Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The step up to Division 4 for the state playoffs was never going to be easy for the Ferndale Wildcats, even after the remarkable season they enjoyed.

And that proved to be the case on Friday night, as they fell 21-7 to Sutter High School in the 4-AA NorCal Regional bowl game at the Redwood Bowl.

Simply put, the Huskies out-Ferndaled Ferndale.

In much the same way as the Cats have done throughout their memorable playoff run, the Huskies wore down their opponents with their physicality and relentless ground attack, pulling away in the second half on the way to securing the program’s first-ever NorCal championship and a place in next week’s 4-AA state bowl game.

The loss ends a season for the ages for the remarkable Cats and a campaign that will go down as one of their greatest ever, which is saying something considering this is the most storied program in H-DNL history and one of the most successful ever in the NCS.

The Cats not only posted their first perfect regular season since 2008 on the way to clinching the Little 4 championship, but they dominated their opponents along the way in a manner we have rarely if ever seen here on the North Coast, putting up video game stats in just about every game.

And that success continued in the playoffs, as Ferndale secured a 15th all-time section crown, a tally that is second only to nationally recognized De La Salle. 

But on Friday, they finally met their match in a Sutter team that is coached by McKinleyville High graduate Ryan Reynolds, who played at Humboldt State.

He clearly enjoyed his return to the Redwood Bowl.

The Cats got the night off to a dream start, and early on it appeared as if it was going to be more of the same for a team that has made a habit of overwhelming its opponents.

Sutter received the opening kickoff, but the Ferndale defense forced a quick three-and-out and the Cats went to work on offense, driving 61 yards on 10 plays and opening the scoring on a quarterback sneak by senior Tanner Pidgeon midway through the first quarter.

Christian Enriquez’s PAT put them up 7-0, but remarkably that would be the final points of the year for the Cats.

The Huskies would respond immediately and pieced together an impressive drive of their own, marching 75 yards on 10 plays for their opening touchdown while setting a physical tone of their own with nine runs on the drive.

A missed PAT, however, left them trailing 7-6.

Both defenses would grow into the game in the second quarter, with neither team able to get much going on offense and combining for just four first downs in the period.

And that left the game in the balance going into the break.

The second half, however, belonged to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-5 champs, who began to take control on both sides of the ball.

Ferndale received the opening kickoff but was unable to get much going on a three-and-out.

The Huskies would then take the lead on their first drive of the second half, marching 63 yards on 11 plays and scoring on a four-yard run by senior quarterback Braden Scritchfield.

They had to overcome three big penalties on the way to the end zone — two holding calls and an unsportsmanlike penalty — as well as converting a key fourth-and-10 in Ferndale territory.

But with their ground attack clearly getting a foothold, they were able to do just that, and the Wildcats faced their first deficit of the year.

After forcing another quick three-and-out by the NCS champs, the Huskies pieced together another long drive, and they would double their advantage just eight plays later, opening up a 21-7 lead early in the fourth.

The Wildcats, to their credit, answered with a nice 11-play drive to give themselves a chance, but they were unable to capitalize from inside the Sutter 10, and the Huskies took over on downs with under five minutes remaining.

That was the last we saw of the Ferndale offense and the Huskies ran out the clock with another long drive to secure the historic win and end the Cats’ season.

Neither team turned the ball over in what was a well-played game, but the Cats were simply unable to get anything going on the ground, with a dominating Huskies interior defensive line giving them no room to run and their linebackers doing an excellent job of setting the edge.

Despite the loss and the disappointment of seeing one of the greatest seasons in program history come to an end, the Ferndale players have every reason to feel proud of what they achieved.

The smallest school in the NCS to field an 11-player program is also the most successful public school in section history, and that doesn’t look likely to end any time soon.

Head coach Clint McClurg and Ferndale fans will definitely miss the contributions of the seven seniors on this year’s team — Pidgeon, Prescott Langer, Ethan Weitzel, Rolland McClurg, Jacob Kurwitz, Tristen Titus and Tyler Broderick — but the conveyor belt of outstanding young talent this program has is showing no signs of letting up.

There were several outstanding juniors and sophomores on this year’s team, many of whom will be ready to step up into bigger leadership roles, beginning this offseason.

And that, coupled with a dominating JV program that also was undefeated and posted six shutouts in nine games played, means the Wildcats should be a force once again in 2026 and beyond.

This season was indeed one for the ages for this team, and the players and coaches should be proud of what they accomplished and how they represented one of the the most storied programs in H-DNL sports.