Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Del Norte quarterback Aidan Rice scored two of his teams three touchdowns against Fortuna last week.
By Ray Hamill — With five straight wins to their name, including a key 21-12 victory over Fortuna in their conference opener on Saturday night, the Del Norte Warriors are looking forward to the opportunity to play a reinvigorated Eureka team this weekend.
The Warriors will travel to take on the Loggers at the Redwood Bowl on Saturday night in a showdown that guarantees the winner at least a share of this year’s Big 4 championship.
And they’re eager to continue their recent dominating run in conference play, which has seen them win four straight Big 4 titles, including a co-championship last fall.
“I’m excited, the kids are excited,” Del Norte head coach Darren LaFazio said. “Eureka’s good and they’ve played a tough schedule.
“I think it’s going to be a battle for sure because they’re big and physical. They’re a good football team.”
The Warriors come into the game with a record of 6-2 and have been unstoppable since opening the season with a pair of losses in their first three games.
But they won’t be taking the Loggers lightly.
Two weeks ago, in Crescent City, Del Norte edged Eureka in a low-scoring non-conference showdown by a score of 7-6 and the Warriors know it will likely be another close game.
Last week, the Loggers rolled to a very dominating 41-6 win over St. Bernard’s with a statement performance that sent a message to the rest of the league.
Preparation for the big game has been going well for the Warriors, according to LaFazio, and the players have been focused and practicing well all week.
“We’ve been having really good practices,” LaFazio said. “It seems like we’re ready, but we’re at their house. It’s different.”
If they are to win, the Warriors will have to hold onto the ball better than they did against Fortuna in a game that was marred by several fumbles by both teams.
All five of the game’s TDs were set up by fumble recoveries.
Overall, however, LaFazio felt his players played well.
“I thought we played pretty good,” he said. “We both turned the ball over a lot. It was just one of those games. But we ran the ball well and we played good defense.”
The Warriors have been steadily improving as the season has progressed and as the schedule has gotten a little tougher, and they could be peaking at an opportune time as they look to continue their dominance over the Loggers, which has seen them win five straight conference games against Eureka dating back to 2019.
And they’re winning with contributions from several different players, most notably their senior team captains Ben Borges, Colton Schaad, Curtis Bartley and Aidan Rice, each of whom has been setting the tone for their teammates.
Junior middle linebacker/fullback William McCovey also has impressed and has lifted the level of his game in his third year playing at the varsity level.
Rice, the team’s starting quarterback, scored two of his team’s three touchdowns in last weekend’s win and also had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
McCovey scored the other TD.
Saturday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m.
Check out one of Aidan Rice’s TD runs against Fortuna below …
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