Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Arcata Tigers are one of our teams of the week

By Ray Hamill — They may not be winning all of their games, but the Ferndale girls are enjoying am inspirational season on the soccer fields this fall nonetheless.

And one player in particular is rising to the challenge in difficult circumstances.

Which is why the Cats feature heavily in our weekly awards, along with another team that is enjoying a big season on the local volleyball courts and posted one of its biggest wins in a few years on Thursday night.

Under the guidance of coaches Bailey Davy and Brenden McDonald, the Ferndale girls are showing more fight this fall than just about any other H-DNL team.

Injuries affect just about every team in every sport, but few have had to endure as many as the Ferndale girls soccer team this year.

But that hasn’t slowed them much, as they continue to battle with just nine players on the field and are not just competing but pushing bigger schools all the way despite being out-manned.

And that resiliency makes the Wildcats one of our teams of the week.

“It really hasn’t been that huge of a disadvantage for us because the girls are stepping up and covering more ground out there,” Davy said earlier this week after the Cats tied St. Bernard’s in a Little 4 showdown. “They have a great attitude, they’re working really hard and they’re confident in what they’re able to do out there.”

Junior Tinnley Pidgeon has been leading the way on the team and has been turning in some inspiration performances to set the tone for her teammates.

And that gets her the nod for our athlete of the week.

Pidgeon, whose twin brother Tanner has already been named one of our athletes of the week twice this fall for his outstanding performances on the football field, has had to adapt to a new role and she has not disappointed.

Without two starters on the field, Davy and the Cats have switched to a three-man back line, with Pidgeon picking up the slack and playing a keeper/sweeper role.

Pidgeon and the Cats are hoping to be back to full strength soon, but for now they’re serving as an inspiration to every other team in the H-DNL for the way they battle without complaining and they are enjoying a season they won’t easily forget.

So too are the Arcata Tigers, who served up one of their biggest team performances in some time on Thursday night.

The Arcata girls not only ended Del Norte’s 21-game conference winning streak with the win, but they did so with a thoroughly dominating performance.

And that not only leaves them well positioned to win at least a share of this year’s Big 5 championship but it also makes them one of teams of the week.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 

Tinnley Pidgeon 

Ferndale Soccer, Junior

Pidgeon is a three-sport standout for the Wildcats who has established herself as a key member and leader of all three teams she plays on.

But she is perhaps having her biggest impact on the soccer fields this fall and continues to earn the respect and admiration of her teammates and opposing teams, with multiple opposing coaches singling out her efforts to Humboldt Sports.

For more on her big week, see No separating the Crusaders and Cats once again in L4 showdown …

TEAMS OF THE WEEK 

Arcata Volleyball

Ferndale Girls Soccer

Both of these teams showed us this week what can be achieved with hard work, determination and a strong self belief in what they’re doing.

The Cats barely fell to Arcata by the narrowest of margins on Saturday, matching up very effectively with the Big 4 powerhouse program despite playing with two less players.

And they’ve been doing that against just about every opponent they’ve faced while shorthanded.

Davy and McDonald have done an exceptional job with their players and the players have risen to the challenge when they could easily have been forgiven for giving up on their season when the injury bug hit them hard.

The Tigers also rose to the challenge this week, getting the better of the two-time defending Big 5 champion Del Norte in straight sets.

Head coach Laurie Griffith most certainly had her players ready to go on Thursday night, and the players turned in am inspirational performance in front of a loud student section that fueled their desire.

For more on the Wildcats’ big week, see No separating the Crusaders and Cats once again in L4 showdown …

For more on the Tigers’ big week, see Determined Tigers end Del Norte’s long conference winning streak …