By Ray Hamill — What a difference a week makes.
Seven days after they were dominated by Ferndale in the annual Milk Can rivalry game, Fortuna quickly put that disappointment in the rear view mirror with a commanding performance against University Prep at Husky Field on Friday night.
The Huskies were fired up from the start and scored touchdowns on their opening five possessions of the night on the way to a 35-0 victory.
It was the team’s first win of the season and will give them a big boost ahead of next week’s conference opener against Del Norte.
“I was very, very pleased our kids came out and played hard the entire game,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said. “And you know what, the kids made plays and they played together, and I was very proud of their response.
“We wanted to get (the Ferndale loss) out of our minds.”
They certainly did that.
After the team defense forced a punt on the Panthers’ opening drive of the night, the Huskies offense went to work, taking a lead they would not relinquish barely six minutes into the game.
With a balanced attack, the Huskies efficiently drove 68 yards on seven plays and found the end zone on a 26-yard Mako Limon TD run.
The visitors then drove deep into Fortuna territory, but a Michael Shaw interception in the end zone gave possession back to the Huskies and they would take full advantage, driving 72 yards on four plays for their second TD.
Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
Fittingly, it was Shaw who scored, running in from 43 yards to double his team’s advantage on the final play of the opening quarter.
A fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff return would set up another Fortuna TD.
The Huskies offense took over at the U. Prep 37 and found the end zone just four plays later, this time on a 26-yard TD run by quarterback Will Shaw.
Limon would score his second touchdown of the night on a short run on Fortuna’s next possession, a TD that was set up on a 28-yard pass from Will Shaw to Brandon Essig.
The home team closed out the scoring on the opening play of the second half, when Cameron McClendon recovered an onside kick attempt and ran it into the end zone.
“The kids made plays tonight,” Benbow said. “Everyone did their job, and that’s exactly what we ask.
“There were a lot of kids that stood out. It was a great team win.”
The Huskies, who improved to 1-3, have had to overcome several injuries early in the season, most notably on the line, as well as an injury to standout senior running back Kavi Bolden.
According to Benbow, Bolden is week to week but is expected back soon, perhaps as soon as next week’s big conference opener.
With the loss, University Prep dropped to 1-4.
In JV action, the Huskies defeated the Panthers 38-0, improving to 2-2.
Next week’s conference opener against Del Norte will be the Huskies’ homecoming game.
