OAKLAND – Trailing by by 20 points late in the first half, an Oakland High team that appeared equal parts stunned and discombobulated trotted back out onto the field on MacArthur Blvd.
After two pre-snap penalties backed the Wildcats up to their 35-yard line, the game was primed to spin out of control against Arcata.
Instead of giving into despair, lefthanded sophomore quarterback Lenox Colvin calmly dropped back, glanced right, and uncorked a 65-yard bomb down the right sideline. Malachi Sanchez raced into the end zone to give the Wildcats life.
“I felt like the defender couldn’t stop me, and I told my quarterback and he just threw it to me on a fade,” Sanchez said. “I wanted to go get the ball, and I got it.”
Arcata still ended up winning 38-20 after it had traveled 300 miles for the nonleague game, but Oakland and its fearless air-it-out offense showed why the school a few blocks from Lake Merritt has the talent make its first Silver Bowl appearance since 2018.
Colvin completed 16 of 29 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns, with Yasser Jackson hauling in six passes for a team-high 85 yards, Sanchez pulling in two touchdowns, and Marion Fluker grabbing a 25-yard score off a beautiful flag route run to the corner of the end zone.
It was the kind of high-flying scheme that will give Oakland Athletic League opponents fits once league play starts.
“I like going through my progressions because I trust my line and they usually give me a lot of time,” Colvin said. “But my best moments are when I’m rolling out and I see someone downfield.”
But for all of Oakland’s speed and energy, it just could not physically match up with Arcata’s beefy offensive line and physical ball-carriers. Quarterback Luke Lemke threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 165 yards and one score. Cal Tucker and 6-foot-3 wideout Lennon Gieder each caught touchdowns.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Arcata was proficient at executing onside kicks, recovering 3 of 4 attempts in the first half to keep Oakland’s offense off the field.
“I’m not gonna lie, we came in here thinking things were gonna be sweet,” Colvin said. “It was definitely a wakeup call for us.”
Instead of treating the second half, which started with Arcata leading 26-6, Oakland’s defense did its best to keep the score manageable.
Ymer Belvine had eight tackles – two for loss – and one sack to lead the defense. Jackson also had an interception.
But that first half deficit was too much to overcome as Oakland dropped its first game of the season and fell to 3-1, and produced a final score that wouldn’t have been surprising a few years ago.
When Hendrix took the head coaching job in 2023, the Wildcats were mired in a dreadful 21-game losing streak that spanned three seasons. Fortunes immediately improved once he took over, with the Wildcats starting 4-0 last season.
That’s when a rash of injuries exposed the Wildcats’ lack of depth. What appeared to be a banner season ended with the team going 5-5 and missing the playoffs.
The Wildcats believe this team is different, with the loss believed to be a learning opportunity and just an obstacle to overcome on their way to a Silver Bowl appearance.
“I know we have the talent, and now its about changing the culture and getting these kids to buy in,” Hendrix said.
Oakland will have a chance to prove itself right on Thursday against Kennedy-Richmond.
“I want to go (to the Silver Bowl) badly, and we all need to have that energy,” Jackson said. “It’s Silver Bowl or bust.”
