The Ferndale Wildcats will face off against the McKinleyville Panthers at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Ferndale's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
McKinleyville's offense is going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday: Ferndale hadn't allowed a single point the last five times they've hit the field. The Wildcats took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 73-0 win over Hoopa Valley. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won five in a row.
Tanner Pidgeon
| 10/03/25 @ Hoopa Valley | 3 |
| 09/05/25 @ Fort Bragg | 2 |
| 11/16/24 vs Vallejo | 2 |
| 09/27/25 vs Eureka | 1 |
| 09/19/25 @ Fortuna | 1 |
It was another big night for Tanner Pidgeon, who rushed for 66 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 181 yards and three TDs. Those three passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Prescott Langer was another key player, rushing for 17 yards and a pair of scores.
Another reason for the win was Ferndale's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for nine sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Langer and Jacob Kurwitz, who racked up six sacks between them. Langer has been hot recently, having also posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last three times he's played. Ferndale got some further help from Brandon Bailey: he picked up a sack, made 12 total tackles, and defended one pass.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Ferndale, racking up 13 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Liam Bishop, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, McKinleyville scored the most points they've had this season on Saturday, but it wasn't enough. They took a blow against Arcata, falling 62-34. The Panthers have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Ferndale will have to contain Thomas Brown as he made an impact in McKinleyville's last game. He rushed for 368 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.3 yards per carry, and also picked up 40 receiving yards.
McKinleyville now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Ferndale, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Everything came up roses for Ferndale against McKinleyville in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 56-0 victory. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
