Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Hoopa’s James Hernandez

By Ray Hamill — Three Hoopa football players have received invites to the prestigious Indigenous Bowl Game in Minnesota this weekend, capping a big year for all three.

And that makes them our athletes of the week, sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

Seniors Everett “Bronc” Colegrove and James Hernandez and junior Darvin Davis all were invited to play in the showcase game, which is in its third year of existence and is open to high school players of American Indian descent who have not yet enrolled in college.

Participants will get the opportunity to work with professional coaches at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings play their home games.

Submitted photo – Darvin Davis

Only seniors are permitted to play in the game, so Davis will not be making the trip, but the invites are quite an honor for all three players.

“The opportunity means a lot to me,” Davis said in a press release. “I’m so proud to be able to represent my school, my tribe and my family.”

All three players played a big role in the Warriors’ big turnaround this season, as they overcame a slow start to the campaign to win their final three games and qualify for the North Coast Section playoffs.

Remarkably, Hoopa closed out the regular season with three shutouts in eight days, all against teams that had previously beaten them.

Check out Darvin Davis’ kickoff return for a touchdown at McKinleyville this season …

Colegrove and Hernandez are looking forward to the big weekend.

“Just being able to represent my tribe and community means so much to me,” Colegrove said in a press release. “And I am taking this wonderful opportunity very seriously.”

This week’s team of the week, meanwhile, is the Del Norte Warriors, who reached the NCS Division-5 football championship game last weekend to cap a very successful season for the Crescent City high school.

Everett “Bronc” Ciolegrove (61)

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

Del Norte Football

The disappointment of losing an NCS championship game can’t take away from what was a very successful season for Del Norte football.

Head coach Nick White and his staff have built a powerhouse program up in Crescent City and they rolled over opponents this season on the way to a 10-2 record, including an unbeaten 6-0 mark in the Big 4.

The Del Norte JVs also had a big season, winning all 10 of their games, so the future for Warriors football appears to be just as bright as the present.