By Ray Hamill — A pair of Pacific League leaders in football feature in this week’s awards after a big opening weekend in league play for both teams.
At Fortuna, the Huskies won their biggest game of the year so far, opening league play with a 28-21 win over rival St. Bernard’s.
It was a statement win for head coach Mike Benbow and his players, who have answered the call since suffering their only loss of the year against Ukiah on Sept. 11, winning three straight games since then to get their season back on track.
And that makes Fortuna football our choice for Humboldt Sports Team of the Week.
The league-opening win not only puts them in the driver’s seat in the race for this year’s Pacific League championship, it also saw them move up one spot to No. 2 in the Humboldt Sports Power Rankings.
The Huskies are making a serious case to be considered the best team in the area, and if they keep playing the way they are right now — including in a huge Milk Can showdown against rival and neighbor Ferndale on Halloween — they will be.
At 5-1, the Huskies are already playoff eligible, and they are now ranked No. 26 in the North Coast Section, according to MaxPreps, and No. 3 in Division 6.
It should be a fun stretch run for the Huskies, who have games remaining against Hoopa, Eureka and Ferndale, as well as a potential Pacific League championship showdown at home to Del Norte on the final weekend of the regular season.
For more on Fortuna’s big week, see Huskies, Crusaders renew their rivalry in first-ever Pacific League showdown …
Our Athlete of the Week, meanwhile, goes to a Del Norte sophomore, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the best playmakers in the H-DNL right now.
After losing their first three games of the season, the Warriors have gotten back on track with three straight wins, outscoring those three opponents by a combined 148-19.
And even considering the quality of those opponents — Arcata, Hoopa and Eureka are a combined 2-16 — it’s still a nice turnaround for head coach Nick White and his players, who are beginning to find some rhythm on both sides of the ball.
No one more so than Levi Larch, who had a career breakout performance against Eureka last weekend.
The sophomore running back/defensive back scored three touchdowns against Eureka, including a pick six, and finished with 195 yards on just eight carries for an incredible 24 yards average.
Larch’s TDs came on runs of 49 and 56, and a 65-yard interception return.
And that makes him a well-deserved choice for Athlete of the Week.
For more on his big week, see Del Norte Warriors stretch winning streak over Eureka to 11 straight …
