Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — The most successful public school in North Coast Section football history will be hoping to add to that rich and storied tradition this month.
On Saturday afternoon, the Ferndale Wildcats will welcome Salesian to Coach Carlson Wildcat Field for a Division-5 NCS semifinal, as the No. 2 seeded hosts look to qualify for a third straight section championship game with a victory over the No. 3 seeds.
If history counts for anything, and it usually does, the Pride will have their hands full.
Only nationally recognized De La Salle, a private school, has won more NCS titles than Ferndale, with 39 all-time, including 32 straight.
Remarkably, the Wildcats are tied with Marin Catholic for second most with 14 NCS titles, despite having the smallest student population of the 104 11-player programs in the NCS this year.
(Of the 16 eight-player programs in the section, 10 have a larger student population than Ferndale.)
But, as Ferndale head coach Clint McClurg said recently, the Cats don’t see themselves as a small school, but rather a good school.
And when it comes to their rich tradition in football, it’s difficult to argue that assessment.
History, however, will only count for so much on Saturday, as the Wildcats get set for a quality Salesian team and their most challenging opponent of the season.
The Pride (10-1) are ranked No. 28 in the NCS, according to MaxPreps, 15 spots behind the No. 13 Wildcats (11-0), and they feature a balanced offense with a strong aerial attack.
They are passing for 214.6 yards a game and rushing for 165 yards a game, compared to the Wildcats, who average 78.6 yards a game through the air and 283.1 on the ground.
“This is without doubt the best receiver/defensive backs group that we have faced,” Ferndale head coach Clint McClurg said.
One advantage the Cats have, however, is the home field.
Not only do the Pride have to travel all the way from Richmond, but a team that plays its games on artificial turf will have to play Saturday’s game on a muddy all-grass surface, which doesn’t always translate well to a potent passing attack.
A key for the home team will be limiting its opponent’s opportunities.
“We need to run the ball and stop them from running the ball,” McClurg said. “And that’s going to be the recipe for success.”
It certainly was last week.
The Cats opened the playoffs with a dominating 54-14 win over an Arroyo team that had little success trying to run the ball in a game that got out of hand quickly.
Indeed, no team has run the ball well against this Ferndale team, which has continually set a physical tone in all phases of the game and has successfully wore down opponents quickly with their relentless ground game.
And it all starts on the practice field.
“I think that proper preparation prevents poor performances,” McClurg said. “This group of student athletes respect their opponents, and that’s a great start.”
It’s also a group of Ferndale players who have remained grounded despite their overwhelming superiority this year — their lowest winning margin during the regular season was by 42 points — and it’s a group of players who are continually willing to learn and improve their game, according to their coach, while not allowing even a hint of complacency to set in.
They’ll need more of the same on Saturday, against a Salesian team that also has built its success in the trenches.
“Any time you’re a successful football team — and they’re a successful football team and a successful football program — you’ve got to look up front,” McClurg said of the Pride. “And they have some young men right now that are pretty fast, pretty strong, pretty athletic and pretty big.”
So too do the Wildcats.
Both Ferndale lines have set a physical tone all year and have dominated their opposite numbers, setting the skill position players on the team up for success.
And the skill position players have delivered.
The Cats are not just a threat to score on every possession — they have punted just five times all year — but are so every time they touch the ball, with players like quarterback Tanner Pidgeon and running back Prescott Langer, in particular, capable of finding the end zone every time they get the ball in their hands.
The home crowd also should work to the Cats’ advantage.
“We see them on game day, so we know they’re excited,” McClurg said of the Ferndale fans, who always show up in big numbers. “We all have our role. They’re an awesome fan base.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
