Submitted photo – Skyler Collenberg at last week’s Meet of Champions.

By Ray Hamill — There are few local athletes who have impressed this year as much as Arcata junior Skyler Collenberg.

The multi-sport Tigers standout enjoyed tremendous success on three sporting fronts in 2024/25, and he’s not done yet.

In the fall, he helped lead the Tigers to a first-ever state championship on the football field, and he followed that with a league championship on the wrestling mats in the winter.

But he may have saved his best for last.

This spring, Collenberg has been busy setting new standards for the Arcata High track and field team.

Earlier in the season, he set a new school record in the boys shot put and he obliterated that mark by more than two and a half feet at last weekend’s North Coast Section Meet of Champions.

Collenberg’s record-setting performance earned him a third-place finish at the prestigious meet and qualified him for this weekend’s state championships in Clovis.

And that makes him a deserved athlete of the week.

Our team of the week honors, meanwhile, got to the last standing H-DNL team in this year’s NCS baseball and softball playoffs.

A 5-2 win over St. Bernard’s in the Division-5 baseball tournament earned the Arcata Tigers a place in Friday night’s section championship game.

Despite placing fourth in this year’s Big 5, the Tigers have gone further in the NCS than any of their conference rivals.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Skyler Collenberg

Arcata Track and Field, Junior

Collenberg’s throw of 55’ 6.25” at the MOC comfortably beat his previous PR of 53’, which he set at Del Norte in late April.

That had broken a school record that had stood for 51 years, but Collenberg was just getting started.

Last week’s remarkable throw is almost three and a half feet better than the second best mark in school history (52’ 2”).

And with a year of high school competition still remaining, Collenberg should only continue to get better. 

For more on his big week, see Record-breaking Collenberg headed to state championships …

TEAM OF THE WEEK 

Arcata baseball

There’s a reason Arcata’s Troy Ghisetti is considered one of the best coaches in the H-DNL right now.

Despite their struggles in this year’s Big 5, Ghisetti and his players are enjoying a more impressive postseason run than any of their rivals as they get set for Friday night’s NCS Division-5 championship game.

If they win, they will secure a fourth NCS title in eight postseasons for the program, which has become one of the most dangerous in the entire section.

For more on their big week, see Arcata Tigers prevail, will play for a fourth NCS title in eight seasons …