Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — On Saturday afternoon the Crusaders left no one in doubt as to who is the best team in Eureka right now.

They also made a case to suggest they could be the best team in the Big 4.

In a matchup that has captured the attention of the local sports community in recent years, St. Bernard’s welcomed crosstown rivals, the Eureka Loggers, to Crusader Field for both schools’ Big 4 openers, and it was the home team that cruised to a comfortable 43-6 victory.

The win keeps the Crusaders unbeaten on the season as they improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

The loss was the fourth straight for a Loggers team that has had to endure a plethora of injuries this fall, as they dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the Big 4.

The Crusaders have also been battling injuries — including injuries to their top three running backs — but they found a way to overcome the adversity with a statement win in what was expected to be their toughest game of the year so far.

“I’m super proud of our players, because we suffered some big injuries in our last game,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “But you can’t complain about injuries, and you have to have a next-man-up mentality.”

Senior Tyler Hinrichs was outstanding in the win and his influence could be felt in all facets of the game.

Hinrichs scored three touchdowns, including a 60-yard pick six shortly before halftime that gave the home team a dominating 36-0 advantage at the break.

The pick six was one of two interceptions for the senior catalyst, who also nailed all five PATs and added a two-point conversion run.

“He’s an amazing team captain,” Tomlin said. “That was an MVP performance today. He studies film and knows every play the other team is going to play on offense.”

Hinrichs was far from the only standout for the Crusaders.

Senior Kuron Devlin’s impact has grown in recent weeks and he had his best game of the year on Saturday, scoring two TDs in the opening half, one on a 20-yard interception return and the other on a 10-yard reception from quarterback Trenten Hagler.

Check out some first-half highlights below …

Devlin also had a big goal-line interception early in the game that he returned deep into Eureka territory, a play that set up the opening score.

“Kuron Devlin was epic for us today,” Tomlin said. “He has been absolutely electric for us.”

Another player whose influence is growing week by week is Hagler.

The junior quarterback, who split time at the position in each of the past two seasons, is thriving now that he is the team’s full-time starter.

Hagler threw for three touchdowns on Saturday, all of them in the opening half, including scoring passes of 25 yards and five yards to Hinrichs.

“He’s just been playing like a superstar,” Tomlin said.

The injuries, however, continued to mount for the Loggers, who lost junior quarterback Ben Klein late in the opening half to what appears to be a season-ending injury.

That follows the recent losses of Cole Harbin and Tautua Ou, two of the team’s most influential seniors.

Sophomore Bryson Burns took over under center and played well for the visitors, scoring their only TD of the game late in the fourth quarter on a three-yard run.

“He did a really good job,” Eureka head coach Sam Edmonds said of Burns, who also had an early interception on defense. “He’s such a smart kid to where I feel like he plays beyond his years.”

On the other side of the ball, the Crusaders started three freshmen — running back Bryce Pancoast, middle linebacker Miles Sirrine and strong safety Maddox Boham — and all of them had big contributions.

“They all played older than their age,” Tomlin said.

After his impressive start, Pancoast was forced to the sideline with an injury although it’s not expected to keep him out long.

He was replaced by senior Braylon Johnson, who closed out the scoring for the home team on a second-half TD run.

But while the skill position players stole the headlines, it was the St. Bernard’s linemen who set the tone and foundation for the win, most notably a defensive line of ends and sack masters Kolton Hall and Jahseree Bailey and tackles Josh Tinkham and Teqkauri Achane, all of whom were outstanding once again.

“I love our defensive line and the way they play,” Tomlin said.

Despite the loss and many injuries, there were some bright spots for the Loggers, who feature a stable of running backs that ran the ball effectively at times, a group that includes Brycen Mishmash, Isaac Lopez, Jackson Herbert and Quincy Smith.

Receiver Eddie Gonzalez also impressed as he continues to give the Eureka offense a reliable option in the passing game.

“Our guys didn’t quit, that’s the biggest thing,” Edmonds said. “Today they played hard, and I’m proud of the way they played all four quarters. It was a team effort and they definitely played as a team today.”

Tomlin also praised the Eureka players’ efforts.

“Sam Edmonds and Eureka, they’ve suffered a lot of injuries,” the St. Bernard’s coach said. “Eureka’s kids were still playing hard despite the injuries, so hats off to coach Edmonds and his staff.”

Next up, the Loggers will try to bounce back when they travel to play Del Norte, where the winning team will likely move into a tie for second in the standings, while the Crusaders will host Fortuna with the conference lead on the line.

“We’re just looking forward to a game with a very good and well-coached Fortuna team next week,” Tomlin said.

The Loggers fared better in Saturday’s JV game and won 35-13, handing the Crusaders their first loss of the year.

The Eureka JVs improved to 1-0 in conference and 3-1-1 overall, while St. Bernard’s dropped to 0-1 and 4-1.