Phots by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Caidence Young

By Ray Hamill — Two influential seniors who have played a key role for their respective teams this winter are this week’s Humboldt Sports Athletes of the Week.

Eureka’s Isis Poteet and South Fork’s Caidence Young are enjoying outstanding seasons and are closing out their high school careers with a bang.

Both players led their teams to North Coast Section quarterfinals this weekend, with Poteet and the Loggers holding on for an exciting win over Pinole Valley in Division-3 action on Friday night and Young leading the Cubs into battle on Saturday night at San Francisco Waldorf in the Division-6 bracket.

Poteet, who also played a big role in the Eureka girls’ fourth straight Dick Niclai tournament championship at Lumberjack Arena last weekend, had a big night rebounding against Pinole Valley.

The standout senior has been a force on the boards all season long for her team.

Young, meanwhile, is an outstanding multi-sport athlete who also led the way on a young Cubs girls soccer team in the fall.

She has been equally influential on a young South Fork girls basketball team this fall.

On Wednesday, she almost singlehandedly led the Cubs to a 36-33 road win at Calistoga in their playoff opener.

Young, who has been fire down the stretch of the season, remarkably scored 25 of her team’s 36 points in the win.

We stay on the basketball court for our teams of the week, with Niclai champions Arcata boys and Eureka girls getting the nod.

Both won thrilling finals last weekend, with the Tigers defeating St. Bernard’s for their 10th tournament championship in 15 seasons and the Loggers also edging St. Bernard’s for their fourth consecutive title.

Poteet will walk away from her high school career as a rare three-time Niclai champion.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Caidence Young

South Fork Basketball, Senior

According to her head coach Rebecca Robles, Young played the best game of her senior season at Calistoga on Wednesday.

The senior standout appears determined to close out her high school career strong after also turning in what Robles described as her best defensive game of the season in the Cubs’ regular season finale against Hoopa recently.

The team MVP may have gone largely unnoticed by the majority of H-DNL fans this season, but she is a very deserving athlete of the week and and has been one of the best team leaders on the North Coast this year.

For more on Young’s big week, see Six local teams advance on busy playoff night …

Isis Poteet

Eureka Basketball, Senior

Poteet has been just as effective for the Loggers, who could be the best H-DNL basketball team, boys or girls, this season.

The senior standout is playing at an MVP level and she’s not done yet as the Loggers remain in contention for a first section championship since 1989.

Poteet and the Eureka girls will play their NCS semifinal at Maria Carrillo in Santa Rosa on Tuesday night.

For more on her big week, see Loggers prevail as exciting Niclai girls final goes down to the wire …

TEAMS OF THE WEEK 

Arcata Boys Basketball

Eureka Girls Basketball

The Tigers and Loggers closed out the 2023/24 H-DNL season with a pair of exciting tournament championships last weekend.

Playing in front of a packed house at Lumberjack Arena on arguably the biggest night of the local high school sports calendar, both teams stepped up late in their games and turned in clutch performances on the way to the championships.

Just as important, neither team suffered a letdown later in the week, as they both tipped off the NCS playoffs with impressive victories.

Arcata head coach Kellen Maynard and Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon are two of the best on the North Coast right now and are enjoying outstanding campaigns.

For more on the Eureka girls’ big wees, see Loggers prevail as exciting Niclai girls final goes down to the wire …

For more on the Arcata boys big week, see Tigers dig deep to continue their impressive Niclai tradition …