The Arcata Tigers are ready for a good looking season after a pre-season jamboree. St. Bernards hosted a football jamboree consisting of eight varsity HDLN teams. The games were performed on half of a football field and each team got 10 offensive plays. While no score was kept, the Tigers came out looking strong.
“I think we did great today, a lot of the seniors stepped up and the line play was great,” junior Luke Lemke said.
Lemke is the Tigers starting quarterback this season after his cousin, Cole Vandenplas, graduated. Last season, Lemke played wide receiver but was also the backup quarterback.
“He has a lot to prove this year, it was great to see him play,” senior Jackson Strand said.
The Tigers seem to be in a safe spot with their quarterbacks. Junior Miguel Obezo was Arcata’s second string quarterback and helped set the tone.
“I was really impressed by Miguel, he stepped out there, threw a touchdown, and had some nice runs,” Lemke said.
The Tigers offense was well rounded with touchdowns by Strand, senior Alex Greenway, senior Dayquan Dunn, junior Danillo Fanti, and senior Cal Tucker.
The offense wasn’t the only thing that sparked, the defense was working too. To open up the Hoopa game, Junior Lincoln Neuman completed a sack. The Arcata defense had only allowed two touchdowns across four games.
While the Tigers did come out strong, they do have some improvement to make before league starts.
“We need to be all on the same page with what we’re doing on the field [and] we could improve our team stamina, ” Strand said.
Lemke had also added that they could improve their inside run game.
Arcata’s next game is Saturday, August 31, against Eureka at Cal Poly Humboldt. Last season, the Tigers won their first game over Eureka since 2012. While Arcata didn’t play Eureka at the jamboree, they have confidence they can take another win against them.
“I was impressed by them,” Lemke said. “We are expecting to stretch the field with the passing game and go out there and win.”
