Del Norte County Recreation Department

Men’s Lower Division

Tuesday 3/19/2013 High school

7:30pm C.C. Diner & Ice Cream vs Bommelyn & Hartley

8:45pm Cata - Mounts vs Rob’s Barbershop

Thursday 3/21/2013 High school

8:45pm D.R.S vs Little Maldo’s Team

Sunday 3/24/2013 High school

7:30pm Bommelyn & Hartley vs Cata - Mounts

8:45pm Little Maldo’s Team vs C.C. Diner & Ice Cream

Del Norte High track and field athletes stretch out before a recent practice. Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman

High number of track and field participants hope to show results

Del Norte High track and field has enjoyed success in recent years — the girls have won the last three Humboldt-Del Norte League championships — but has struggled with numbers. A core group of approximately 20 participants last season saw its numbers dwindle due to graduation.

So Warriors head coach Samuel Escobar went on a recruiting spree. He approached kids competing in fall and winter sports about joining the track and field team in the spring. He came to an accord with head football coach Ray Rook and head volleyball coach Debbie Lorenzi — football and volleyball players participate in offseason conditioning workouts and also take up track and field disciplines.

When Escobar held his first track and field practice, on Feb. 4, approximately 70 kids showed up at Mike Whalen Field.

“At the first practice, Sam was asking them, ‘So who’s quitting?’” said Jared Ratliff, a volunteer throws coach and mathematics teacher at Del Norte High. “No hands went up. We’ve had next to no attrition.”

The official roster carries 67 names — 35 girls and 32 boys. Fifty-one of the rostered athletes are freshmen and sophomores, the building blocks of any program.

The numbers, in Escobar’s paradigm, are both a blessing and a managerial challenge. He and volunteer assistants Ratliff (throws), George Hartman (distances and high jump), Fred Victor (long and triple jump), Dave Bokor (pole vault), Katie Hunter (distances) and Johnny Rowe (long jump, triple jump, throws) are often spread thin teaching their events to newcomers at practice. Escobar has struggled to come up with enough uniforms for all his athletes.

The Del Norte High junior varsity softball team won two of its three games in pool play of the Cubs Classic junior varsity softball tournament, hosted by Anderson High School at Redding’s Big League Dream Sports Park.

The Warriors (2-2 overall) opened pool play on Thursday morning with a 6-2 victory over host Anderson. Freshman Regin Loftin went 3 for 4 with three singles, scoring two runs in the victory. Sophomore Colleen Markussen earned the win for Del Norte, striking out seven and walking four in a complete-game effort.

The Warriors’ second game, a 14-1, five-inning victory over Oroville High, went a little easier. Hannah Cox went 3 for 4 with three singles, and Sarah Levi and Siera Fitzhugh each hit triples. Levi scored three runs in the rout.

Markussen pitched three perfect innings in the victory, and Fitzhugh pitched the fourth inning in relief. Del Norte did not bat in the fifth inning.

The Del Norte High baseball team was anemic at the plate in 2012, scoring 15 runs in 13 games. The Warriors’ opponents scored 130 runs. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Del Norte High baseball, winless in 2012, aims high and works hard under Travis Johnson

In the spring of 2012, Travis Johnson watched Del Norte High baseball games from the stands.

Johnson, the father of Warriors catcher Josiah Johnson, and other baseball fans did not see a win last season. Del Norte finished 0-13 overall (0-12 Humboldt-Del Norte League) while allowing opponents an average of 10.0 runs per game; the Warriors scored 1.2 runs per game.

“We didn’t really take last year seriously,” said senior Josh Barrega. “The coaches last year didn’t care.”

Head coach Jared Wells resigned following the season. The position was left vacant until Sean Harper accepted the position in January, but Harper resigned three days later.

With less than a week before spring sports were cleared to begin practicing, Johnson threw his name into the ring.

“I wasn’t going to not let them have a season,” he said. “It was time to step up and coach.”

A month later, former players can hardly believe what a difference a year has made.

“Last year, it felt like a chore” to attend practice, junior first baseman/pitcher Luke Seats said. “This year, it’s like we’re getting paid, it feels so good. You can tell, every practice, the guys want to be here and compete.”

Johnson, a longtime youth baseball coach in Del Norte County, came into the position with familiarity of the strengths and weaknesses of the 21 players he now oversees — including Josiah, now a junior. The team has also benefited from a sunny February that allowed for sufficient outdoor practice time. 

Paul MacClanahan and Jessica Long of Santa Clara hold three steelhead caught March 2 on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. Courtesy of Andy Martin / Wild Rivers Fishing

In some Oregon rivers, anglers are already targeting spring-run salmon. 

On top of all that, surfperch fishing has returned to the North Coast.

Smith River

Although many guides took a break during the low, clear conditions on the Smith River the past few weeks, as recent as last week a couple guides were able to get scores ranging from five to nine steelhead per boat, according to guide Phil Desautels. 

Del Norte received almost 3 inches (2.88) of rain from Tuesday morning to Wednesday afternoon, which is expected to make steelhead fishing even better.

“I’m imagining here in the next couple days it should be really good. This could be the last blast for the season,” Desautels said.

