In the blink of an eye, the Tigers made history yet again, this time in Arcata fashion. The Tigers prevailed over the Winters Warriors, 35-14, in the Northern California Regional Championship. Not only will the Tigers be the first team in program history to make it to the state final, but they will be the first team from Arcata to make it to a title game.
“Each year we talk about getting this far, but we never make it past the first round,” Senior Kayden Hackett said. “it’s mindblowing that we made it this far.”
The game started like any other Arcata game, with an onside kick recovery from the Tigers, putting them on their 36-yard line.
The Tigers were in their normal routine of things and made sure they were the first to strike. About halfway through the first quarter, junior quarterback Luke Lemke found the ever-unstoppable Tucker open, adding six to the board. Senior kicker Paul VadenBranden added the extra point with a successful PAT.
Winters were on their fourth down with just seconds left of the first, but a fumble on the snap gave Arcata possession to start the second.
The fumble from Winters quickly cost them when Lemke ran in for a 31-yard touchdown. Lemke finished the game out with passing for two touchdowns and running in two.
“Luke had a f*cking amazing game,” Head coach Matt Magers said.
Winters cut the gap in half with their own rushing touchdown just plays later.
The Tigers regained their 14-point lead with a 21-yard touchdown catch from senior Lennon Gieder.
As the first half was coming to a close, Winters was trying to push one by Arcata to shorten the gap, but junior Lincoln Neuman grabbed a pass intended for a Winters receiver, completing the interception and giving the Tigers possession.
Neuman wasn’t the only defender for the Tigers working, the whole defense was locking down on the Warriors. In the third, Winters was inches away from the endzone on a fourth down, and Arcata was able to push them back to stop the potential score.
“To lead an offense knowing that your defense has got you back, and isn’t letting up too many points, “ Lemke said. “It’s a great feeling.”
With just 50 seconds left of the third, Lemke connected with Senior Dayquan Dunn to extend their lead 28-7.
Another interception was snagged to open the fourth, this time from Senior Jackson Strand. The Arcata defense knew when they had to show up, and completed four sacks, including two from junior Chase Bickmore.
“Chase Bickmore had another f*cking wonderful night,” Magers said
Arcata got to start resting some of their players, and that’s when Winters was able to slip another touchdown against the Tiger’s second string.
The Tigers were not done yet, with roughly a minute left, sophomore running back Duuya Smith, who was pulled up from JV for the postseason, was able to pick up a handful of yards, where Lemke then worked to bring the ball into the endzone, rounding off the game 35-14.
“It’s always great to get the young guys experience, especially during a chippy ending,” Magers said.
The Tigers are the farthest any team can go and are looking to finish off the season coming home with a ring. They will travel down to the Los Angeles area to play Portola at Fullerton High School on Saturday the 14th. Portola is 9-6 on the season, where the Tigers are 13-1, but both teams will be going in ready to fight for a state title. “We’ve been talking about it since our freshmen year, how good we would be our senior year,” senior Cal Tucker said. “It’s real, it’s happening.”
