Del Norte High hosts HDN League Qualifier meet on Thursday

The Del Norte High track and field team took the fourth Humboldt-Del Norte League meet of the season a little easier for one main reason: It could afford to.

With several team members nursing minor injuries, the Warriors sent a smaller squad than normal to Wednesday’s HDN League meet at McKinleyville High School.

“This is a reflection of us having limited kids to specific events,” Warriors head coach Samuel Escobar said. “We have to participate in league meets and we met our obligations.”

Regardless of squad size, Del Norte still made its presence felt. The Warriors varsity boys came in third in the team standings with 68 points, behind Fortuna High (153) and host McKinleyville High (93).

Chad Bell was the lone individual to win an event on Wednesday, notching a personal-best triple jump of 41 feet, 1 inch in the victory. The sophomore also finished second in the long jump (personal-best 20-1) and third in the high jump (5-10).

Senior Dalton Alexandre earned a pair of second-place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles (16.40) and 300-meter hurdles (42.89). Alexandre also finished third to Bell and Fortuna’s Josh Jorgensen in the triple jump (40-0).

Freshman Jesus Lara took fourth place in the 800 (2:12.23) and fifth in the 1,600 (4:49.88).

“He competed with the big boys and held on,” Escobar said of Lara’s performance. “He’s probably going to place in the top six in both events.”

Butch Haynes of the Sacramento area celebrated his 73rd birthday April 18 by catching a hatchery springer on the lower Rogue River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The salmon hit an anchovy fished with a size 4 Hilderbrandt gold blade and size 2 Lazer Sharp round bend treble hook. He fought the king with a Wright & McGill Alaskan Heavy Drifter salmon rod. Courtesy of Andy Martin / Wild Rivers Fishing

Heavy wind keeps boats off the ocean around the Mendocino Management Area

To the north, in-river anglers have been pulling spring salmon from the Rogue River for a couple weeks, but here in Crescent City, all eyes are on the ocean salmon opener on Wednesday, when anglers hope to seize on what is predicted to be another good ocean salmon season.

Crescent City ocean salmon season

The North Coast’s sport ocean salmon season starts Wednesday, May 1, but there’s no telling what the bite will be like until anglers hit the water.

There have been reports of salmon jumping and being accidently caught during commercial bottom fishing — possible indicators of a good salmon season.

Crescent City’s only ocean charter operation, Tally Ho Sportfishing, is not planning on salmon fishing on the opener, but Captain Craig Strickhouser said if enough folks ask him to go out salmon fishing, he’ll arrange a trip.  

The ocean sport season lasts from May 1 to Sept. 8, with a two-salmon (not including coho) per day limit and a Chinook minimum size limit of 20 inches.

Plenty of Crescent City anglers have been gearing up for the ocean salmon season, according to folks at Englund Marine, who said that the ocean salmon interest indicates that there may be a formidable sport salmon fleet, which makes it easier to find the schools of fish.

Del Norte High junior Aaron Fitch went 2 for 2 with a triple, a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in the Warriors’ 5-3 loss to Eureka High on Wednesday night in Eureka. Del Norte Triplicate / Rick Postal

Three times, the Warriors gave up the lead.

The last time, they gave up the game along with it.

The Loggers scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and retired Del Norte in order in the top of the seventh in a 5-3 victory at Eureka High School.

Aaron Fitch was the losing pitcher for the Warriors (5-8 overall, 1-3 HDN Big 5) in his first start of the season. The junior allowed four runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking six batters and hitting one while striking out three. Luke Seats relieved Fitch for the final 2/3 of an inning.

While Fitch ran into trouble on the mound, he excelled at the plate. 

His double in the first inning plated Chris Bray for the game’s first run. His triple in the fourth inning allowed Nathan Porter to score and give Del Norte a 2-1 lead.

Fitch was picked off third base by the Loggers after his triple, in the third of three such instances that took place for the Warriors. Eureka (8-8, 3-1 HDN Big 5) quashed the Del Norte rally and parlayed a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning into a 3-2 lead.

Smedley hits grand slam, but Del Norte softball loses Wed.

The Del Norte High softball team lost to Eureka High, 6-4, in a Humboldt-Del Norte Big 5 League contest at Eureka High School on Wednesday afternoon.

