Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

The Arcata Tigers got conference play off to a winning start on Saturday night with a 62-34 win over rivals and neighbors McKinleyville.

The Panthers led 27-22 at halftime, but the Tigers would enjoy the better of exchanges after the break and would pull away for the win.

With the victory, Arcata improved to 1-0 in the Little 4 and 2-3 overall, while McKinleyville dropped to 0-1 and 2-3.

No scoring details or feedback from the coaches were available for the Tigers.

The Panthers, meanwhile, continue to put the disappointment of back-to-back winless campaigns in 2023 and 2024 firmly behind them.

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Jason Benge, the program has taken some big steps in the right direction, and once again that was noticeable on the field of play and with the energy on the sidelines.

“The score was not indicative of the game we played,” Benge said. “We competed with them.”

More importantly, the Mack players refused to give up the fight, even when trailing by multiple scores late in the game.

“What we’ve done all year is to compete to the end no matter what the score was,” the McKinleyville head coach said. “It’s what I constantly tell them, just compete and play to the end.

“And they’re buying into what the coaches have stressed.”

Check out one of Jeremiah Smith’s TD passes to Trevor Marsh below …

Jeremiah Smith had another big game in the loss, as he continues his impressive fall.

Smith ran in for a TD and threw for three TDs, all of them to Trevor Marsh on a pitch out from quarterback Ruger Baxter.

They were the only three passes Smith threw all night.

Baxter also threw a TD pass to Marsh, who had four touchdown receptions on the night.

The McKinleyville defense, like many before them, had trouble containing electric Arcata QB Luke Lemke.

But there were some bright spots on defense for the Panthers, most notably junior defensive end Coltyn Rasella, who forced a key fumble in the first half, as well as junior linebacker Bryce Grutzmacher, who made some “big plays in the backfield for us,” Benge said.

The McKinleyville JVs fared better and won their matchup 48-0.