By Ray Hamill — Are you getting excited for this year’s Milk Can game?
Because if week one of the local high school football season is any indication, the best single-game annual rivalry in North Coast sports could be a thriller this fall.
With a new-look schedule for H-DNL sports, this year’s Milk Can showdown will take place later than usual, on Halloween.
And while there’s plenty of football to be played between now and then — and no doubt plenty of twists and turns along the way — it could be one of the matchups of the season here on the NortH Coast, between two of the best teams in the H-DNL.
Here then are five talking points from the opening weekend of the local high school season.
1 — Milk Can rivals impress in openers
The two most impressive local teams on opening weekend were the Ferndale Wildcats and Fortuna Huskies.
The Huskies got their new campaign off to a flying start with a comprehensive 41-6 over St. Helena, while the Wildcats traveled inland to play Anderson and came away with a 31-7 victory.
Both defenses played very well, holding their opponents to just one touchdown each, while both offenses hit the ground running and looked like they are already in mid-season form, with plenty of experienced players back on both squads.
Coming into the new season, we expected these teams to be among the best in the H-DNL this fall and neither did anything to make us reconsider that opinion in their season openers.
2 — Eureka woes continue
It’s been a tough few years for the Eureka Loggers and opening weekend continued that trend.
First up, this was always going to be a tough opening matchup for the Loggers, and no local team will face a more challenging non-league game this fall, if you go by the MaxPreps rankings.
The Division-3 Jaguars are No. 14 in the NCS, the highest ranked opponent of the year for any H-DNL program, as of right now.
But no matter how good Windsor is, it was a disheartening opening night for the Loggers, who suffered a fourth straight shutout dating back to last season.
The Loggers will try to get back on track at Shasta this weekend as they look to turn the corner and establish themselves as a force in the H-DNL once again.
But it was a very disappointing start for the team, whatever way you look at it.
3 — Mack defense leads the way against Cloverdale
McKinleyville head coach Jason Benge was quick to praise the contribution of his defensive coordinator Mettah Kuska after Saturday’s 8-7 come-from-behind win over Cloverdale in the Panthers’ season opener.
And he should be.
Kuska had his players ready to go for a showdown the Panthers really needed to win if they are to take the next step after beginning to turn the corner a year ago.
After back-to-back winless campaigns in 2023 and 2024, the Panthers won three games a year ago, and they’ll be hoping to improve on that this fall and perhaps make the playoffs.
But with a tough schedule that includes matchups against the Pacific League schools (formerly the Big 4), this was a game they absolutely needed to win, and not just for momentum.
And thanks to a defense that gave up just one touchdown and pitched a shutout over the final three quarters they achieved that.
4 — Opening game mistakes for Del Norte
Well-coached teams always improve as the season goes along, and the Del Norte Warriors are without doubt a well-coached team.
So we can expect them to learn from a disappointing season-opener at Oakland on Friday night, a performance that epitomized the typical first-game mistakes often associated with opening weekend, more than any other H-DNL program.
The Warriors were well in contention throughout the opening two quarters, but mistakes derailed their ambitions late in the first half and early in the second and the game began to get away from them.
It remains to be seen if this year’s Del Norte team can challenge defending league co-champs Fortuna and St. Bernard’s in the Pacific League, but you can be sure of one thing.
Head coach Nick White and his staff will use the opening-weekend loss as a learning experience for the players, and the players will grow from it.
5 — Young Hoopa team outclassed in the trenches
Opening weekend was also a learning experience for a young Hoopa team that featured three freshmen and four sophomores.
The young Warriors were outclassed in the trenches in a 42-16 loss at Trinity, as the Wolves’ physicality caught them off guard.
With so many young players on both lines, it was never going to be an easy matchup for new head coach Tashone Rice and his players.
The question now is how will the Warriors use it to grow?
Disappointing performances on opening weekend are nothing new, but it’s how the players respond in week two that often determines the direction a season takes.
