A young Fortuna team endured a baptism of fire on Friday night, opening the new football season with a 38-0 loss to Cardinal Newman in Healdsburg.
The Huskies were outmatched by the powerhouse Cardinals, one of the top programs in the North Coast Section.
The good news for the Huskies is that they showed some improvement from last weekend’s preseason scrimmage, particularly in the front seven.
The Cardinals, whose home field is undergoing construction, took control of the game early and never looked in danger of losing, opening up a two-touchdown lead in the opening quarter and quickly stretching the advantage to 21 just two plays into the second quarter.
By halftime, they led 31-0.
Despite the loss, there were some positives for the Huskies.
Senior Kobe Letter had a decent night running the ball, rushing for 60 yards on five carries, as the Huskies sustained a couple of long drives in the second half before turning the ball over on downs.
Levi Nyberg also had some positive gains running the ball, finishing with 53 yards on 17 carries.
Quarterback Daeden Taylor had 12 yards on eight carries and Jordan Bennett had 10 yards on four carries.
In total, the Fortuna offense gained 152 yards on the ground, but managed just 10 yards on two completions through the air.
Cardinal Newman won the JV game by a score of 33-14.
The Huskies, who travel for their opening three games, will play at Miramonte next week.
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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.
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