Submitted photo – Josh Mahle in action at last week’s NCS Redwood Empire meet.

By Ray Hamill — A couple of championship teams and three outstanding track and field athletes feature in this week’s Humboldt Sports Athletes and Team of the Week, sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

Eureka senior Josh Mahle is enjoying a memorable season in track and field and placed first in the shot put at last weekend’s NCS Redwood Empire championships.

And that earns him one of our Athlete of the Week awards for the second time this season.

Sophomore teammate Emily Pesch also has enjoyed plenty of success this spring, following her recent league championship in the high jump with a first-place finish at this past week’s NCS meet.

St. Bernard’s Madelyn Shanahan was also a winner this past week at the NCS Class championships, taking first place in the discus and second in the triple jump.

Our team of the week, meanwhile, goes to a pair of championship teams — Arcata baseball and Eureka softball — each of which claimed a Charlie Lakin Tournament championship on Saturday.

Eureka’s Emily Pesch.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 

Emily Pesch

Eureka Track and Field, Sophomore

Pesch is one of only two H-DNL sophomore girls to win an individual league championship in track and field this year and she followed that with a huge showing at the NCS meet on Saturday.

She is one of 20-plus local athletes to qualify for this weekend’s big Meet of Champions, but one of only three who won their individual events last weekend, along with Shanahan and Mahle.

For more on her big week, see Mahle, Pesch lead strong showing for Big 5 teams at NCS track meet …

Submitted photo – St. Bernard’s Madelyn Shanahan at Saturday’s Class A championships, along with Crusaders coaches Joe Cornely and Dana Fahey.

Madelyn Shanahan

St. Bernard’s Track and Field, Sophomore

Shanahan is the second sophomore girl to win an individual league title this season (triple jump), and like Pesch she followed that with a big showing at her NCS meet, placing first in the discus, second in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump.

She is the only Little 4 athlete who will compete in this weekend’s Meet of Champions.

For more on her big week, see Class A champ Shanahan prepares for Meet of Champions …

Josh Mahle

Eureka Track and Field, Senior

The No. 1 shot putter in the NCS will get the chance to compete for a section championship and advance to the state championships this weekend.

Mahle has been the most impressive H-DNL track and field athlete this spring and is showing no signs of slowing down after last week’s big performance at the Redwood Empire meet, where he placed first in the shot put and second in the discus.

For more on his big week, see Mahle, Pesch lead strong showing for Big 5 teams at NCS track meet …

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Eureka Loggers celebrate their tournament championship on Saturday.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK 

Eureka Softball

Arcata Baseball

The Loggers and Tigers are Big 5 and Lakin double winners this season, and they might only be getting started.

Both teams will open the NCS playoffs on Saturday and both will be hoping to add a section title and possibly more to their trophy cabinet in the coming weeks, including the inaugural CIF NorCal championships.

Both are also well positioned to challenge this postseason as No. 1 seeds in their brackets.

The Eureka girls have lost just once all season and are 24-1, while the Arcata boys are 23-3.

For more on the Loggers, see Eureka girls keep rolling, top Hoopa to win Lakin championship …

For more on the Arcata boys, see Tigers prevail in tournament championship, secure historic double …