Del Norte High third baseman Marissa Van Dyke secures the ball as Fortuna High’s Kait Sigler slides into third base. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Del Norte loses three-run lead, falls in eighth to Fortuna in HDN League opener

The Del Norte High softball team looked to have things under control when sophomore Colleen Markussen stepped into the pitcher’s circle in the fifth inning Wednesday evening at Del Norte High School.

Warriors starting pitcher Camryn Ridgley no-hit Fortuna High through the game’s first four innings, striking out three. The Del Norte bats were coming around on Huskies starter Morgan Harwood’s pitches, and the Warriors held a 3-0 lead and all imaginable momentum.

Ultimately, what Del Norte had, it could not sustain.

Fortuna tagged Markussen for three runs in the fifth inning, then capitalized on defensive errors by the Warriors in extra innings to win, 6-3, in eight innings.

The Huskies improved to 10-3 overall (3-0 Humboldt-Del Norte League) with the victory. Del Norte dropped to 4-8-1 overall and 0-1 in HDN play.

“It’s a loss, but I’ll take it,” Warriors head coach Tom Moore said. “We played eight innings of ball against a damn good team. Not bad.”

Harwood, a sophomore, went the distance for Fortuna, allowing eight hits to Warriors batters while striking out 10. Markussen allowed five hits and six runs (two earned) in absorbing the loss.

“That was a battle between three strong pitchers right there,” Moore said.

Del Norte High’s Maddie Critz (second from left), Kaitlyn Clemann (center) and Kayla Costello (second from right) recorded a combined nine event finishes of fifth place or better, with three event wins, at the John Frank Invite track and field meet in Shasta Lake on Saturday. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

The site of the John Frank Invitational track and field meet, held on April 13, is not exactly a world away for the Warriors track and field team, but it’s enough distance for the athletes from Del Norte to leave an impression.

“The biggest compliment we got was, ‘Wow! Where’s this Del Norte place?’” Warriors head coach Samuel Escobar said. “I think we educated a few people based on the performances the kids showed.”

The 22 kids from Del Norte making the trip, veterans and greenhorns alike, also gained a better sense of what kind of athletes are competing in high school track.

“We saw some astounding performances,” Escobar said. “Kids were amazed when they see some kid from some other school running a 10.4 (-second) 100 or a sub-22 (-second) 200. It’s kind of cool to see some kids amazed by what’s out there.”

The seven representatives of the Del Norte High girls team put themselves up with the best of the meet.

The Warriors finished fifth among all schools at the varsity level with 45 points and second at the junior varsity level (freshman and sophomores) with 76 points. Meet host West Valley won the varsity team competition (106.33 points); Enterprise High of Redding took first place in the junior varsity competition (128).

“(Del Norte was) competing against schools with larger populations and a lot more depth,” Escobar said. “That’s amazing.”

The Del Norte High baseball team won its first Humboldt-Del Norte League game in nearly two years Wednesday against Fortuna High.

And the Warriors did it in style.

Luke Seats pitched a complete-game two-hitter and singled in the final two runs of the game in a 10-0, six-inning victory over the Huskies at Del Norte High School.

The Warriors (5-5 overall, 1-0 HDN League) defeated Fortuna (7-4, 1-2 HDN League) 14-3 on May 4, 2011, Del Norte’s last victory in an HDN League game.

Seats struck out two and walked six in his six innings pitched. He induced 13 flyouts and two groundouts in preventing any Huskies
baserunners from crossing home plate.

“He had a couple moments where I was close to making the switch and he got out of both of them,” Del Norte head coach Travis Johnson said.

The Warriors’ outfielders, dealing with consistent gusts of wind, handled fly balls without issue, impressing the coaching staff.

“They played that wind like it was no big deal at all,” Johnson said. “They judged the ball beautifully.”

Del Norte scored three runs in the first inning to set the tone early. Josiah Johnson hit an RBI single, Nathan Porter scored on a wild pitch and Ryan Gomes’ walk with the bases loaded plated Aaron Fitch.

Del Norte High senior Blair Westbrook, the Warriors’ No. 1 singles player, went 1-1 in the Humboldt-Del Norte Boys Tennis Singles Championships, held Saturday at Del Norte High School. Westbrook lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Pedro Morandi of Fortuna. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Del Norte’s No. 1 singles player, senior Blair Westbrook, survived a three-set opening match against St. Bernard’s Catholic High’s Sam Yang, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Westbrook then played Fortuna’s Pedro Morandi and was defeated, 6-0, 6-0.

Morandi, a foreign exchange student from Brazil with an undefeated record in HDN League play, defeated Eureka’s Max Bass, 6-1, 6-3, to win the HDN No. 1 singles title.

Westbrook’s brother, sophomore Alec Westbrook, bested Arcata’s Hayden Parker, 7-5, 7-5, in the first round of the No. 2 singles bracket. 

In the next round, however, Eureka’s Josh Hancock ousted Westbrook, 6-1, 6-2. Hancock defeated Fortuna’s John Gearhart in the championship match.

Warriors senior Doug Ovick took out James Lu of St. Bernard’s, 6-2, 6-0, in the No. 3 singles first round. Ovick was stopped by Fortuna’s Jack Roval, 7-5, 6-1, in his semifinal match. Roval then forfeited the championship match to Eureka’s Andy Kime for undisclosed reasons.

