One year ago, the Arcata Tigers opened up their season against the Eureka Loggers, and shut them out in a 22-0 game. This year, they opened up against the Loggers again, except this time the odds were not in their favor.
The Tigers lost grasp of the game towards half-time, and ultimately ended up losing 56-32, dropping to 0-1 in the season.
“There were a lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties, [and] a lot of turnovers. It’s hard to win games with six turnovers,” head coach Matt Magers said. “Over 100 yards in penalties, taking points off the board, it’s just a hard win.”
The Loggers came out hot, with a potential 40-yard rushing touchdown, but luckily for the Tigers, a false start was called on Eureka, stripping the touchdown.
Just a few minutes later, the Tigers were on a fourth down, and chose to punt the ball. During the snap, the ball got loose and was picked up by a Logger. Eureka made their way into their endzone, putting them on the board first, 6-0.
Seconds ticking down in the first, Senior Chase Bickmore recovered a Eureka fumble, giving the Tigers possession. Senior Luke Lemke was able to work around the Loggers defense, and pick up a 40-yard touchdown. Arcata was able to take the lead with a good PAT (point after touchdown) attempt, making the score 7-6, Arcata, at the end of the first.
Early into the second, Senior Skyler Collenberg went down with an injury. Collenberg played a pivotal role in the Tigers success last season, being one of their strongest defensive players.
“Skyler’s such a crucial player, especially with a line that we don’t have too much depth in,” Lemke said. “It definitely hurt our defensive side of the ball game because he’s such a force.”
With Collenberg out of defense, Eureka was able to swipe by to put another touchdown on the board. This time completing a two-point conversion.
With about a minute left in the half, Arcata had a chance to close the deficit. Lemke threw a long pass into the end zone where junior Jack Bertell was able to leap up and grab it with just one hand. The Tigers were not able to connect for a second time during their attempt at a two point conversion.
With less than 30 seconds left in the half, the Loggers were able to expand their lead with a huge rushing touchdown, but during their two point conversion an offensive flag was called, ending the half 13-20, Eureka.
About four minutes into the third Eureka added another touchdown to the board, and with a successful kick, they extended their lead 13-27.
The Tigers quickly responded with a touchdown from Senior Tanner Kees. Kees is playing his first year of football, and so far has had a beneficial impact as running back.
“New player, played about two-three weeks of football, [and] played really well on both sides of the ball,” Magers said.
With a good PAT, the Tigers were able to shorten their deficit to just seven making the score 20-27, but that didn’t last for long. Eureka was able to put up another touchdown, extending their lead to 13 at the end of the third.
Opening up the fourth, Lemke was able to run into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night, putting six more points on the board.
Eureka tossed another touchdown on the board, and completed a successful two-point conversion.
About halfway through the fourth, Lemke ran in for his third and final touchdown of the night, putting the score at 32-41.
The Loggers had a fast response, with another touchdown and two-point conversion. A few plays later, Eureka snagged an interception, and then were able to work off that possession with their final touchdown and a good kick, ending the game 32-56.
“We can’t let up 56 points, when you have a bunch of turnovers on offense, and let up 56 points, you’re never gonna win,” Lemke said.
While the Tigers struggled defensively, on the bright side, they were able to put up 32 points, with three touchdowns coming from their quarterback, Lemke. The Tigers will move into a bye week, giving them two weeks to prepare for their next game.
“We gotta lick our wounds a little bit. We’re pretty banged up, so use that time to get healthy and kinda reevaluate what we have for personnel,” Magers said.
The Tigers will host the Del Norte Warriors on Friday, September 9th, at 7:30 pm. Last season, the Tigers beat the Warriors 35-6, but the Warriors are coming off with momentum from a 20-6 win against Hoopa. Despite the rough game Arcata had, they are hoping to heal and rejuvenate before facing Del Norte.
