By Ray Hamill — Seventy years on, the rivalry is alive and well and thriving as much as ever.
On Saturday afternoon, in front of a large crowd at Crusader Field, St. Bernard’s hosted the Ferndale Wildcats in the latest chapter of this great rivalry, and the two schools served up another classic that will only leave those in attendance hoping to see them face off again when the North Coast Section playoffs roll around, a distinct possibility considering they are the top two teams in NCS Division 7 right now.
These two programs have been setting a high standard here on the North Coast ever since they first met back in October of 1956, and, as they say, somethings never change.
They may be small in numbers with fewer students than any other H-DNL football school, but Ferndale and St. Bernard’s are far bigger than that in stature.
Ferndale’s 15 section championships are the most ever by an NCS public school and the two programs have each won a state title in the past seven years.
And that’s not all.
The Cats came into the game as the No. 10 team in the entire NCS, with the Crusaders just six spots further back.
That may change after Saturday’s game, and a Ferndale team that has been setting some incredible standards over the past 13 months could move up in the rankings after pulling out a 27-24 win, while overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit on the way to victory.
After the loss, St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin stressed just how much respect and admiration he has for Ferndale football, expressing a sentiment felt by just about every football fan here on the North Coast.
“I have a lot of respect for coach (Clint) McClurg, his players and the entire Ferndale program,” the longtime SB coach said of the Cats, who improved to 5-0 with the win and stretched their regular-season winning streak to 18 straight, dating all the way back to October of 2024.
McClurg and the Cats relished the occasion every bit as much.
“That was one of those situations where the game was really intense,” he said. “And when you play a game like that, it’s football at its finest.”
It’s difficult to argue with the coaches assessment.
The game itself was an instant classic and a reminder why high school football in the H-DNL is so special.
Both teams feature physical lines and big-time playmakers at the skill positions, and both are playing at a very high level right now.
The home team certainly enjoyed the better of exchanges in the opening half and appeared well up to the challenge of playing the No. 1 team in the Humboldt Sports Power Rankings, a position they have held continuously since the 2025 preseason.
A statement 16-play, eight-minute drive to open the game told the large crowd that the Crusaders were up for the challenge and eager to get the better of their biggest rivals for the first time since 2019.
(Ferndale has won two matchups between the schools since then, one in the spring of 2021 and one in 2024.)
The long drive ended on a successful 35-yard field goal by Cal Figas.
The Wildcats answered with a nice drive of their own, but they would turn the ball over on downs in SB territory early in the second quarter after an offensive pass interference call left them facing a fourth-and-19.
The Crusaders then went back to work and quickly added to their tally, driving 64 yards on eight plays and scoring on a 13-yard TD pass from quarterback Trenten Hagler to Figas, who added the PAT and scored all 10 of his team’s first-half points.
The St. Bernard’s defense forced a quick three-and-out on Ferndale’s next possession, but the team’s third drive of the afternoon would stall on penalties late in the second quarter and the score remained the same heading into the halftime break.
Both coaching staffs, however, clearly worked their magic during the interval, and both offenses would combine for six TDs on the opening eight possessions of the second half, including four straight scoring drives by the visitors.
In typical Ferndale fashion, the Wildcats began to wear down their opponents with their trademark physicality in the trenches after a rare — very rare — scoreless opening half for the team.
“They did a good job controlling the ball offensively,” McClurg said of the Crusaders’ fist-half performance. “They did an outstanding job of not letting us have the ball. Kudos to them.”
That would quickly change in the second half, however, and after receiving the ball to open the third quarter they drove 69 yards on eight plays, finally scoring on a 46-yard Preston Killingsworth TD run.
The momentum continued to shift just four plays later, when big-play cornerback Christian Enriquez intercepted a Hagler pass, his second interception in as many weeks.
The Cats took full advantage, marching 51 yards on 11 plays and doubling their tally on Killingsworth’s second TD run of the afternoon, this one good for five yards.
A second successful Enriquez PAT gave the Cats a 14-10 lead, but the advantage would not last long.
The Crusaders would respond on the ensuing drive, marching 55 yards on five plays and retaking the lead on a two-yard Hagler TD run that put them up 17-14.
That lead, however, would last just 17 seconds.
On the very next play from scrimmage, Ferndale’s Garyn McClurg broke free down the sideline for a 65-yard TD run, giving the Wildcats a third straight scoring drive and a lead they would not relinquish.
After the Cats recovered a fumble just three plays into SB’s next drive, the Ferndale offense went back to work and added to the lead on Garyn McClurg’s second TD of the half, this one from one yard out.
With just 2:35 remaining in the game at that stage it appeared as if there was no way back for the Crusaders, but they were far from done just yet.
Wit their backs to the wall, the Crusaders quickly drove 69 yards on four plays — a drive that took just 37 seconds off the clock — scoring on a 56-yard TD pas from Hagler to impressive sophomore Mason Long, who is quickly establishing himself as a big threat for St. Bernard’s.
“Mason Long has been showing how good he is the last three weeks,” Tomlin said. “And I thought he really played well.”
The ensuing onside kick, however, was recovered by the visitors, who would run out the clock for their biggest win of the season thus far.
Both teams were missing some key personnel for the game.
The Crusaders had four players out for various reasons, including injured running Jack Omey and senior Josh Tinkham, whom Tomlin has described as the best lineman in the H-DNL.
Senior running back/linebacker Robert Sirrine, who looked set for a bigger role this week in Omey’s absence, also was forced to the sideline because of injury in the opening half, and his loss was felt.
“I thought that losing Robert Sirrine was a major loss for us,” Tomlin said. “He’s the MVP of our defense and he leads us in tackles.”
According to the SB coach, losing Sirrine was a big factor in Ferndale wearing the Crusaders down.
But St. Bernard’s, which finished the game with just 15 players available, wasn’t the only team to lose a key player.
Ferndale junior Liam Bishop, who has established himself as one of the most important players on his team — in all three phases of the game — also suffered an injury midway through the second quarter and did not return.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives for the Crusaders, who remain one of the most dangerous teams not just in the H-DNL but also in the NCS.
“There were a lot of positives,” Tomlin said, stressing “a lot.” “I thought we had a lot of guys who had big games.”
In addition to the outstanding Hagler, who has been playing at an MVP level ever since a four-interception opening day, junior Julius Rojo was a force on the defensive line.
The game itself was played in a “playoff atmosphere,” according to Tomlin.
“It was a great turnout and great support for both teams,” he said. “I hope the fans today enjoyed a great game. It was one of the best games I’ve been involved with.”
The Ferndale head coach also relished the occasion.
“It had a little extra hot sauce,” Clint McClurg said of the game. “Win, lose or draw, we’re going to learn a lot from a game like that.”
He also praised the performance of the players on both teams and the Ferndale fans, who always show up in big numbers to showcase their support.
“Ferndale fans travel extremely well,” he said. “Our community loves that matchup (against St. Bernard’s). Ferndale fans are definitely the best. They showed up in a sea of red.”
Asked what most impressed him about his team’s performance, the Ferndale coach said it was the players’ response in the second half.
“Against a very high caliber football team we didn’t hang our heads, and I think that’s a true sign of the character of this team,” he said. “They rallied around each other, and I think that was the difference. It was an outstanding performance by our team.”
Tomlin also liked the way his players responded to the challenge of facing their rivals on such a big occasion.
“I didn’t come away from that game disappointed at all,” he said. “With all the adversity we faced, I left the field with my head held high with how hard (the players) played against a very good football team.”
With the loss, the Crusaders dropped to 4-1.
