When this old Warrior returned to Del Norte High School as an athletic director, dean of students and football coach in September 1980, an outstanding young lady was also starting her Warrior career.

Leslie Epperson — daughter of Kathleen Anderson, who became an outstanding Warrior volleyball coach working with Debbie Musch Lorenzi — started what would become an outstanding career on the volleyball and basketball courts.

As a freshman she became a vital part of the Warrior JV team that went undefeated, under the leadership of Debbie Musch, as she was known then. Debbie at that time was coaching her last year at the JV level before moving up to varsity the next year, following the retirement of Sharon Wold, who had gotten the volleyball program at Del Norte going.

Warrior fans will always cherish the 21 straight Humboldt/Del Norte League volleyball championships run that started under Debbie’s leadership.

As a sophomore, Leslie was a starter on the JV team and received the leadership award for her outstanding contributions.

As a junior playing on the 1982 volleyball team, she was a part of the Warriors first-ever HDN volleyball championship.

As a senior, Leslie continued her outstanding play and was rewarded with First Team All Humboldt Del Norte League honors.

Bob Devine of Sacramento recently caught this 10-pound steelhead from the Chetco River with fishing guide Albert Kutzkey. Courtesy of Kutzkey Guide Services

Chetco River

Since Jan. 1, the Brookings area has only received 6.63 inches of rain — way below the 18.21 inches normal for that time period.

“We need rain pretty bad. It’s still low, low, low,” Kutzkey said.

Rain on Monday and Tuesday brought less than half-inch of water to the Chetco River area, but even that little bit helped, Kutzkey said, as chrome-bright steelhead covered in sea lice (signs of being fresh from the ocean) were caught after the rain.

It’s still possible to catch two to three steelhead holding in deeper holes, but if the fishing pressure is high, the fish are scarce, Kutzkey said.

Kutkzey is still side-drifting roe, but with smaller presentations in the clearer water, as steelhead get pickier in low, clear conditions. Some anglers have switched to plugs, Kutzkey said.

“We’re just waiting for rain. I think we’ll finish the season OK if we just get a little more rain,” Kutzkey said.

Smith River

Fishing guide Jim Mitchell spotted several pods of steelhead, with five to 20 fish each, throughout the Smith River on Sunday, but the catching was slow going.

Del Norte High will graduate five seniors from its 2012–13 boys basketball roster, including leading scorer Sean DeArman and starting guard Doug Ovick. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

The Humboldt-Del Norte Big 5 League enjoyed a banner year — three teams qualified for the North Coast Section playoffs — but the younger, shorter Del Norte Warriors of 2012–13 were left on the oustide looking in.

The Warriors went 2-6 in HDN League play (7-13 overall), ahead of only Eureka High School in the final standings, as they searched for consistent production and effort on a game-to-game basis.

“I do think that we improved,” Del Norte coach Blaine Lopez said. “Obviously we were competitive in most games. We were young, and you know, I think we usually found a way to lose instead of finding a way to win.”

Senior Sean DeArman, the Warriors’ tallest player at 6-foot-4, led the team in scoring in his only season as a Del Norte basketball player. Sophomore guards Josh Gruden and Steven Maready grew over time as the Warriors’ starting backcourt.

Senior Doug Ovick, one of the team’s best defensive players, and junior post Aaron Fitch also started for Del Norte.

Juniors Jesus Herrera and Dylan Pease were the primary backups at the guard positions, with senior Blair Westbrook and sophomore Brandon Japp providing depth in the post. Seniors Raul Zepeda and Jacob Dorosz and junior Jordan Carpenter rounded out the roster.

Lopez said that the seniors provided leadership by example for the younger players.

Six members of the Del Norte High wrestling team will be competing at the California Interscholastic Federation Boys Wrestling championships, held Friday and Saturday in Newark.

