Submitted photo – The Trinity Diesel players celebrate their TOC championship this week.

By Ray Hamill — I’m losing count as to how many local youth wrestlers have been named Humboldt Sports Athletes of the Week this year.

And that’s a reflection of how good a season it has been for the North Coast grapplers, who continued to excel this past week.

Competing at the prestigious Rocky Mountain Nationals in Las Vegas, Del Norte seventh-grader Chey Gensaw took home a national championship, and that earns him the nod for one of our Athletes of the Week, sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

Gensaw won all three of his matches against some of the top young wrestlers from around the nation on his way to the title.

And judging by his performance it appears as if this 13-year-old has a bright future on the local mats.

Joining him this week is Stanford freshman Nick Dugan, who also appears to have a bright future on the college baseball fields.

The 2022 St. Bernard’s graduate recently posted his first collegiate win and save on the same day and he seems to have raised the level of his game in the postseason.

After a breakout performance against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament, Dugan has carried that momentum into the NCAA playoffs.

On Monday, he pitched a team-high 3.2 innings in an elimination-game walk-off victory over Texas that sent the Cardinal on to this year’s College World Series.

Stanford opens against Wake Forest on Saturday at 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Our Team of the Week, meanwhile, is McKinleyville Trinity Diesel, which clinched the District 26 Tournament of Champions on Tuesday.

The Mack Little Leaguers won all four of their games at the TOC, including a comfortable 9-2 win over McKinleyville Bettendorf in the championship game.

Chey Gensaw, right, alongside father and coach James Gensaw.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 

Chey Gensaw

Del Norte, Seventh Grade

The young Del Norte standout won all three of his matches on the way to a Folkstyle national championship in his age group, beating wrestlers from Texas, Idaho and Southern California.

The big tournament featured approximately 3,500 kids from around 40 states, including some of the best young talent in the nation.

For more on his big week, see Local youth wrestlers continue to shine at Rocky Mountain Nationals …

Stanford Athletics

Nick Dugan

Stanford Baseball

As expected, it took the true freshman a little while to adjust to the Division-I game, but now that he has Dugan is beginning to play a key role for the World Series bound Cardinal.

The North Coast will be watching this weekend as one of the most talented pitchers to come out of this area in a long time plays in front of a national audience on the biggest collegiate stage of all.

For more on Dugan’s big week, see Dugan, Cardinal headed to the College World Series …

Submitted photo

TEAM OF THE WEEK

McKinleyville Trinity Diesel

There was no denying the Trinity Diesel players this week, as they successfully defended the TOC title they won a year ago.

And there was no shortage of big performances for the champions, with Teoh Arredondo, Blake Carper and Hudson Kapko leading the way on a deep roster.

In addition to that talented trio, Everett Greutzmacher, Cabella Carper, Tanner Baxter, Tyus Scofield, Cameron Hildebrandt, Reese Combs, Kaydee Carper, Brayden Tullis and Layne McCullough all impressed for coaches Quintin Carper, Caleb Carper and Jaime Arredondo.

For more on their big week, see No stopping McKinleyville’s Trinity Diesel at District 26 TOC …