Tsunami Siren Andrea “Demo-Licious” McCovey receives medical attention for a bloody nose during Saturday’s bout against the Jefferson State Maidens of Mayhem. Del Norte Triplicate / Jessica Cejnar

Yet on Saturday, McCovey, known in the derby world as “Demo-Licious,” laced up her skates for her first home bout ever — and took an elbow in the face.

“I feel like I did good minus the broken nose,” she said, blood oozing out of her right nostril. “I heard a crunch and I thought that’s what it was. But they said there would have been more blood if it was (broken).”

With her friends and family watching, McCovey said she felt nervous, almost as if she were still “fresh meat” (a term for rookies) trying to muscle her way through an opposing team for the first time ever. And she wasn’t alone.

It was also veteran skater Skylar “Stormy Seize” Bieraugel’s first home bout since the team formed. She, McCovey and five other skaters made their debut as the Tsunami Sirens took on the Jefferson State Maidens of Mayhem from Yreka.

The competition was fierce, with several Sirens winding up in the penalty box. At one point during the bout, only one Crescent City skater was left to keep the other side from scoring before enough teammates were free to help her.

“That’s typical for new skaters,” said the coach, Jack “Old Xchool” Gollaher. “We don’t expect (veterans) to be in a lot of trouble.”

The Tsunami Sirens roller derby team face the Jefferson State Maidens of Mayhem in a bout Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Two of the new skaters are nonetheless familiar faces.

One of the Sirens’ founders, Skylar “Stormy Seize” Renwick, and one of the Sirens’ first recruited skaters, Andrea “Demo-Licious Drea” McCovey, will participate in the Sirens’ bout Saturday at 6 p.m. against the Jefferson State Maidens of Mayhem in Yreka. The bout will take place at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds’ main building. 

Renwick broke her left leg on January 11, 2011 and was forced to stay off it for three months. As she prepared to rejoin the team, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son in July 2012. She participated in two bouts with the Sirens before her injury and pregnancy. 

Nonetheless, the pull of the flat track was irresistible. 

The College of the Redwoods in Eureka announced Wednesday the return of the Corsairs’ baseball program, which will resume play in the spring of 2014.

“We are pleased to bring back our baseball team which has had a proud record dating back 46 years,” CR athletic director Joe Hash said in a media release. “CR has had a significant number of community members express an interest in fundraising to help the college maintain a sustainable program. We will be working with them to do that.”

College of the Redwoods suspended the program two years ago due to budgetary concerns. Bob Brown, who coached the Corsairs for 13 seasons prior to the program’s suspension, will return as head coach.

Prospective student-athletes interested in playing baseball are encouraged to call Bob Brown at 707-476-4239 or email him at  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Del Norte High boys tennis team tuned up for its big event today by winning a match at McKinleyville on Thursday.

The Warriors host the Humboldt-Del Norte League singles finals at the high school today, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

At McKinleyville, No. 2 singles player Alec Westbrook of the Warriors defeated Will Clark 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3.

Del Norte’s Doug Ovick defeated Josh Sandrige 6-2, 6-1 in No. 3 singles; Cameron Douglas beat William Whitehead 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in No. 4 singles and Daniel Quick defeated Peter Oliver 6-4, 6-2 in No. 5 singles.

The Warriors’ No. 1 singles player, Blair Westbrook, lost to Nick Thomas 6-7 (4-7), 5-7.

Del Norte lost a match Tuesday at Fortuna, with its only victory coming from Ovick, who won his No. 3 singles match 6-2, 6-3.

With steelhead season mostly wrapped up besides a few die-hard anglers on the Smith and Klamath rivers, it’s time to start thinking about salmon: spring salmon in the Rogue River and ocean salmon out of Crescent City and Eureka starting May 1.

Smith steelhead roundup

Drought-like conditions for most of 2013 did not prevent anglers from having a relatively stable and hardy steelhead season on the Smith River.

In February, during the 31st Annual Steelhead Chopper Derby, put on by the Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery, 28 fish for a total of 772 inches were caught on the Smith while 39 fish for a total of 1077 inches were caught on the Chetco River.

First place: Kurt Miller and Jason Bravo/Jaytuk Steinruck of Smith River with fishing guide Jim Bansemer; and Troy and Tyler Travis of Smith River with fishing guide Phil Desaultels. Thirteen fish for 354 inches in total length.

Second place: Robert Forkner of Modesto and Tommy Chew of Klamath with fishing guide Mike Coopman; and Nick Angeli and Eric Schweikl of Cloverdale with fishing guide Kim Hagen. Ten fish for 240 inches.

Third place: Marc Mondavi of St. Helena and Jeff Richardson of Santa Rosa with guide Val Early; and Ronnie Richardson of Cloverdale and Nate George of St. Helena with guide Frank Duarte. Eight fish for 230 inches.

Biggest fish: Sally Tanner of Ferndale with a 36.5-inch steelhead taken from the Chetco.

Top rod award (most fish):  Greg Gerhardt of Reno (with guide Willie Plunkett)  nabbed five steelhead.