It was a game that came down to the final play. A team that fought every second. A movie win. That is what the State Champions, Arcata Tigers, got to experience.
“Going into overtime was kinda the cherry on top, a good way for the book to close,” senior Jackson Strand said. “It was a great year, a perfect ending.”
For the first time in school history, the Tigers were named the CIF Division 6AA State Champions with a nail-biting 27-21 overtime win against the Southern California Portola Bulldogs.
From the first few plays, everyone knew it was going to be a struggle. Neither the Tigers nor the Bulldogs were able to find themselves on the board in the first, ending it slow and quiet. But, just four seconds into the second, Portola squeezed one by the Arcata defense to take the lead.
But the Bulldogs couldn’t keep that lead for long when the ever-unstoppable junior, Luke Lemke, ran a 10-yard touchdown into the endzone. Lemke is a name that will go down into the history books. He finished the game out with three of the four Arcata touchdowns, including the game-winner.
“He’s a special kid, he got a little frustrated in the first half, but he made the difference in the second half,” Head Coach Matt Magers said. “He’s our guy.”
A few plays into the Bulldog’s possession, junior Chase Bickmore recovered Portola’s fumble to take control of the ball. The Tiger’s possession didn’t last long when Lemke threw an interception, putting the Bulldogs on the 30-yard line.
“We were moving the ball effectively, and we just turned the ball over, turnovers kill all the momentum,” Magers said.
Luckily a blocked pass by senior Dayquan Dunn forced a fourth down, then another blocked pass by senior Cal Tucker stopped the potential score.
An eager senior running back, Tony Buchanna, snuck into the endzone to create a margin between the two before the half.
Another slow quarter, where neither team could spark their offense until Portola fought through and put another on the board with about 2 minutes left of the third.
Right before the end of the third, Lemke found a guarded senior Lennon Gieder 50 yards away but took the risk, and Gieder completed the catch.
The Tigers were not able to build off the catch from Gieder and struggled to find openings on the line.
Portola was hotter than ever, and scored yet another touchdown just halfway through the 4th, giving them their second lead of the night.
“That was one of the tightest games we’ve ever been in, for me personally, it was the closest game I’ve ever been in,” Lemke said
Lemke and the Tigers weren’t giving up just yet. With just two minutes left in the game, Lemke ran the ball in for a 37-yard touchdown, tying the game.
The Portola crowd was louder than ever, as they had about two whole minutes to regain the lead, and hopefully take home a ring. But that wasn’t the case with Arcata’s defense. Starting with a Portola fumble pushed them back a few yards, and then a tackle from Gieder, who had a career game, made them lose more. The clock started running down, and the home team was forced to a 4th and long. A 45-yard field goal that could decide everything, but the Bulldogs kicker crumbled under pressure, and was short on the kick, sending the game into overtime.
“I was on the field goal block team and I found myself laying in the backfield with the kicker, I thought it was going in from the angle I was at, but the brown of the ball flashed in front of the yellow crossbar,” junior Lincoln Neuman said. “Never felt so relieved in my life.”
Portola got to start overtime on offense, but could only make it so far. After a few yards, Gieder recovered the Portola fumble, and a flag on the offensive giving the Tigers the ball on the 20-yard line.
“We had no doubt, Lennon made that amazing strip, and that personal foul set us up to go right in,” Magers said.
Lemke quickly picked up some yards, and a facemask call on the run put Arcata on 1st and within inches, and in eye view of a ring. Before you knew it, Lemke snuck the ball into the endzone, securing history for the Tigers.
“It feels great knowing I can be a big part of the team’s success, but it doesn’t all come from me,” Lemke said. “They all come from other people’s work too.”
A big player for the Tigers who doesn’t always get the credit is senior kicker Paul VandenBranden. VandenBranden, who is playing his first year of football, went three for three on PATS, even in the most crucial moments.
“If you think about last year, we lost to Moreau [Catholic] by three extra points, it’s invaluable to have somebody like him that we can trust to put the ball between the posts,” Magers said,
On the biggest stage yet, the Tigers, who have never played an overtime game in recent years, showed Southern California Arcata ball and took home their first-ever state title.
“People are gonna remember that and people are gonna look up to that,” Strand said.
