POWER RANKINGS — Wildcats move up this week, but how far?

By barstoolfanatics on September 26, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Ferndale Wildcats celebrate their Milk Can win last weekend.

By Ray Hamill — Are the two best teams in the H-DNL this year both from the Little 4?

We’ll know more after this weekend, when the Ferndale Wildcats follow their thrilling Milk Can game win with a trip to play St. Bernard’s in a mouthwatering clash between two of the league’s three remaining unbeaten teams.

But after last weekend’s clutch victory in an epic showdown against the Fortuna Huskies, we can make a legitimate argument to suggest the Wildcats are at the very least a top-two team in the H-DNL right now.

That should set up a thrilling race for the Little 4 championship this season, and anyone who was willing to hand the Arcata Tigers the pennant before conference kicks off might want to hold on.

The Tigers, to their credit, still look like the best team in the area right now and they won their fourth straight game when they traveled to Oakland last week.

No local team has impressed as much this fall and because of that they hold on to their top ranking for the third straight week.

But once again there is movement elsewhere in our top five.

After their impressive win over the Huskies, the Wildcats make the biggest leap of any team this season, moving up from No. 5 to No. 2.

After their big win at Clear Lake, which keeps them unbeaten on the season at 4-0, the St. Bernard’s Crusaders hold steady No. 3.

No doubt a win over the Wildcats on Saturday would see the Crusaders move up to No. 2 next week.

The Huskies, meanwhile, drop two spots to No. 4 after their loss to their biggest rivals in the Milk Can game.

Del Norte also drops one spot to No. 5 despite the Warriors’ big win over Skyline last week.

Unlike in recent years, this season’s Power Rankings have seen plenty of movement every week, an indication of how competitive and unpredictable the H-DNL is right now.

And that should make for an exciting race for both the Big 4 and Little 4 in the coming weeks.

And for those keeping track, circle your calendars for Oct. 18 and Nov. 9.

Those are the two dates where the Cats and Tigers will face off in a pair of games that in all fairness will likely decide the fate of this year’s L4 conference championship.

The second of those meetings takes place in Ferndale on the final day of the regular season.