Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Crusaders are ranked No. 2 in NCS Division 5.

By Ray Hamill — Three H-DNL teams are ranked in the top four within their North Coast Section divisions, according to MaxPreps.

Both the Fortuna Huskies and the St. Bernard’s Crusaders are off to an impressive 3-0 start this season, so it’s no surprise to see each them ranked high in their divisions.

The Huskies, who are also No. 1 in the latest Humboldt Sports Power Rankings, are No. 3 in Division 6 and the highest ranked local team overall in the NCS.

The Crusaders, meanwhile, are ranked No. 2 in Division 5, which is the highest ranking for any local team within its division.

Both Fortuna and St. Bernard’s are poised to challenge for the Big 4 championship and more this season.

Fortuna is No. 31 overall in the NCS, out of 102 11-player football programs, while St. Bernard’s is just two spots further back at No. 33 and Del Norte comes in at No. 36.

Despite dropping back-to-back games to quality Oregon programs, the Warriors are also No. 4 in Division 4.

Other teams included in the top eight in their divisions include Ferndale, Arcata and McKinleyville.

Arcata is ranked No. 7 in Division 6, while Ferndale in No. 6 in Division 7 with McKinleyville two spots further back at No. 8 in the same bracket.

Eureka is ranked No. 12 in Division 5 and Hoopa is No. 10 in Division 7.