By Ray Hamill — Once again there’s no change at the top of this week’s Humboldt Sports Power Rankings, but there is some notable movement.
The No. 1 Ferndale Wildcats comfortably took care of business in their Redwood League opener against Arcata on Saturday, winning 28-7 and improving to 6-0.
They remain the last undefeated team in the H-DNL and have not dropped a regular season game since falling to Arcata two years ago this week.
They have also now held the top spot in our Power Rankings dating all the way back to the preseason in 2025 and are showing no signs of slowing down.
They should be challenged this weekend when they host No. 4 Del Norte (3-3) on Saturday, matching up against a team that has won three straight games to get its season back on track.
Interestingly, however, the Wildcats did drop nine spots in the North Coast Section rankings this week, but are still a very respectable No. 20 out of 102 schools.
The Cats do hold strong at No 1 in the NCS Division 7, one spot ahead of St. Vincent de Paul (4-2), which suffered a second loss this past weekend, losing 49-46 to American Canyon.
The most noteworthy move of the week sees the Fortuna Huskies leapfrog the Crusaders after their 28-21 win, moving up to No. 2 in the Humboldt Sports Power Rankings.
That win, which was their third straight, also sees them move up in the NCS rankings, rising eight spots to No. 27.
Head coach Mike Benbow’s team holds steady this week at No. 3 in Division 6, trailing No. 1 Cardinal Newman and No. 2 Marin Catholic.
St. Bernard’s (4-2), meanwhile, drops one spot to No. 3 in our Power Rankings after suffering a second straight loss over the weekend.
The Crusaders, however, remain a legitimate NCS playoff contender despite their two straight loses.
They did drop six spots to No. 28 overall in the NCS, but hold steady at No. 3 in Division 7, trailing only Ferndale and St. Vincent de Paul.
Del Norte remains at No. 4 in our Power Rankings, where they have been for much of the season.
After dropping their opening three games, the Warriors have now won three straight, including a dominating 48-6 win over Eureka on Friday night.
The Warriors are heading in the right direction in the NCS rankings, moving up for the third straight week and coming in at No 49 this week.
Del Norte is also No. 5 in Division 6, just two spots behind Fortuna.
And rounding out our Power Rankings this week, McKinleyville (5-1) holds steady at No. 5 after a big win over Hoopa on Friday night.
Their 53-6 victory sees them move up four spots to No. 57 overall in the NCS, and they remain at No. 6 in Division 6, just one spot behind Del Norte.
Eureka (1-5) drops nine spots to No. 77 in the NCS, followed by No. 88 Arcata (0-6) and No. 95 Hoopa (1-5).
The South Fork Cubs, meanwhile, are No. 2 in the NCS in the eight-player rankings, trailing only No 1 Priory, a team they host on Friday night.
POWER RANKINGS
1 — Ferndale (6-0)
The Cats comfortably took care of business in their league opener
2 — Fortuna (5-1)
The Huskies move up one spot after their big win over St. Bernard’s
3 — St. Bernard’s (4-2)
The Crusaders may have lost two straight, but they remain well positioned
4 — Del Norte (3-3)
The Warriors are on a role after three straight wins
5 — McKinleyville (5-1)
The Panthers are tied with Ferndale for the early Redwood League lead
