By Ray Hamill — It’s going to be a big week in the race for the Big 5 and Little 4 championships in volleyball, with some key matchups on tap. Heading into […]
barstoolfanatics
At the age of 10, having failed in his lifelong ambition to become a vigilante vampire werewolf – otherwise known as a vamp-wolf – Ray Hamill finally admitted defeat and turned his attention full-time to daydreaming instead.
A mere few decades later, the world of crime fighting’s loss is now the literary world’s gain.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Ray moved to the United States after graduating college, spending time in Boston and San Francisco before settling among the redwoods in Northern California, where he has worked as a journalist for the past 20 years.
In that time he has published three books, including his most recent, Help, My Horse is Drowning!, a humorous look at the world of sports and the life of the enthusiastically delusional athlete in us all.
He previously published the outrageously satirical Free the Leprechauns! as well as the semi-autobiographical Help Me, Im Irish! - a book about the non-meaning of life.
Ray is also the host of a weekly sports talk radio show broadcast locally in Northern California on Blue Ox Community Radio, and a sports blog at barstoolfanatics.com.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS — What a finish at Fortuna on Friday night
By Ray Hamill — If the opening weekend of the Big 4 is anything to go by, you might want to fasten your seat belts because it’s going to be an exciting […]
Warriors edge the Crusaders to cap epic weekend for the Big 4
By Ray Hamill — We’re two games into the Big 4 schedule and one thing is abundantly clear. All four teams have come to play this year. A day after Fortuna and […]
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS — Brothers combine on touchdown pass for Eureka
By Ray Hamill — It was a disappointing night for the Eureka Loggers at Fortuna on Friday night, as they lost 34-27 to the Huskies. One bright spot, however, was the team’s […]
GIRLS SOCCER ROUNDUP — Welsh shines as Tigers take a big step toward B5 title
The Arcata girls took a big step toward a first league title since 2016 with a 2-0 win at home to Eureka on Saturday afternoon, their first win over their rivals in […]
Eight years to the day of complete soccer dominance
By Ray Hamill — The H-DNL boys soccer season kicked off last month with the same old question we’ve been asking for much of the past decade. Can anyone stop the Huskies? […]
BOYS SOCCER ROUNDUP — Eureka, Arcata tie; Del Norte wins again
The Del Norte Warriors are beginning to click. On Saturday, they won for the second time this week, shutting out McKinleyville 5-0. Just as impressively, it was the team’s second straight shutout […]
Loggers get a clutch road win at Healdsburg
The Eureka Loggers will carry some momentum into the second half of league play after posting an impressive and clutch road win in non-league volleyball on Friday night. Playing at Healdsburg, the […]
Loggers and Huskies serve up another instant classic
By Ray Hamill — This time it was the Huskies who dug deep and found a way to win. Just a few months after their thrilling finale to the spring season, Fortuna […]
Purcell throws for eight TDs as Tigers pull away in the second half
If the Tigers can get around to playing two complete halves of football in the same game, who knows how many points they might actually score. A dangerous Arcata offense broke open […]
Panthers keep rolling, end long losing streak to Hoopa
The McKinleyville Panthers continued their remarkable turnaround on the football field with another big win on Friday night. Off to their best start in years, the Panthers improved to 4-1 on the […]
Crusaders, Warriors continue to lead the way in the Little 4
St. Bernard’s and Hoopa both won again in Little 4 volleyball on Thursday night as they continue to set the standard among the smaller schools. The conference leading Crusaders topped Ferndale in […]
Ortega continues to set the pace in boys cross country
Jude Ortega won for the second time in two H-DNL cross country meets at Fortuna on Wednesday afternoon. The Arcata senior continued to set the pace for the boys, placing first in […]
Readers say Panthers, Loggers are the favorites in league
By Ray Hamill — North Coast football fans have spoken and the votes have been cast. McKinleyville and Eureka are the favorites to win a conference championship in football. In response to […]
ATHLETES AND TEAM OF THE WEEK — Arcata girls continue to shine
By Ray Hamill — Soccer and volleyball take center stage this week in our athletes and team of the week honors, sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics. Our team of the […]
Three-way logjam atop Big 5 volleyball at halfway stage
By Ray Hamill — The race for the Big 5 championship in volleyball will likely go down to the last night of action. At the halfway stage of conference play three teams […]
A whole new season as league play kicks off
By Ray Hamill — Get ready for six weeks of excitement on the local high school football fields, with both the Big 4 and Little 4 kicking off this weekend and running […]
FRIDAY NIGHT PREVIEWS — Busy night in store in the Big 4 and Little 4
By Ray Hamill — Both Eureka and Fortuna will be looking to bounce back from tough losses a week ago when they open the Big 4 against each other on Friday night. […]
BOYS SOCCER ROUNDUP — Wild day of action around the H-DNL
It was an interesting day around the H-DNL to say the least. At Fortuna, the Huskies continued to roll, overcoming their closest challengers this season with a big second half performance and […]
GIRLS SOCCER ROUNDUP — Another big win for the Tigers
The Arcata Tigers continued to roll with another big statement win on Wednesday, defeating the Huskies 8-0 in Fortuna. In three games over the past eight days, the Tigers have outscored their […]