File photo – Del Norte’s Deken Hanks celebrates his 100m victory at last year’s H-DNL championships.

By Ray Hamill — Del Norte sophomore Deken Hanks is enjoying a year in sports he will not easily forget.

After setting a new school single-season record for most goals in boys soccer in the fall, the speedy Hanks set new school records in both the 100 and 200 meters at the third H-DNL meet of the spring on Wednesday.

Competing on his home track in Crescent City, Hanks ran a PR in the 100m with a time of 11 seconds, which was not just a Del Norte High School record but also the sixth fastest time ever in the H-DNL.

He also set a new Warriors mark in the 200m in a time of 22.47 seconds and led the field with three victories on the day.

Hanks has been unstoppable in the sprints this spring, having won both the 100 and 200m at all three league meets so far.

The defending league champion in both races also helped the Del Norte boys to the team win on Wednesday, as both he and the Warriors build momentum heading into the business end of the season.

Hanks would also team with Kyle Dixon, Landon Balent and Caden Harrison to place first in the 4x100m relay.

The host Warriors won seven of the 16 events, also taking first in the 800m, the 300m hurdles, the discus and pole vault.

Harrison also had a very good day and was first across the line in the 300m hurdles with a PR of 42.39 seconds, while also placing second in the 100m and giving the home team a one-two finish in the event.

Ferndale’s Isaak Kasso was the third multiple winner on the day and had four top-three finishes as he continues his outstanding season.

Kasso placed first in the 110m hurdles for the third time in three league meets and set a PR with a winning time of 15.46 seconds.

Submitted photo – Deken Hanks crosses the finish line at the end of the 100m race on Wednesday.

He also won the triple jump with a jump of 39’ 2”, as well as placing third in both the 100m and 200m.

Arcata’s Eoin McGoldrick placed first in the 400m with a PR of 52.89 seconds, followed by Brookings-Harbor’s Tanner Anderson-Nelson in second and McKinleyville’s Rylee Collart in third, while Del Norte’s Dylan Rodriguez placed first in the 800m in a time of 2 minutes, 3.53 seconds, followed by Brookings’ Peter Goode in second and Arcata’s Evan Poston in third.

Poston fared better in the 1600m as the Tigers took the top six places in the event.

The impressive freshman won in a time of 4:47.93, with teammates Reece Thompson and Levi Browne rounding out the top three.

Thompson also placed first in the 3200m with a PR time of 10:03.27, followed by Eureka’s Chase Jimenez and James Coleman in second and third, while Brookings’ Devan Downing, John Devereaux, Owen Austin and Anderson-Nelson teamed up to win the 4x400m relay.

Submitted photo – Two of the H-DNL’s top throwers, Del Norte’s Aaron Burger (second) and Arcata’s Skyler Collenberg (fifth), on the podium at the recent Prefontaine Rotary Invitational in Oregon.

Eureka’s Jack Krause placed second in both hurdles races, with Isaak Kasso’s younger brother, Anthony Kasso, finishing third in the 110m hurdles and McKinleyville’s Brayden Adkins third in the 300m hurdles.

Rounding out the top-three finishers in the boys races, McKinleyville’s Orphao Nowell-Grande was second to Hanks in the 200m.

In the throwing events, it was another good showing by Arcata sophomore Skyler Collenberg in the shot put, as he won the event for the third straight league meet with a throw of 41’ 2”, followed by Del Norte’s Sebastian Espinoza in second and Korben Stores of Gold Beach in third.

Del Norte’s Aaron Burger and Lyon Rigden each also was victorious.

Burger won the discus for the second straight league meet with a throw of 131’ 9”, followed by Storns in second and Collenberg in third, while Rigden placed first in the pole vault with a mark of 12’, followed by Fortuna’s Christopher Duey in second and Del Norte’s Cody Burshem in third.

And rounding out the day’s winners, Southern Trinity’s Dennis Wheeler placed first in the high jump with a jump of 5’ 10”, followed by Del Norte’s Brandt Pennington in second and Eureka’s Coleman in third, while Nowell-Grande won the long jump with a PR of 19’ 4.5”, followed by Eureka’s Bo Landry in second and Brookings’ Anderson-Nelson in third.

McGoldrick rounded out a good day by placing second to Isaak Kasso in the triple jump, with Del Norte’s Pennington third.

The Del Norte boys scored 121 points for the team win, followed by Arcata (104), Eureka (78), McKinleyville (44) and Brookings-Harbor (41).