Skiler Haddad (126 pounds), Robert Boulby (145), Hawk Mattz (152), Eric Turner (160), David Plechaty (195) and Cristian Puente (heavyweight) — all juniors — will represent Del Norte at sectionals. Boulby and Mattz won Humboldt-Del Norte League championships at their respective weight classes on Feb. 16.

CR playing for WBB championship 

The College of the Redwoods women’s basketball team hosts College of the Siskiyous Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with a share of the Golden Valley Conference championship on the line. 

The two community college programs matched up earlier this season, with Siskiyous defeating Redwoods, 87-58, in Weed on Jan. 17. The Eagles have a 19-5 overall record and a 7-2 conference record; the Corsairs have a 13-11 record (6-3 GVC). Should Redwoods defeat Siskiyous in Eureka on

Del Norte High junior Hawk Mattz, above, attempts to submit Fortuna’s Dallas Letterman during the 152-pound championship match at the Humboldt-Del Norte League Wrestling Championships, held Saturday at Eureka High School in Eureka. Mattz won in a 9-7 decision. Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman

“I feel like it’s finally paying off, all the time we put in,” Del Norte junior Robert Boulby said.

Boulby, at 145 pounds, and junior Hawk Mattz (152 pounds) each won their second consecutive HDN championship as the Warriors finished third as a team. McKinleyville High won the team championship, with Eureka High coming in second place. (Point totals were unavailable at press time.)

“It’s not really a bad day,” Del Norte coach Aaron Schaad said. “There are a couple matches I wish we could’ve won, but it just happens. We won some that were pretty close, too.”

Juniors Skiler Haddad (126 pounds), Eric Turner (160), David Plechaty (195) and Cristian Puente (heavyweight) also qualified for the NCS Boys Wrestling Championships by finishing second or third in their respective weight classes. The NCS championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Newark Memorial High School in Newark. In all, six of the 11 Del Norte wrestlers that competed Saturday advanced to sectional competition. (The Warriors did not have wrestlers at 170, 182, and 220 pounds.)

Boulby fell behind early against McKinleyville’s David Poston in the 145-pound final, trailing 2-1 after two rounds. He executed a successful reversal on Poston at the 4:30 mark of the match, eventually winning 5-2.

“The last time I wrestled (Poston) he threw me,” Boulby said. “I kept my hips back so he wouldn’t (grab them and) throw me.”

Mattz also fell behind to his championship-round opponent, Dallas Letterman of Fortuna High, but stormed ahead with a takedown and three hold-down points for a 9-4 lead after two periods. Mattz eventually won the match, 9-7.

Del Norte High junior Hawk Mattz, a Humboldt-Del Norte League champion wrestler in 2012, will compete in the 154-pound weight class at the HDN League Championships today at Eureka High School. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson

Eleven Del Norte wrestlers will compete at the HDN League Championships today

All season long, the Del Norte High wrestling team has fought uphill battles together. The Warriors have generally come out stronger for it. 

The Humboldt-Del Norte League wrestling championships, held today at Eureka High School in Eureka, represent a final exam of sorts for Del Norte.

“This is why we did all the work,” Warriors coach Aaron Schaad says.

Wrestlers are pitted in an eight-man bracket at each weight class, requiring three consecutive wins to become individual champion. Those who finish in the top three at their respective weight classes automatically qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation North Coast Section Wrestling Championships, held Feb. 22–23 in San Ramon.

Del Norte is gunning for its third straight HDN team championship and the fourth in five years with a lineup that has been decimated at times by injuries, illness and attrition.

Seven of the 11 athletes representing the Warriors in Eureka will be juniors; Del Norte’s lineup also consists of two sophomores (Kaleb Hurley at 134 pounds, Nicole Mattz at 108) and two freshmen (Justin Schrader at 115 pounds, Wyatt Duncan at 122).

Phil Barker of the Bay Area holds a wild steelhead he caught and released Feb. 2 while fishing the Sixes River in southern Oregon with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. Courtesy of Andy Martin / Wild Rivers Fishing

Harbor herring

Quick! Grab a light rod, a cooler and a handful of sabiki rigs, then wet a line, because the Pacific herring run in Crescent City Harbor doesn’t last for long.

