Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Tashee Tracy in action for the Hoopa girls ewer;ie this season.

By Ray Hamill — The Hoopa Warriors are off to a fast start on the basketball court and look like they could be legitimate Little 4 contenders this winter.

Despite a small roster in terms of numbers, the Hoopa girls have been very competitive through the opening few weeks of the season, including placing first at last weekend’s Trinity tournament, where they defeated league rival Ferndale in the championship game.

Several players have stepped up early in the campaign, but perhaps no one more than senior Tashee Tracy.

The senior center has taken her game to new levels in her final high school campaign and that’s benefitting her teammates.

Tracy was named tournament MVP at Trinity and is one of the Humboldt Sports Athletes of the Week, an award sponsored as always by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

And she’s not the only local basketball player who has impressed early in the new season.

Eureka senior Kaitlin Giacone has been equally effective for the Loggers, who also are off to a flying start and won their second straight tournament last weekend at Maria Carrillo.

Giacone, who is the reigning Big 5 MVP, was named tournament MVP at Maria Carrillo and is a key reason the Eureka girls are off to a 9-1 start.

Our team of the week, meanwhile, goes to Ferndale football, which secured a first-ever state championship for the school in Southern California last weekend.

And they did it with a memorable performance, rallying from an early three-touchdown deficit to beat Fairfax 29-21 in the Division 7-AA final.

This is the second time in three weeks the Cats have been named our team of the week.

Was there a more impressive team in local sports this fall?

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 

Tashee Tracy

Hoopa Girls Basketball, Senior

Tracy is averaging a team-high 17.7 points a game and is a big reason the Warriors have won five straight games.

The standout senior also is averaging team-highs in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (3.1), but it is a subtle change in her game this year that has caught the attention of her head coach Floyd “Cowboy” Billings.

“Tashee is being a beast,” Billings said. “She’s established her position down low and she’s definitely moving a lot more with the ball. She’s tiring her opponents out.”

For more on Tracy’s big week, see Hoopa girls building momentum ahead of league play …

Submitted photo – Eureka seniors Kaitlin Giacone (back left), Maia Hales, Marin Matteoli and Isis Poteet celebrate their tournament win on Saturday.

Kaitlin Giacone

Eureka Girls Basketball, Senior

Giacone was named tournament MVP at Maria Carrillo and is a key reason the Loggers are off to 9-1 start this season, including seven straight wins.

Their only loss came against Division-1 Acalanes, the No. 4 ranked team in the entire North Coast Section.

Giacone has been a force at both ends of the court and appears ready to take her game to new heights this winter.

The standout senior averaged 18.7 points a game in her team’s three wins at Maria Carrillo.

For more on her big week, see Loggers continue to roll, secure second straight tournament championship …

Submitted photo

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

Ferndale Football

Remarkably, this year’s Ferndale team set new standards for the most successful postseason football program ever in the H-DNL with a first-ever state championship for the school.

Head coach Clint McClug and his staff did an outstanding job guiding their team through a tough playoff run, one that included four road games in five weeks, including the trip to SoCal to play a team that had to travel just 30 minutes for the big showdown.

There were, of course, several standouts on the team, as is always the case when you win a state championship, including a class of nine outstanding seniors and three key all-league sophomores.

For more on their big week, see STATE CHAMPS — Gutsy Wildcats rally to secure historic …