Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Jackson Kelly

By Ray Hamill — For the second straight week, a McKinleyville pitcher is one of our athletes of the week.

The Panthers have arguably been the most impressive H-DNL baseball team this spring and are on course to win the Big 5 title halfway through the conference schedule.

And a big part of their success has been their defense and pitching, including junior Jackson Kelly.

Kelly follows in the footsteps of senior teammate Evan Fraser, who was one of our athletes of the week last week.

The junior pitcher threw a no-hitter in a crucial game last weekend, leading his team to a 10-1 over their closest challengers, Eureka, in the rubber match of three-game series and with the conference lead on the line.

Our second athlete of the week is College of the Redwoods sophomore Alyssa McCovey, who made a little bit of school history this week.

The former Del Norte Warrior became the first Corsairs athlete to compete at the NorCal heptathlon championships in 25 years and impressed on her way to an 11th place finish.

McCovey set PRs in four of her seven events and finished very strong with a big push toward the end of the final event, the 800 meters.

Our team of the week, meanwhile, goes to Arcata boys tennis.

No H-DNL school seems to dominate a sport in recent years the way the Tigers have on the tennis courts and that continued to be the case this spring.

The Arcata boys won all 14 regular-season H-DNL matches on their way to a seventh straight league championship, and they followed that with a big showing at last weekend’s H-DNL singles championship.

Led by Lootah Hall, who defeated Northcoast Prep’s Gene Quinn in straight sets in the final, the Tigers swept all six singles titles.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 

Jackson Kelly

McKinleyville Baseball, Junior

Kelly was outstanding in his team’s most important game of the season so far last weekend, leading the Panthers to a dominating victory over the Loggers in the series rubber match.

“He threw a great game,” McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec said of the junior standout. “He worked ahead, he stayed ahead. He threw a heck of a game.”

Kelly, who has been a key member of the Panthers for the past two seasons, struck out 12 Eureka batters on his way to the victory 

For more on his big day, see Kelly and Crawford set the tone for McKinleyville, Eureka …

College of the Redwoods Athletics

Alyssa McCovey

College of the Redwoods Track, Sophomore

The athletic McCovey represented her school at the NorCal heptathlon championships this week and had a week to remember.

On day one, she set PRs in the high jump, the shot put and the 200 meters, and followed that with a memorable seven-seconds PR in the 800m in her final event of day two, while passing four runners in the final 120 meters.

For more on her big week, see McCovey makes history for CR with big showing at NorCal heptathlon …

Submitted photo

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Arcata Boys Tennis

The most dominating program in H-DNL sports is showing no signs of slowing down.

After another undefeated regular season, the Tigers carried plenty of momentum into last weekend’s league singles championships at Fortuna and swept all six individual titles, with victories over NPA boys in all six finals.

In addition to Hall, who will now represent the league at next month’s North Coast Section singles championships, the Tigers also got victories from Paul VandenBranden, Bruin Nave, Micah Schiller, Eron Luoma and Ben Letts.

For more on their big week, see Tigers continue to dominate in boys tennis, sweep league titles …