Submitted photo – The St. Bernard’s players and coaches celebrate their conference championship one Tuesday night.

By Ray Hamill — Volleyball takes center stage in our awards this week, with a championship team and one of the most consistently dangerous players in the H-DNL honored.

The St. Bernard’s Crusaders clinched the Little 5 championship on Tuesday night with a four-sets win over South Fork, and that gets them the nod for our team of the week.

The Crusaders capped an impressive run through league play with the victory, and they held off the Hoopa Warriors for the pennant in the process.

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Rachel Evans, the St. Bernard’s players lost just once in conference play and quickly rebounded from that defeat with six straight Little 5 wins on their way to the championship.

The SB roster is as deep as just about any in the H-DNL with several different players stepping up on different nights all season long.

Our two athletes of the week honors, meanwhile, go to a pair of athletes who have been consistently impressing all fall in their respective sports.

Week in and week out, Eureka’s Tiarah Maualuga has been one of the most impressive volleyball players in the H-DNL this year and that continued to be the case this week as she led her team to a big win in their final conference game.

Not to be out-done, Arcata junior Luke Lemke turned in another outstanding performance on the football field in what was billed as the game of the season last weekend, leading the Tigers to a comprehensive win over their closest rivals in the Little 4, the Ferndale Wildcats.

Lemke threw for four touchdowns and ran in for another with another commanding performance, keeping the Tigers undefeated on the season and moving them one step closer to a third conference championship in four years.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 

Tiarah Maualuga

Eureka Volleyball, Sophomore

Maualuga established herself as one of the better players in the H-DNL as a freshman a year ago, but she has taken her game to a whole new level this fall.

The 5-foot-11 standout was once again “a force at the net, on the service line and at the back row” in Tuesday’s win, according to her head coach Stephanie Napoleon.

She finished with 12 kills, three blocks, eight digs and five aces.

Luke Lemke

Arcata Football, Junior

Lemke established himself as arguably the most dynamic player in the H-DNL last season and he has only added to his stellar reputation this fall.

Great players always step up on the biggest stage and Lemke did that and more against Ferndale in the most anticipated game of the local season so far.

The win also leaves the Tigers on the verge of at least a co-championship with three games remaining.

This is the second time this fall that Lemke has been named one of our athletes of the week.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

St. Bernard’s Volleyball

The Tigers are consistently among the very best volleyball programs in the H-DNL every year and that is the case once again this year.

With a new head coach calling the shots this season, the defending North Coast Section Division-6 champions have not missed a beat.

They cruised through conference play with a 7-1 record and wil now turn their attention to the upcoming NCS playoffs, which get under way next week.

There were several key players on this year’s team, including seniors Nina Clayton, Ella Hart, Jocelyn Sundberg and Sarah Luna, as well as Sahara Tupua, Alyssa Boham, Natalie McLaughlin and Makinsey Lemley, among others.

For more on their big week, see Crusaders celebrate their seniors with a Little 5 championship …