Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — One of the hottest teams in the H-DNL will kick off the North Coast Section playoffs with plenty of momentum on Friday night.
The Fortuna Huskies, who have won four straight games and six of their last seven, will get the postseason under way when they face Petaluma in a Division-6 showdown in front of a home crowd.
The Huskies are the No. 4 seeds in the bracket, while the Trojans are No. 5.
And head coach Mike Benbow, who has seen his fair share of playoff games over the years, knows as well as anyone to not underestimate any opponent at this stage of the season.
“They’re going to be a lot like us. They’re an option football team,” he said. “And they’re going to challenge us up front. It will be a great chess match between two very good teams.”
Matchups between Nos. 4 and 5 seeds are usually the most intriguing of the opening round, with little to separate them.
The MaxPreps rankings back that perspective, with the Huskies ranked No. 34 overall in the NCS, just one spot ahead of Petaluma, which is a Division-5 sized school.
Since their 0-3 start, the Huskies have dominated most of their opponents, with their six wins coming by an average of 25 points.
The only school to finish within 10 points of the Huskies in that spell was St. Bernard’s — twice.
Home field could be a big advantage on Friday night, and Huskies fan can expect a good atmosphere, as is usually the case at Husky Field.
“Any time you get a home game in the playoffs, it’s pretty special,” Benbow said. “We’re happy to be home for sure.”
The Trojans are 6-4 on the year and have won four of their last five games while placing second in the Redwood Empire – Valley league.
One of their main threats is senior running back/linebacker Evan Clarke, who leads the team in rushing with 133.7 yards a game and in tackles with five per game.
And Benbow and his players are well aware of the challenge he poses.
“We’ve got to take care of the football and we’ve got to stop No. 4 (Clarke),” Benbow said. “But ultimately, it’s about making plays and the team that makes plays usually wins.”
The Huskies have some game-breakers themselves, most notably the offensive backfield tandem of Mako Limon and Kavi Bolden, who are arguably the two best running backs in the H-DNL this season.
Limon leads the team in rushing yards with 1,192 and has scored 14 rushing TDs, while Bolden has racked up 710 yards rushing and eight touchdowns despite missing some time early in the season with an injury.
The game will be broadcast live on Mix 95.1 FM, with Tag Wotherspoon calling the action from Husky Field.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
