By Chace Bryson
The Times-Standard

EUREKA -- It no longer matters who let them out, the dogs are loose, and they ran rampant over the Trojans on Saturday night.

Behind top dogs, Jememie Boquet and Evan Fontaine, the Huskies of Fortuna ended a 22-year championship drought by beating Terra Linda 36-20 at Albee Stadium for the North Coast Section Class 2A Redwood Empire championship.

"This is a sweet one," Huskies head coach George Tapanes said. "It's been such a long drought for Fortuna and it's just a very special win for the community and the kids."

The Huskies had beat the Trojans somewhat handily in a preseason game at Husky Field earlier in the year, but Saturday night's game would prove to be a game of a very different pace and nature.

In what would be a wild first half of play, the Huskies got on the board first on a 17-yard quarterback draw by Fontaine. Fortuna tacked on a two-point conversion from Boquet and grabbed an 8-0 lead.

However, the special teams play of Terra Linda would get the Trojans right back in the game as Anthony Ferguson returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards before Boquet could manage a touchdown-saving tackle at the Fortuna 18-yard line. Three plays later the Trojans were in the endzone on a 15-yard touchdown run and added a two-point conversion to tie the game at 8-8.

Without blinking, the Huskies would drive and strike again. This time, Fontaine would go the air and connect on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Boquet on a critical fourth-down play.

"We knew we could pull that off," Fontaine said. "Boquet and I would stay after practice at least twice a week and work on our timing. It went just how we wanted it."

Boquet again tacked on two and the Huskies went up 16-8.

However, Ferguson would strike again and this time Boquet couldn't catch him. After the kickoff sailed over his head, Ferguson regained possession at the his own 4-yard line and took it all the way down the sideline for a 96-yard touchdown return to close the lead to 16-14.

"We gave up some big special team plays that kept them in the ball game," Tapanes said. "However, our defense would come up big constantly throughout the night when we needed them, especially in the second half."

The Trojans took the lead on a 1-yard run late in the second half and left the Huskies with the ball with just under three minutes left in the half. Fontaine would then lead a 10-play Elway-esqe drive and cap it with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Drew Coleman with just seven seconds left on the clock. The touchdown, and yes, another Bouquet two-point conversion, would send the Huskies into the locker room up 24-20 and with all the momentum.

"Coach asked us what play we wanted to run and we told him the post corner route," Fontaine said. "Drew made a great cut on the defensive back and I got it to him."

The Trojans would never regain the momentum as the Huskies took to the ground and pounded away. Boquet, who finished the night with 193 yards on 23 carries in addition to scoring 24 of the team's 36 points, would score on runs of 11 and 26-yards and the Huskies would put the game on ice with their defense.

"This just feels great," Coleman said. "The team went through a lot of adversity this season and we weren't sure how we were going to play from week-to-week. But when it came down to it we pulled together and believed we could do it."

Tapanes last comment before rejoining in the celebration was one of optimism for a well-known rival of his.

"It looks like the league's two for two, let's hope for three tomorrow," he said.