Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The St. Bernard’s Crusaders may have fallen short in their bid for a third straight North Coast Section championship in baseball this year, but they remain the sport’s most successful program in section history.

After winning back-to-back section Division-6 crowns in each of the past two seasons, the Crusaders were moved up to Division 5 this spring.

After placing second to Ferndale in the Little 4, the SB boys once again made the NCS playoffs, where they won their opening game against Technology before losing a quarterfinal at Head-Royce in Oakland by a score of 9-3.

But with 15 NCS championships on their resume, they are the most successful baseball program in section history.

Barely.

De La Salle is the second most successful program in NCS history with 14 championships.

The Concord school had a chance to match St. Bernard’s last week after reaching another Division-1 decider.

However, the Spartans fell 1-0 to Granada in the final to end a run of six consecutive titles and leave them still one behind the Crusaders.

St. Bernard’s is not just the most successful program in NCS history, but also has been one of the most consistent over the years, winning at least one championship for six straight decades.

The Crusaders’ first NCS crown came in 1975.

With Ferndale winning the Division-6 championship last week, the H-DNL now has won at least one section baseball crown in each of the last nine years.