The Smith was expected to peak late Wednesday/early today just under 12 feet on the Jed Smith gauge, providing for good plunking conditions Thursday followed by side-drifting flow through the weekend.

Chetco River

The rains blew out the Chetco River, but guide Andy Martin expected the stream to be back in shape by Friday.

The Promote Our Pool Foundation, Crescent City Swim Club and Wild Rivers Coast Masters swim club are hosting an All Comers Swim Meet this Saturday at Fred Endert Municipal Pool.

Wild Rivers Coast Masters swim club director Dan Gray, one of the meet’s organizers, would prefer that people focused on the first two words, rather than the last two.

“People hear the word swim ‘meet’ and some people go, ‘Oh God, I’m not going to compete.’” Gray says. “I don’t use the word ‘compete.’ I use the word ‘participate.’ It’s all about heart and desire more than speed and ability.”

The meet is designed to express support for Endert Pool and encourage people seeking to live a healthy lifestyle to try swimming, Gray said in an e-mail. Children and adults of all ages may participate, and swimmers may bring any equipment necessary for participation.

“We’re very open to snorkels or anything that would enable people to swim,” says Promote Our Pool Foundation director Susan Roberts.

The meet will be as competitive, Roberts says, as its participants decide it will be for them.

“The whole idea is to get out there and have fun,” she says.

Crescent Elk A’s Nigel Hintz looks for a shot between two Mountain Vista (Kelseyville) players. The Cougars won, 55-49, to advance to the AA Division championship game. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

The Crescent Elk A team defeated Fortuna Middle School, 50-32, on Saturday night at Del Norte High School’s Thunen Gymnasium to become AA division champions of the Crescent City Jaycees 45th Annual 8th Grade Basketball Tournament.

Crescent Elk A led 16-11 after the first quarter and picked up its defensive intensity entering the second quarter. The Cougars forced the Spartans into attempting poor shots or turning the ball over, and Crescent Elk A pushed the ball up the floor in transition for easy baskets.

“The whole process of man defense really started to click this weekend,” Crescent Elk head coach John Horner said. “They got after it physically. (Fortuna) had no answers.

“And we shot the ball well. We haven’t shot that well all season.”

The Cougars led 33-18 at the half and never slowed down, outscoring the Spartans 15-5 in the third quarter. Horner played all 10 of his players by the end of the third quarter, and Crescent Elk A allowed large chunks of time to expire during their fourth-quarter possessions.

Dayton Skeen and Parker Thompson each scored 12 points to lead the Cougars. Chee Shorty contributed seven points toward the winning effort, and Jovanni Munoz and Josh Bradley had six points apiece.

Two members of the Del Norte High boys golf team finished among the top 10 placers at the Warriors’ first tournament of the season.

Del Norte finished second out of nine teams at the Humboldt-Del Norte League tournament, held at Redwood Empire Golf & Country Club in Fortuna on Monday morning and hosted by Fortuna High School.

Freshman Kobi Lockwood finished fourth overall with a 7-over-par 79, and senior Anthony Kravitz tied for eighth place with an 11-over 83.

Senior Collin Wakefield and sophomore Conner Rideout recorded identical scores of 90 (18-over). Sophomore Zach Horner (94) and junior Miguel Pelayo (104) also competed for the Warriors.

“Anthony and Coby, I think they’re a little disappointed with their scores,” Del Norte coach Kirk Burrows said. “But a lot can still happen.

Gordi Bros poses with its Del Norte County Recreation Department men’s indoor soccer championship. Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman

Rec league title decided on penalty kicks — with one controversial call 

Did Orvel Gonzalez score on his penalty kick, or didn’t he?

That was the subject of much discussion at the Del Norte County Recreation Department Men’s Indoor Soccer Championships, held Sunday evening at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds’ indoor tennis facility. No. 4 seed Gordi Bros faced No. 6 seed Rob’s Barbershop for the league title.

Gonzalez, Gordi Bros’ goalkeeper, appeared to rattle home the team’s seventh penalty kick attempt off both goalposts before referees Paul Suzuki and Israel Chavez waved it off. 

On Gordi Bros’ next attempt, Fernando Lira found the back of the net to give his team a 2-1 victory (2-1 penalty kicks) over Rob’s Barbershop. Nothing controversial about it.

“He didn’t play in the game; he was always on the bench,” Gordi Bros team captain Efraim Aguilar said of Lira. “He was very confident (lining up for the goal).”

Lira delivered on the eighth penalty kick attempt for Gordi Bros. Rob’s Barbershop Ruben Flores led off the best-of-five penalty kicks with a goal; Gordi Bros’ Juan Pablo Hernandez tied the score on his team’s second attempt. 

The Del Norte High boys tennis team opened its season with a win over St. Bernard’s Catholic High on Saturday morning at Del Norte High School.

The Warriors won two of the three contested singles matches but lost the lone contested doubles match in a 7-2 victory. St. Bernard’s forfeited five matches due to a lack of players.

Blair Westbrook, Del Norte’s No. 1 singles player, defeated Sam Yang of St. Bernard’s in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1. Doug Ovick recorded the Warriors’ second victory on the day by defeating James Lu of the Crusaders, 6-3, 6-1, in the No. 3 singles match.