Anglers have just started to pull out a few herring, but the run has yet to reach red-hot status, according to staff at Englund Marine.  Like in years past, however, the run should pick up, and fishermen will soon enough be catching a few at a time. 

To catch Pacific herring, anglers typically use Sabiki rigs, long pieces of line with six small hooks that can be purchased from local tackle shops. With Sabiki rigs, a light action rod, and a few small pieces of lead (usually half-ounce is plenty), you will be pulling out herring by the handful in no time.

To store the caught herring, dump a 3- to 4-inch layer of ice in the bottom of an ice chest or bucket, then sprinkle a liberal layer of non-iodized salt. Repeat the ice/salt layers until the cooler or bucket is full. The ice/salt slurry will kill the herring as soon as they are tossed in and keep them fresh until they are canned, or vacuum-sealed for future use.

A fishing license is not needed when fishing for herring from public docks: B Street Pier and Citizens Dock.  

High school football never stops.

Del Norte High head coach Ray Rook has spent the time between the end of the 2012 season and spring practice — what was once known as the offseason — visiting with coaches at Oregon and California high schools and getting the Warriors’ football house in order in preparation for spring practices.

That includes hiring four new staff members to replace three departing coaches.

Danny Forkner, Michael Dixon, Scott Skerik and John Maready have been added to the Del Norte High staff. Dixon will act as the Warriors’ strength and conditioning coach; the roles of Forkner, Skerik and Maready have yet to be defined.

Forkner, Dixon and Skerik coached the Del Norte Youth Football A Gold team to an undefeated season and Six Rivers Youth Football Conference championship this fall. Del Norte Youth Football borrows terminology and plays from the high school team so that players are brought up in a system.

“The great thing they can bring to the staff is the want to gain knowledge of what it takes to be successful in high school (football),” Rook said. “Loving the work and knowing what it takes to be done. To me it’s key, to have staff willing to put in the extra work.”

Offensive coordinator Chris White, offensive line/linebackers coach Nick White and defensive coordinator Fritz Baldwin were not retained. Baldwin had assisted the Warriors for 15 years.

Jeremy Lacy, Gene Mitchell, Darren Lafazio, Rod Shellabarger, Nick Watson and Kenny Price will remain on staff in 2013, Rook said. Lacy, Mitchell and Lafazio will assume coordinator roles; Price is expected to remain special teams coach.

Community members across Del Norte county came together to keep the memory of an educator alive in their hearts and minds.

Twenty-two middle-school basketball teams converged on gyms across Del Norte County on Friday and Saturday for the 1st Annual Eric Epperson Memorial Classic, named after the late physical education teacher at Crescent Elk Middle School. 

Team entry fees were donated to the Eric Epperson Memorial Scholarship fund. Gate fees were waived; referees, clock operators, scorekeepers and snack vendors volunteered their time.

Jason Costello, the scholarship fund’s founder and a lifelong friend of Epperson, announced at Saturday night’s award ceremony that three scholarships of $1,000 apiece will be awarded at the end of the academic year. The fund awarded a single $800 scholarship last year.

That announcement truly capped off the event.

“Everything went extremely smoothly because of all the volunteer help,” tournament organizer John Horner said. “Everybody pitched in to make sure it went well. All the out-of-town folks had a good time.”

Those from Humboldt County who had known Epperson spoke fondly of him.

“He was a great guy,” said Carlos Avelar, head coach of the Sunny Brae Middle School (Arcata) eighth-grade team. “One of my favorite opposing coaches. He was a gentleman, a fair man. A fun guy to coach against and have as a friend. I was totally shocked when (he passed away).”

Avelar said that, to add the Epperson Classic to Sunny Brae’s schedule, he was forced to cancel a tournament for seventh-grade teams in Arcata that was entering its 28th year.

Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman

Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman

Del Norte Triplicate / Robert Husseman