Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The McKinleyville boys are ranked No. 3 in NCS Division 4, according to MaxPreps.

By Ray Hamill — Three H-DNL baseball teams and three H-DNL softball teams are riding high in the latest Max Preps North Coast Section rankings, which were updated on Thursday.

But no one has impressed more than the Ferndale Wildcats, who are the top-ranked baseball team in NCS Division 6.

The Cats, who have lost just once all season, are also the second highest ranked H-DNL baseball team in the entire NCS at No. 40.

The McKinleyville Panthers and South Fork Cubs both also feature in the top three in their respective divisions.

The Panthers, who are the highest-ranked overall team at No. 31, are No. 3 in Division 4, behind No. 1 Piedmont and No. 2 Justin-Siena.

The Cubs are two spots behind the Wildcats in Division 6, with No. 2 Point Arena sandwiched in between.

Two other H-DNL teams are ranked in the top eight in their divisions, with St. Bernard’s at No. 7 in D-5 and Del Norte No. 8 in D-4.

Rounding out the local baseball rankings, Hoopa is No. 10 in D-6, Eureka is No. 11 in D-3, Fortuna is No. 14 in D-4, and Arcata is No. 18 in D-3 after being moved up a division this year after their NCS championship last spring.

Arcata and St. Bernard’s each moved up a division this year.

In the softball rankings, meanwhile, the Del Norte  girls are the highest ranked local team.

The Warriors are No. 35 overall and No. 3 in Division 4.

The Fortuna and South Fork girls are both ranked No. 4 in Divisions 4 and 6, respectively.

The Huskies are also No. 42 overall, making them the second highest ranked H-DNL team, nine spots ahead of No. 51 McKinleyville.

The Panthers, who remain in Division 3 this year after their NCS championship two years ago, are No. 11 in their division.

Rounding out the local softball rankings, St. Bernard’s is No. 7 in Division 5, Arcata is No. 12 in D-4, Ferndale is No. 12 in D-5, Hoopa is No. 15 in D-45 and Eureka is No. 22 in D-3.

South Fork is the only H-DNL softball team to switch divisions this season, dropping to Division 6.