Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Ferndale’s Madison Gossi is one of our athletes of the week.

By Ray Hamill — Three different schools and three different sports are represented in our weekly awards this week.

On Thursday, Ferndale junior Madison Gossi led her team to an impressive doubleheader sweep over St. Bernard’s in Little 4 softball, catapulting the Cats back into contention for the upcoming Charles Lakin tournament and ensuring North Coast Section playoff eligibility.

The Wildcats standout had a monster day at the plate and also played catcher in both games of a doubleheader for the first time in her high school career.

Gossi, who usually plays shortstop, has been one of her team’s most impressive players all season and that continued with a 7-for-12 performance on Thursday that included 10 RBIs and a pair of home runs.

And that makes her a worthy choice for one of our athletes of the week.

Our boys athlete of the week award goes to McKinleyville’s Jake Gardner, who continued his impressive season in H-DNL golf with another big performance at Baywood Golf & Country Club on Monday.

Gardner did not have the best round of the day, but the standout golfer did enough to pull four strokes clear in the season standings with two rounds to go, and that could prove to be decisive in an extremely tight race for the championship.

Our team of the week, meanwhile, goes to St. Bernard’s baseball.

The Crusaders suffered a disappointing loss after a late letdown at Ferndale on Tuesday, but responded in a manner befitting of champions with a dominating performance against the Cats on Thursday, and a victory that all but secures a Little 4 championship.

With Thursday’s 9-1 win, head coach Matt Tomlin and his players improved to 7-1 in conference play and two wins clear of the chasing pack with four games to go.

While they can still be caught, it would seem unlikely at this stage.

And Thursday’s performance showed us this is a group of players that mean business this spring, as they look to reestablish themselves as the best team in the Little 4.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Madison Gossi

Ferndale Softball, Junior

On a wild day of action in Little 4 softball on Thursday, the Ferndale girls traveled to play St. Bernard’s in Samoa and dominated both games while scoring an incredible 42 runs to put themselves right back in contention for a Charles Lakin tournament berth.

And while there were several standout performances on the day, no one played a bigger role than Gossi.

The outstanding junior finished 5-for-6 in game two with a grand slam, which was her second home run of the day.

More impressively, Gossi also had a good day at catcher, playing a key role behind the plate in both games.

For more on her big week, see Wildcats come out swinging, sweep L4 doubleheader at SB …

Submitted photo

Jake Gardner

McKinleyville Golf, Senior

Gardner has been the most consistent golfer in the H-DNL through the opening four rounds of league play.

On Monday, he put a little distance between himself and the rest of the league with another big performance at Baywood.

He now leads Fortuna’s Dawson McWhorter by four stroke in the race for the league title with two rounds remaining.

Gargner has placed in the top four in all four rounds so far, including victories at Beau Pre and Del Norte.

For more on his big week, see Gardner moves four strokes clear in H-DNL after round four …

TEAM OF THE WEEK

St. Bernard’s Baseball

After losing out to rival Ferndale in the race for the Little 4 crown a year ago, the Crusaders took a big step towards a championship this spring with their 9-1 win on Thursday.

Several players have played roles for the team this season, including the likes of Michael Manzi, Tyler Maples, Luke Brunton, Garrett Shanahan and Tyler Hinrichs, among others.

But it was the collective team effort that set them apart on Thursday, with every player on the field making big contributions and bringing a determination that ensured they would not lose.

And that not only puts them in the driver’s seat in the race for this year’s championship but also makes them a worthy choice for the Humboldt Sports Team of the Week.

For more on their big week, see Crusaders bounce back, take control of race for Little 4 crown …