By Ray Hamill — The Crusaders have been showcasing their versatility on offense the past two weeks, and that, coupled with one of the best defensive lines in the H-DNL and the return of an old friend this week, will make them a dangerous opponent this weekend.

The top seeds in the North Coast Section Division-6 bracket will host conference rival Fortuna at Crusader Field on Saturday afternoon, with a place in next weekend’s championship game on the line.

And longtime Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow and his staff will their hands full stopping a Crusaders offense that has won in very different ways the past two weeks.

In their regular-season finale against Del Norte two weeks ago, SB dominated through the air with 334 yards passing and just 55 yards on the ground.

Six different players caught passes, including four who caught at least one TD catch, while two — Tyler Hinrichs and Kuron Deviln — finished with more than 100 yards in receptions.

In that game, quarterback Trenton Hagler completed 29 of 41 passes for 293 yards and four TDs.

Fast forward a week, and it was a different-looking St. Bernard’s offense that took the field in the team’s playoff opener against San Rafael.

While still passing for 208 yards, it was the team’s running game that set the tone, with five different backs combining for 274 yards on the ground, including Hinrichs who had 136 yards rushing on 32 carries and found the end zone four times.

Check out some game highlights from last weekend above …

Under longtime head coach Matt Tomlin, this year’s St. Bernard’s team is finding different ways to win, and doing so impressively.

With a 42-20 win over San Rafael, the Crusaders improved to 10-1 on the season, and they have averaged 35.1 points a game in their 10 wins.

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Michael Manzi

The only team that has really played them close all year is Fortuna, who did it twice.

The good news for the Huskies is they are the only team to have beaten the Crusaders, having split two conference matchups, with the home team winning on each occasion.

The Crusaders also have succeeded with a dominating defensive line, a unit that includes Josh Tinkham, Kohlton Hall and Jahseree Bailey.

The dominance in the trenches has paved the way for four shutouts.

And that’s not all for St. Bernard’s.

This weekend, the Crusaders will welcome back senior receiver Michael Manzi, who has been playing travel baseball all fall but recently rejoined the team for the postseason, a move that has been greeted enthusiastically by his teammates.

And that will give the top seeds in the bracket an added boost going up against the one team that has beaten them this year.

Manzi led St. Bernard’s in receiving last year with 81.9 yards a game (901 on the season) and an average of 19.2 yards a catch.

He also led the team in scoring with 12 touchdowns, including 10 through the air.

If Manzi can have an immediate impact on his return, it will give the Crusaders an added dimension on an offense that is already playing a very high level.

Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 1 p.m., will be broadcast live on Mix 95.1 FM, with Tag Wotherspoon calling the action.

And Tomlin is expecting another battle.

“I’ve said it many times, I have all the respect in the world for coach Benbow and his program,” he  said. “We’ve had some epic battles.”

Also in action this weekend, the Ferndale Wildcats will host Salesian in the Division-5 playoffs, with kickoff set for Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

We’ll preview the Huskies and Wildcats on Friday.