The Loggers (10-5-1 overall, 4-0 HDN Big 5) took an early 6-0 lead before Warriors junior Ashton Smedley hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, the first by a Del Norte player this season (and the team’s third home run). 

However, the Warriors’ offense was unable to generate any more runs in the final two innings.

Camryn Ridgley threw a complete game as the losing pitcher for Del Norte, which saw its HDN Big 5 record drop to 2-2 (6-9-1 overall). 

The Warriors will face Arcata High in a Saturday doubleheader at Arcata High School, beginning at 11 a.m.

Kobie Lockwood prepares to drive his ball at the eighth hole of Del Norte Golf Course during Monday’s Humboldt-Del Norte League tournament. The Del Norte High freshman won the individual championship (72, 1-over) by two strokes. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Each Del Norte golfer cards a round of 90 or better, led by Kobie Lockwood’s 72

A true team effort lifted the Del Norte High boys golf team to third place in Monday’s Humboldt-Del Norte League golf tournament at Del Norte Golf Course.

Warriors freshman Kobie Lockwood earned medalist honors with a 1-over-par 72, but the other six members of the Del Norte squad all shot 90 or better on a sunny, breezy day.

“Best scores of the year,” Warriors coach Kirk Burrows said. “Great improvement. That was kind of the magic mark, 90. Everybody’s doing a good job.” 

In all, Del Norte tallied a combined stroke total of 424, trailing team champion Eureka (389 strokes) and tournament runner-up McKinleyville (422).

Lockwood took the individual championship by two strokes over Houston Knox of St. Bernard’s Catholic High (74) and three over Ferndale High’s Terris Becker (75). His combined placement total of 16 through six HDN League tournaments is 10 better than that of Eureka High’s Aaron Russell, Lockwood’s closest competitor in the league standings.

“I hit my irons really good (Monday), which let me hit greens in regulation,” Lockwood said.

His round could have been even better. 

Del Norte sophomore Jonathan Calderon, left, struck out four McKinleyville batters and did not issue a walk in an 8-2 loss in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader to the Panthers. Del Norte Triplicate / Rick Postal

McKinleyville takes advantage of Warrior errors to sweep doubleheader

The Del Norte High baseball team employs a pair of colorful visual metaphors to demonstrate the power of momentum.

Offensively, hitting begets hitting begets more hitting — picture a big white snowball rolling down a hill, picking up mass as it goes. Conversely, pitching and defensive errors metastasize in similar fashion — a big yellow snowball rolling down a hill.

McKinleyville High swept the Warriors, 8-2 and 7-2, in a Saturday doubleheader at Del Norte High School. The weather report: Sunny, clear skies, gusts of wind and a blizzard of yellow snow.

“I’m just kind of in shock right now,” Del Norte head coach Travis Johnson said. “Mentally, we did not show up.”

The Warriors (5-7 overall, 1-2 Humboldt-Del Norte Big 5 League) committed nine errors combined against the Panthers (7-7, 3-2 HDN League) and made mistakes along the basepaths that exacerbated matters.

Del Norte took an early 1-0 lead in the first game when sophomore Steven Maready laid down a suicide squeeze bunt to bring senior Ryan Gomes home in the third inning.

In the fourth, Gomes dropped a ball hit by McKinleyville’s McLean Johnson to him in right field with a runner on. That runner scored, and Johnson advanced to third base on the error. The Panthers scored Johnson and Parker Farris to take a 3-1 lead.

Three days after a heartbreaking, extra-inning loss to Fortuna High, the Del Norte High softball team swept McKinleyville High in a Saturday doubleheader at Del Norte High School.

The Warriors won the first game, 6-4, and the second game, 7-1, to improve to 6-8-1 overall (2-1 Humboldt-Del Norte Big 5 League). The Panthers slipped to 4-12 overall (0-5 Big 5).

Del Norte head coach Tom Moore and assistant coach Rick White credited the Warriors with an improved defensive effort, after several late mistakes led to the Huskies’ victory in Del Norte’s league opener.

“They played small ball at the start, and all their runs came on that,” White said of McKinleyville. “Once we took that away, they didn’t have an answer.”

Freshman Shauna Naffah and the Del Norte High girls 4x400-meter relay team finished second at the Prefontaine Rotary Invitational in Coos Bay, Ore., on Saturday. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

The meet, hosted by Marshfield High in Coos Bay, Ore., is named after the late Marshfield High and University of Oregon distance star Steve Prefontaine. The meet featured 24 schools from across Oregon and Washington, in addition to Del Norte High.

