Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — It was a week of big achievements in the H-DNL in multiple sports.

And that’s reflected in this week’s awards.

It was a particularly impressive week for the league wrestlers, with three qualifying for the state championships and all three making some serious noise once they got there.

Del Norte brothers Thunder and Wyatt Lewis both won North Coast Section titles last weekend to qualify for the state championship meet, as did Arcata freshman Taylor Bell.

And when they got to Bakersfield, all three represented the league well over the past three days.

Thunder, a senior, went 5-1 in the 126-pound bracket, making it all the way to the semifinals before losing a tight 7-5 decision to the top seed in the division on Saturday morning.

He would battle back with two wins in the consolation bracket later in the day, including a pin over Aaron Silva in the third-place match.

His younger brother, a junior, also won three straight matches to reach the semifinal round at 157 pounds.

On Saturday morning he defeated Jacob Perez 7-0 to reach Saturday night’s championship match.

In her first year of high school competition, Bell also made her presence felt at the state championships, showcasing her talents with a composed performance in the biggest tournament of her young life.

Submitted photo – Taylor Bell

Photo courtesy of Del Norte High School – The Lewis brothers at last weekend’s NCS championships.

The young standout went 3-2 in tournament action against the best wrestlers in California, battling her way back through the 110-pound consolation bracket with back-to-back wins in elimination matches on Friday.

An outstanding season finally ended on Saturday morning, but the young standout finished in the top 12, just one win shy of a podium finish.

And that makes the talented trio of wrestlers well-deserved choices for our athletes of the week.

Our team of the week award, meanwhile, goes to the Eureka boys basketball team, as the Loggers look to secure a first-ever NCS championship for the program on Saturday night.

Win or lose, it’s been a memorable postseason for the Eureka boys and it’s not over yet regardless of what happens on Saturday evening (tip off is set for 5 p.m.).

With a semifinal win over Redwood Christian on Tuesday night, the Loggers assured themselves a place in the state playoffs, which get under way next week.

Under the guidance of head coach Jimmy Rodgers, the Loggers have been playing some of their best basketball of the season down the stretch, winning five of their last six games, including three straight in the NCS playoffs.

Kyle Giacone

Ryder Mitchell

Several players have been playing at a high level for the team, most notably the always-dangerous junior tandem of Xavier De La Rosa and Ryder Mitchell.

The sharpshooting Owen Hiscox also has played a key role on this team’s march to a section championship game with his inspirational 3-point shooting, while sophomore point guard Kyle Giacone has been playing well beyond his years all winter and looks like he could dominate on the Big 5 courts for the next two seasons.

Other players too have played key roles, including senior Jamarion Ireland, who is playing the best basketball of his high school career on the biggest stage and has been giving his teammates a big spark off the bench at both ends of the floor over the past two weeks.

We’ll have updates on how the Loggers fared in their championship game later on Saturday, as well as an update on how Wyatt Lewis fares in the biggest match of his young career.