The Arcata Tigers got to celebrate both a blowout win, and their seniors on Friday night. The Tigers clobbered the Hoopa Warriors with a 60-6 victory.
“It was a full circle moment, I remember when we were all freshmen, watching the seniors,” senior Jackson Strand said. “It felt special and like it was just last year.”
The Tigers, who are a senior heavy team, honored their sixteen seniors before the game, and most importantly, the seniors played a prominent role in the win.
“Everybody got a piece of the action, one way or another,” Strand said.
The seniors started out hot, just 45 seconds into the game, Alex Greenway rushed the ball into the endzone to put the tigers on top first.
Just minutes after, junior Luke Lemke found senior Cal Tucker to add another six to the board. Another senior who had a standout play was Ronnie Rieke, with a pick-six half way through the first quarter.
Strand added his own touchdown catch at the end of the first. Senior Paul VadenBranden made the field goal, but got hit by a Hoopa player, which resulted in a Hoopa personal foul.
“It got chippy,” Tucker said.
After some team huddles, the Tigers went into the game hotter than they started, with a touchdown from senior Tony Buchannna just four seconds into the second quarter.
Hoopa didn’t hold onto the ball for long, with an interception by Rieke just a few plays in.
The Tigers defense had five interceptions, two from Rieke, one each from junior Chase Bickmore , senior Dayquan Dunn, Tucker, Strand. The Tigers recorded five sacks against the Warriors, one each from juniors Lincoln Neuman and Nathaniel Stiles, a combined sack from Bickmore and senior Nieko Bryson, and two from newcomer, senior Liam Gorona.
To finish out the half, Lemke danced into the endzone to put the tigers up 41-0.
One of the most memorable plays of the night was from Tucker in the beginning of the third, with a 80-yard touchdown off a kick return.
“I’ve been waiting for a kick-return all year,” Tucker said. “That, I’m really happy about.”
Tucker has been a standout receiver for the Tigers. In the last four games, he’s had two touchdowns in each, and has had 13 touchdowns this season, second in the HDNL.
“He’s playing well on offense and defense,” head coach Matt Magers said. “Big impact player.”
Dunn, another standout receiver for the Tigers, added to the scoring with a touchdown catch in the third and then Buchanna added another touchdown to the board, finishing off the Tigers’ scoring.
Vadenbraden, who has been influential for the Tigers, finished the game off going six for eight on PAT’s.
The Warriors were able to ruin the Tigers shutout with a touchdown as the clock went off, finishing the game 60-6.
Arcata is on a nine game win streak, but will have to work hard keeping it alive with one of the most anticipated games of the year on their schedule next Saturday. The Tigers will travel to Ferndale to play the Wildcats and battle for the league title. With a win, Arcata will take home first in league, but with a loss, will share league title with Ferndale. The outcome of this game should also finalize NCS playoff seeding.
“We’re gonna be prepared for them and they’ll be prepared for us,’” Magers said.
