Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Arcata Tigers

By Ray Hamill — The race for the Big 5 championship looks set to go down to the final night of action on Feb. 4, with three teams in the mix as we head into the second half of league play.

For now, Arcata remains at No. 1 in our power rankings after comfortable victories this week over Eureka and Fortuna.

The Tigers also have a win over Del Norte, although those two schools will meet again in Crescent City on Feb. 2 in a game that could very well decide this year’s conference title.

The Warriors also had two wins this week, beating Mack at home with a strong performance, before barely escaping from Eureka with a less-than-stellar effort offensively.

The Panthers, meanwhile, are at No. 3 after responding to the Del Norte loss on Tuesday with impressive wins over Fortuna on Thursday and Eureka on Saturday.

The Loggers move up one spot to No. 4 after an impressive win over St. Bernard’s, but they are 0-6 this season against the top three teams in our rankings.

The Crusaders are tied with South Fork at No. 5, and these two teams meet in a pivotal showdown at St. Bernard’s on Monday night.

The race for the Little 4 is shaping up up to be just as exciting as the Big 5.

The Del Norte Warriors

POWER RANKINGS

1 — Arcata (17-3)

Just one slip-up all season against H-DNL opposition.

2 — Del Norte (13-4)

The Warriors will be tough to beat in Crescent City when the Tigers travel there on Feb. 2.

3 — McKinleyville (12-5)

The Panthers are right in the mix for a Big 5 title.

4 — Eureka (7-12)

A big win over the Crusaders this past week.

5T — St. Bernard’s (12-5)

The Crusaders host South Fork in a huge showdown on Monday.

5T — South Fork (8-1)

The Cubs are 2-0 in the Little 4 and top of the standings.