Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — It was another good week for the frontrunners in the Humboldt Sports Power Rankings.
On Friday night, the Ferndale Wildcats traveled to Fortuna for their annual Milk Can game against the Huskies and they came away with another statement victory.
The Cats dominated in a manner we don’t often see in this annual rivalry game, winning 49-0 and ending the game as a contest before halftime.
The Wildcats have just one more game before beginning conference play next week, with the Eureka Loggers heading to Ferndale this weekend.
And it will be a tough challenge for the Loggers going up against a Ferndale team that has not allowed any points so far this season.
The St. Bernard’s Crusaders have been almost as impressive and improved to 4-0 with another big performance at Montgomery in Santa Rosa on Friday night.
The Crusaders have dominated their opponents in the trenches and have a defensive line that is playing at an extremely high level right now.
St. Bernard’s has a bye this week before kicking off the Big 4 next weekend.
The Del Norte Warriors, meanwhile, make a move in the Power Rankings for the second straight week, but this time it’s in the right direction.
A surprise loss to Arcata two weeks ago saw the Warriors drop from No. 2 to No. 5, but as usual they responded to a defeat with a big performance.
And with both Arcata and Eureka losing over the weekend, the Warriors move back up two spots to No. 3.
Once again Del Norte looks like a legitimate contender for the Big 4, a conference they have won five straight times.
The Eureka Loggers, meanwhile, lost a second straight game over the weekend, falling to Novato, and things won’t get any easier when they head to Ferndale this weekend.
Arcata rounds out the top five this week, dropping two spots after a 71-33 loss to St. Vincent de Paul.
In their two losses this season — to Eureka and St. Vincent de Paul — the Tigers have given up 127 points.
POWER RANKINGS
1 — Ferndale (3-0)
The Wildcats are 3-0 and have yet to be tested
2 — St. Bernard’s (4-0)
The Crusaders are a perfect 4-0 heading into conference play
3 — Del Norte (3-1)
The performance at Skyline was a nice response from the Del Norte players
4 — Eureka (1-2)
The Loggers have lost two straight games as they get set for Ferndale
5 — Arcata (1-2)
A win over Del Norte has been the highlight so far for the Tigers
