Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Crusaders celebrate their NCS championship over the weekend.
By Ray Hamill — It was a good week for local sports across the board with big performances on several fronts, and that is reflected in our Athletes and Team of the Week, sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics.
The Humboldt Composite Mountain Bike Club got the 2022 season started with a strong showing at the Exchequer Mountain Bike Park near Modesto over the weekend, led by Eureka junior Maggie Odell who placed first in the JV girls race.
CR freshman Hannah Hartwell also gets the nod this week after another big performance for the Corsairs over the weekend.
Early in the season, Hartwell is setting the standard in California at the JC level with top marks in both the women’s 800 meters and 1500m.
Our team of the week, meanwhile, goes to St. Bernard’s boys basketball, the last remaining H-DNL team still playing this postseason.
The Crusaders kept rolling on Saturday with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Valley Christian in the North Coast Section Division-6 championship game.
Submitted photo
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Maggie Odell
HCMTB, Junior
Odell got the new mountain biking season off to an impressive start with a first place finish out of a field of 51 racers at the weekend.
And with the victory, the multiple-sport Eureka High junior now also takes over the NorCal MTB-NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) JV girls series leaders jersey, with four more events scheduled.
For more on her big week, see Odell leads impressive showing by HCMTB in season opener …
Submitted photo
Hannah Hartwell
Redwoods Track and Field, Freshman
To say it’s been a good start to the new season for Hartwell would be an understatement.
In the past two weeks, Hartwell has set school records in the 1500m and 800m, as well as posting state-leading times in both events.
The Carlsbad native spent a year running cross country at Cal Poly Humboldt (then Humboldt State) in 2019 before joining the Corsairs, and she’s been a fantastic recruit for head coach Reed Elmore.
For more on Hartwell’s big week, see Several Corsairs feature among the state leaders in track and field …
Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
TEAM OF THE WEEK
St. Bernard’s Boys Basketball
The Crusaders are playing their best basketball of the season at a very good time and will try to secure a place in the NorCal Division-VI championship game when they travel to Redding Christian for a semifinal showdown on Saturday night.
This past weekend, the SB boys came from behind to beat Valley Christian 61-58 in the NCS championship, winning a first section title for the program since 2015.
They followed that with a comprehensive 88-47 win over Elliot Christian in the NorCal tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Head coach Issac Gildea and his staff have done a very good job this year with a talented roster, which has comfortably bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in the Little 4 decider a few weeks ago.
The Crusaders are the last remaining H-DNL team still playing this season, and they’re not done yet.
For more on their big week, see Crusaders crowned NCS champs after a challenging season …