Senior Katelynn Rowe set a personal best at 400 meters in one of the most impressive performances by a Warrior athlete, clocking 59.46 and winning by more than two seconds.

“She’s someone at the college level who’s going to develop into a hell of a 400 runner,” Escobar said. “She’s strong and she’s agile and she’s powerful.”

Sophomore Kayla Costello and Rowe finished 1-2 in the 300-meter hurdles. Costello clocked 47.59 in the race, with Rowe on her heels in 47.71.

“Both kids went back and forth the entire race,” Escobar said. “Good one to watch.”

Costello, Rowe and freshmen Rachel Rowe and Maddie Critz joined forces to finish second in the girls’ 4x100-meter relay, crossing the line in 51.57.

The girls’ 4x400-meter relay team needed a pair of runners to step up, and freshman Shauna Naffah and junior Guadalupe Gonzalez filled in admirably. Naffah, Gonzalez, Rachel Rowe and Costello came in second in 4:31.46.

Del Norte High sophomore Alec Westbrook, right, returns a shot from Eureka’s Max Bass and Josh Hancock as his brother and doubles partner, Warriors senior Blair Westbrook, looks on during the Humboldt-Del Norte League Doubles Championships, held Friday at Del Norte High School. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Del Norte doubles teams win 4 matches

Two strong performances gave Del Norte High tennis players Blair Westbrook and Alec Westbrook White Star honors at the Humboldt-Del Norte League Doubles Championships, held Friday afternoon at Del Norte High School.

Only the league championship eluded their grasp.

Max Bass and Josh Hancock of Eureka High defeated the Westbrook brothers, 6-2, 6-1, to claim the No. 1 doubles title Friday. After losing the first two games, Bass and Hancock won 10 straight to build a commanding lead in the match.

Blair Westbrook, a senior participating in his last match as a Warrior, called making the finals “the goal throughout the season.” 

“I was very happy with the way we played,” he said. “That was a lot of tennis. We got out for our third (match of the day) and, quite frankly, we were a little worn out. They’re a very good team.”

“I’m glad that Blair got a White Star,” said Alec Westbrook, a sophomore. 

Sam Yang and Fleming Cen of St. Bernard’s Catholic High kept it close in the first round before the Westbrooks pulled away with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory. To make the finals, the Westbrooks survived a three-set challenge from Fortuna High’s John Gearhart and Jack Roval, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.

Seniors Doug Ovick and Daniel Quick, the Warriors’ No. 2 doubles team, defeated McKinleyville High’s William Whitehead and Josh Sandige, 6-1, 6-4, in their first round match. 

Jonathon Martinez (right) and the Del Norte High freshman/sophomore boys won the Humboldt-Del Norte League track and field meet at Fortuna High School Wednesday. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

The Del Norte freshman/sophomore boys accrued 151.5 points, beating Fortuna’s 99.5. In the girls team race, Arcata High captured the team title with 181.5 points to Del Norte’s 99.6.

Fortuna’s 120 team points were sufficient to claim the boys varsity title, ahead of McKinleyville High’s 102 points and Del Norte’s 93.

Nine individual Warriors and two relay teams won event titles at the meet. The girls 4x100-meter relay team of Maddie Critz, Rachel Rowe, Kayla Costello and Katelynn Rowe won that event in 51.95 seconds, as did the freshman/sophomore boys 4x100-meter relay team of Cameron Cain, Samuel Aragones, Jonathan Valladares and Anthony Jackson (50.71 seconds).

The lone member of the Del Norte girls team to win an individual title was freshman Joely Tynes in the triple jump (30 feet, 4.75 inches). Tynes also joined up with Rachel Rowe, Costello and Katelynn Rowe in Del Norte’s 4x400 relay, which finished second in 4:24.64.

Katelynn Rowe recorded a pair of runner-up finishes for the Warriors in the 200 (27.03) and the 100 hurdles (16.75). Costello was the 300 hurdles runner-up (47.93) and the 100 hurdles third-place finisher (16.82). Kaitlyn Clemann took second place in the high jump (4-8), fifth in the 100 hurdles (17.35) and fifth in the triple jump (29-3).