Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — The tradition is alive and well at Coach Carlson Wildcat Field.
Ferndale High is the smallest school in the North Coast Section to field an 11-player football program, but it is also the most successful public school team in Section history.
And that incredible tradition continued last year as the Wildcats stormed their way to a 15th all-time NCS crown and their second in three years.
Over the years, the Cats have succeeded with some incredible talent, a physicality that other schools can only dream of and some outstanding coaches.
Coaches like Carl Carlson, whom the school’s field is named after, and Kim Jorgensen enjoyed tremendous success in the Cream City, with each of them setting an incredible standard of success and helping establish a winning culture the local community has embraced for decades, and a culture that permeates throughout the town on Saturday afternoons in the fall.
Football is important to every school in the H-DNL, but you get the feeling it means a little more to the Wildcats faithful.
Clint McClurg is now following in Carlson’s and Jorgensen’s footsteps and keeping one of the best winning traditions in H-DNL history alive and well.
McClurg guided the Cats to a first-ever state championship in 2023 and he continued to work his magic on the sidelines last fall, with one of the most memorable seasons in school history.
The Cats thoroughly overwhelmed all 10 of their regular-season opponents, outscoring them by an incredible 647-18.
And while the players obviously deserve a ton of credit for that success, in a season that also included a 3-0 run through the Section postseason, we can’t underestimate the role the coaches played in all of that.
And that makes McClurg our choice for 2026 Humboldt Sports High School Coach of the Year.
The Ferndale coach beat out a deep pool of candidates for the award, all of whom had a tremendous impact on their athletes and teams over the past 12 months.
But McClurg’s success and the Cats’ incredible season stands out above all others.
McClurg, who also enjoyed a big spring in charge of the Wildcats track and field team, seems to a be a perfect fit for Ferndale football.
It’s a tradition like no other in HDN sports and the Cats succeed with a physical brand of football, wearing down opponents with their relentless ground attack while remaining humble and continually focused on the next snap of the ball.
And that all starts with McClurg and his staff, who have instilled that mindset year after year to keep that incredible tradition going.
The Ferndale football team was also named the 2026 Humboldt Sports High School Team of the Year.
A big thank you to our award sponsors, Bode Construction and the Mendes Supply Company for their continued support.
