Football Preview: Arcata Tigers vs. Ferndale Wildcats
Arcata has won three straight games at home, while Ferndale has won three straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Tigers challenges the Ferndale Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Saturday, Arcata took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 41-6 victory over Hoopa Valley. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 21-0.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ferndale). They blew past McKinleyville, posting a 56-0 win on the road. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 326th, while the Panthers are ranked 866th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ferndale found their leader in underclassman Garyn McClurg, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Those 96 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for McClurg.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Ferndale was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 284 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in 12 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Arcata's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Ferndale, their win bumped their record up to an identical 6-0.
Arcata strolled past Ferndale when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a score of 34-20. Will Arcata repeat their success, or does Ferndale have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
