By Ray Hamill — The new high school football season is now just around the corner, with opening weekend set for the end of the month.
This year will feature a new look schedule format for all eight H-DNL 11-player programs, who will all play each other once.
Each league school will also play three non-league games over the first month of the campaign.
The Eureka Loggers are hoping to kick off the new season with a home game under the lights at the newly-renovated Albee Stadium.
The Loggers will host Windsor on Saturday Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
The final touches are still being put on the new facility and if it’s not ready for opening weekend then the Loggers will play Windsor at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Redwood Bowl instead.
Also in action on opening weekend, the Ferndale Wildcats will kick off their new season on the road at Anderson on that Friday night, while their neighbors and rivals Fortuna will open at home on the same night against St. Helena, with kickoff set for 7.
On the following day, the McKinleyville Panthers will try to get their season off to a winning start when they host Cloverdale at 2 p.m.
With a new head coach on the sideline, the Hoopa Warriors will open that weekend one the road at Trinity.
Tashone Rice takes over from Curtis Kane.
The Del Norte Warriors also feature a new head coach this season with Nick White returning to the sideline.
The Warriors open the new season at Oakland High School on that Friday night at 6.
They also host Ashland and will play at West Valley before beginning league play.
Defending Big 4 co-champs St. Bernard’s will have a bye on opening weekend before kicking off the season at home against St. Vincent de Paul at 2 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 5.
The South Fork Cubs also welcome an old friend back to the sideline this fall with longtime coach Karl Terrell returning to the program.
The Cubs open their season at home against California School for the Deaf on Thursday, Sept. 3.
