South Fork Football Falls to McKinleyville 39-0

football-v-mack

South Fork junior center Brad Kloiber prepares to snap the ball to sophomore quarterback CJ Van Meter. He is flanked by senior lineman Joseph Peralta. [Photo by Janice Coffelt]

With just 14 players able to suit up for last Friday night’s home opener against McKinleyville, South Fork’s Varsity Football team did well to generate significantly more offense than in the previous week’s game against Clear Lake.

Despite the lop-sided final score, the Cubs made 13 first downs and gained 253 total yards. Sophomore quarterback CJ Van Meter was 3 for 7 for 36 total passing yards.

Junior running back Scott Coffelt carried the ball 23 times for a total of 148 yards, including one run for 19 yards to lead South Fork’s offensive push. Coffelt also had 2 receptions for 22 yards and was named overall player of the game. That Coffelt was able to accomplish so much is significant because when one of the Cub linemen went down with an injury, Coffelt volunteered to take his place and spent a quarter and a half on the offensive line.

Scott Coffelt breaking away for precious yardage Friday night in Miranda

Scott Coffelt breaking away for precious yardage Friday night in Miranda [Photo by Janice Coffelt]

Head coach Andy Olsen had high praise for his offensive line, who he estimates to have been outweighed by Mack’s defensive line an average of 70 pounds per player. “For us to run for 250 yards against an opponent of that size is a huge accomplishment,” he said. Senior Joseph Peralta, Juniors Brad Kloiber, Colten Gurreri, and Dylan Music, and sophomore Orin Paula comprise the Cub offensive line. It was Paula whom Coffelt replaced after he became injured.

On defense senior Ipo Savoie, junior Gabe Malley, and Coffelt each got in on ten tackles, with juniors Brad Kloiber and Colten Gurreri participating in eight tackles apiece.

Junior Ryder Pfau was named special teams player of the game for his 2 kick-off returns totaling 69 yards.

Olsen likes his young team’s character. “For as young as we are, and for not having a lot of size, we never give up. Despite the fact that we haven’t scored yet these guys never hang their heads and they compete through the whole game.”

A couple of his younger players contributed well against Mack. Sophomore Ayden Gallagher had a “couple of touchdown saving tackles” and freshman Austin Worrell, playing in his first game for South Fork last Friday, “showed good instincts, and will play a more significant role as we get deeper into the season.”

Based on the improvement the team has made since last week’s loss to Clear Lake, Olsen feels the team will make great progress this year, leading to some success later in the season.

This Friday night the Cubs will host Arcata with a 7 p.m. kick-off in Miranda. “We should get on the board in this one. Arcata has gotten a little better the last few years, and we have never lost to them, so I’m sure they will be hungry for a win,” said Olsen. “They’re not as big as Mack, but they do have 25 players.”

South Fork is expecting the return of junior lineman Aaron Etherton and will be preparing in practice this week to handle Arcata’s strong running game.

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8 Comments
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H
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H
7 years ago

I got rocked by a SF player in one of the first plays of the game, my senior yr, memory is foggy about the game … i remember him telling me “that was for last time” … apparently i musta rocked his world a previous game.

A moronic game that glories in permanently damaging the players of it.

My son plays baseball and runs track’n field.

C
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C
7 years ago
Reply to  H

Exactly my sentiments. Ridiculous, brutal game. The entire football mindset is disturbing.

gunther
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gunther
7 years ago

Even though it was a lop sided loss, I really enjoyed the writer’s reporting of all the positive aspects of the game and the team. That’s the way sports should be viewed. Very well done!

Eel707
Guest
7 years ago

Nice to see some local sports coverage other than our local paper who don’t seem to give it much space. Whether you think football is a good sport or not, it’s an Popular American tradition and these kids are working hard, keeping grades up, and staying busy. It’s sad how many injuries there are, but no sport is safe, other hobbies like dirt bike riding, Highschool rodeo, even hunting have serious risks. So let’s not let these comments turn into football bashing.

KIDDZZ
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KIDDZZ
7 years ago

My senior year at South Fork in 1989 we lost to Mack 54-0 in our first meeting up in Mack at the beginning of the season. A few weeks later they came down to South Fork and we beat them 12-10. So keep your heads up Cubs, it’s a long season and anything can happen!
We had also lost in Ferndale early in the season 49-0, then when they came down to South Fork we barely lost to them 24-22. And I must say I was pretty sure our 2pt conversion with no time left to tie the game was good, but the refs called him out of bounds. It was a close call for sure. I remember being pretty bummed after the game, and the mom of a Ferndale player came up to me and told me she thought the receiver was in bounds. Made me feel a little better… I think!

Joe
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Joe
7 years ago
Reply to  KIDDZZ

Good stuff

Thebigdeal
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Thebigdeal
7 years ago

Kiddzz. You are mistaken. It was 70-0 in mack.

KIDDZZ
Guest
KIDDZZ
7 years ago
Reply to  Thebigdeal

Dream on buddy! LOL. I do believe it was 54 or 55, but bottom line we beat them the next game! Boo-yah!