By Ray Hamill — Both the Redwood League and Pacific League titles will be decided this week as the H-DNL teams get set for the final weekend of the regular season.
And with the North Coast Section playoff brackets and seeds being announced on Sunday, it is also the final opportunity for the league teams to make their case .
The weekend action features five games involving local teams.
And four of those games could impact the league championships, including two big showdowns on Friday night.
In the Pacific League, Fortuna (7-2 overall and 2-0 in league) has already clinched at least a share of a third league crown in four years, but the Huskies will be looking to claim the crown outright when they host Del Norte (4-5, 1-1) on Friday night.
Head coach Mike Benbow and his players will also be hoping for a good response after they lost their Milk Can rivalry game at Ferndale win Saturday.
But they’ll need to be on the top of their game going up against a Del Norte team that won’t lack motivation.
The Warriors can still claim a share of the league crown with a win, and a much-improved performance against McKinleyville this past weekend will give them plenty of momentum and confidence heading into their final game of the regular season.
A win for Fortuna would also end any hopes of a league crown for St. Bernard’s.
The Crusaders (7-2, 1-1) will be cheering for Del Norte, and a win for the Warriors would give head coach Matt Tomlin and his players a three-way share of the league crown if they can win at Eureka (3-6, 0-2)on Saturday night.
The Loggers are the only Pacific League team not in contention heading into the final weekend.
We could also see a three-way championship share in the Redwood League.
McKinleyville (6-3, 2-0) clinched at least a share of the pennant with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Ferndale two weeks ago, and the Panthers can clinch it outright with a win on Friday over an Arcata team that has struggled this season after dropping its first seven games, including a 27-0 non-league loss to McKinleyville.
But after being shut out in four of their first five games, the Tigers (1-8, 1-1) have begun to find some success in recent weeks, scoring in four straight games, including a 20-0 win over Hoopa two weeks ago.
But they still remain a work in progress and were no match for St. Bernard’s in a 42-7 loss on Friday night.
If the Tigers can pull out a surprise victory at McKinleyville, remarkably it would give them a share of the league title.
It would also open the door for the Ferndale Wildcats (8-1, 1-1), who will be expected to take care of business against Hoopa (1-8, 0-2) in the Cream City on Saturday.
A win for Arcata and a win for Ferndale would result in a three-way tie for the league crown.
Similar to the Loggers in the Pacific League, Hoopa is the only Redwood League team not in contention going into the final week of the regular season.
Rounding out a busy couple of days for the local teams, the South Fork Cubs will also be in action in eight-player football.
The Cubs (6-3, 2-2) saw any hopes of an NCL 2 league title slip away with a tough 66-20 loss at Branson over the weekend, but they will be looking to close out the regular season strong against an Elsie Allen team that has struggled to a 2-6 record this year, including a 32-12 loss to Cornerstone Christian this past weekend.
Friday’s game in Miranda kicks off at 6 p.m.
