Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Sophomore Kaidan Bell is back with the Tigers this winter after winning a league title as a freshman in 2024.
By Ray Hamill — The Arcata Tigers are hoping to be a force on the H-DNL wrestling mats this winter as head coach Cass Bell continues to build momentum with the program.
And with big numbers on hand and plenty of experience, there’s every reason to believe they can live up to those expectations.
Bell has a large roster of 54 this season, including 14 girls, with some key returners leading the way and setting the tone for the team’s younger wrestlers.
“This year, I finally have a lot of returning wrestlers,” the coach said. “We have a big returning team.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing so far, however.
“We’ve had a lot of sickness and injuries,” Bell added. “But I’m hoping that by the end of the season they’re all healed and ready to go.”
This weekend the Tigers are competing at the Anderson tournament, along with several of their H-DNL rivals, before they open the H-DNL dual meet season at home against Fortuna on Tuesday night.
The Tigers enjoyed a breakout campaign last year, when they won the H-DNL dual meet championship and the girls team followed that with a league championship.
This year, Bell is hoping to continue that success and challenge the dominating Del Norte boys for a league championship.
“If I have my full lineup, we can beat just about anybody,” said Bell, who also admitted the Warriors will be tough to top at the league championships.
Leading the way for the Tigers are team captains and seniors Isaiah Bell and Rory Bickmore, each of whom will be expected to challenge for a league title later in the season.
Bickmore won a league title a year ago and has been one of the most consistent local wrestlers over the last couple of years, while Isaiah Bell barely missed out on a league crown last year after suffering a late-season injury.
The coach’s son, Kaiden Bell, also is back and expected to challenge for a second league title in just has second year with the team, as is junior Talon Villurruel, who placed third in league last winter.
“He’s got a really good chance at being a league champ,” Cass Bell said of Villurruel. “He destroyed it at his last tournament.”
Chase Bickmore also is expected to contend for a league title this winter, along with Jackson Hicks, who placed second in his weight class at the H-DNL meet a year ago.
“I like how I finally have more experienced guys,” Cass Bell said of the team. “So it’s super exciting, we’ve just got to get past the sickness and injuries. But it’s getting better.”
Among the newcomers this year, freshman Brady Rains looks like he should also make some noise on the H-DNL mats in the coming months.
“The new kids are kicking butt,” Cass Bell said. “They’re learning quickly and taking everything in. We have a lot of freshmen and they’re all doing great.”
The Arcata girls team, meanwhile, will be led by defending league champion and team captain Rory Bickmore, although she’s far from the only contender.
Fellow senior Piper Bjorkstedt is back to defend her league title, as is Mya Collenberg.
This year’s team also features some new wrestlers, including junior Jada Lusk and senior Autumn Piers-Moore, each of whom have been impressing their coach during the early going.
The Arcata girls had four individual league champs last year and three others who placed in the top three in their divisions.
That group also includes Lillian Afridi, who placed third at the league championships in 2024.
“I have high hopes for her this year,” Cass Bell said.
The coach has high hopes for the entire girls team.
“I believe we’re going to be league champs again,” he added.
