves in situations we couldn’t get out of today.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Loggers next week, when they travel to play a Ferndale team that has been dominant so far this season and has outscored its first three opponents 168-0, including a 49-0 win over Fortuna in Friday night’s annual Milk Can game.
“The biggest positive is we always come back from adversity,” Edmonds added. “I think we definitely know what we need to work on for next week.”
The Eureka JVs fared better in their matchup at Novato, winning 29-0.
With the victory, the young Loggers improved to 2-0-1.
