The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: Sports

  • Humboldt State more like humble state

    Humboldt State more like humble state

    The Lumberjacks football team looked poised for a big push to the playoffs Saturday night at the Redwood Bowl, dismantling the Chadron State Eagles 56-13.

    HSU came out with their chainsaws roaring, when Senior quarterback Robert Webber connected with his No. 1 target, junior wide out John Todd for a beautiful 37-yard catch that set up sophomore running back Jamar Byrd for the first score of the game from the 2-yard line. The team would not look back.

    Todd wants the whole team to get credit for the way they’ve started this season but wants them to remain focused on a week-to-week basis.

    “We all deserve credit,” Todd said. “We work our butts off. Winning is just like a trophy for that but we’re gonna take it step by step. We got a big game with Central Washington next week.” Todd finished the game with two receptions for 123 yards and a score.

    The 1-2 punch of All-American senior tailback, Ja’Quan Gardner and sophomore tailback Jabar Byrd, was on full display. Each back gave the Eagles defense fits, combining for three scores. A big part of the running games success was the performance of the offensive line who were constantly opening holes for the two backs throughout the game.

    Gardner is off to his best start statistically since he was runner up for the Harlan Hill trophy in 2015 and while that is in the back of his mind, he’s more worried about helping his team win.

    “You wanna try to take it game by game, prepare for each game, give it your best every game,” Gardner said. “That’s not really on my mind but it would be cool to win.”

    Gardner lead the team in rushing with 135-yards and a touchdown and Byrd added a career high two scores of his own. Senior quarterback Robert Webber had a near flawless game, throwing for 338-yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

    The offense showed up as usual with 525-yards of total offense but the defense stepped up big time, taking the ball away from the Eagles seven times. The Jacks shut out the Eagles in the final 30 minutes and picked off Chadron’s quarterback five times.

    Davaeon Johnson had a night to remember with a team high three picks off Eagles QB Dalton Holst. On one play, Johnson picked off Holst and ran the ball back 48-yards for an electrifying Jacks touchdown less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Johnson’s three interceptions tied a Great Northwest Athletic Conference single-game record.

    Jacks head coach Rob Smith is proud of his defense for stepping up and taking care of business against a Chadron team that had scored 73 points in the previous game.

    “It’s just doing your job,” Smith said. “It’s trusting the guy next to you to do his job. Everybody wants magic answers and there’s no magic to it. Its guys playing hard and guys doing their job.”

    The Jacks go into this week ranked No. 17 in the nation and are traveling for a tough conference showdown against the No. 13 ranked Central Washington University Wildcats (5-0) Saturday.

    The Wildcats are coming off a 62-0 stomping of Simon Fraser on Saturday in which they held the Simon Fraser offense to just 26-yards on the day. The Jacks defeated Simon Fraser earlier this season 72-14.

    The two powerhouse teams should provide some fireworks in this match-up. The game can be seen via live-stream at the Humboldt State athletics website. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Central Washington’s Tomlinson Stadium.

     

  • Jacks split weekend at College Creek Field

    Jacks split weekend at College Creek Field

    By | Keaundrey Clark

    Humboldt State’s women’s soccer team had an up and down weekend at home, as the team split a pair of conference games.

    Humboldt State’s women’s soccer team captured its first victory and points against Chico State since 2012 with a 2-1 win on Friday afternoon, at College Creek Field.

    “Everybody that went into the game impacted it in a very positive way,” said HSU Head Coach Paul Karver. “It felt like every time we made subs we were able to come at them in waves.”

    Jenkins led the Jacks with seven shots, three on goal, and one goal this weekend.

    HSU keeper Katelin Talbert made eight saves on the weekend.

    Sunday afternoon at home, they fell to the visiting Stanislaus State Warriors by the final score of 2-0.

    The Jacks record now stands at 5-4-1, 1-3-1 in conference.

    The team will now turn its attention to a pair of CCAA matchups next weekend, Friday at Cal Poly Pomona at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at Cal State San Bernardino at 2 p.m.

  • WOTS: How do you feel about Trump’s comments on NFL players kneeling?

    WOTS: How do you feel about Trump’s comments on NFL players kneeling?

    By | Bryan Donoghue

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    Abraham Neri, Freshman philosophy major.

    “They should have the right to any freedom of expression. I understand where the players are coming from, and I respect what they’re doing. As far as his Presidency, it goes to show how a white man with power and money by instigating oppression and diminishing the value of our first amendment.”

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    Noah Gladstone Brookman, Kinesiology/Spanish, Senior

    “F*ck Donald Trump. F*ck the national anthem. I think the players need to be treated better in terms of equality. It comes down to the fact its not about football, it’s about politics and race. There’s other sh*t going on. I think the national anthem is overused, I don’t think it should be as big a deal as it is. There’s definitely a division and it’s creating more division between the population.”

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    Emily Lopez, Anthropology, Freshman

    “Because it was a black person who went against him, Trump reacted. People didn’t care about that. It was a black man kneeling, if they were white, who knows? They felt like their people were being oppressed, they weren’t going against him.”

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    Angel Orellana, Criminology, Junior

    “Trump is a piece of shit, first of all. At the same time, I don’t feel those people sitting down goes against patriots. When they sit down for the national anthem, I don’t see it as disrespect. I feel they’re trying to bring to light the issues in America right now.”

  • Jacks Pass

    Jacks Pass

    By Keaundrey Clark

    Women’s Soccer

    Humboldt State improved its record to 4-3-1 with a dominant victory in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Benedictine at Mesa.

    “I think that Benedictine was well-organized and came out high energy, and our girls did a really good job of absorbing that energy by possessing the ball,” said Head Coach Paul Karver.

    Erin Siegal, Jacquelyn Dompier, Rose Harman and Lindsay Stoner all scored for the Jacks.

    The Jacks will return to CCAA action against Chico State at home on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and follow that with a Sunday, 11:30 a.m. contest versus Stanislaus State also at College Creek Field.

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    Men’s Soccer

    Humboldt State improved to 6-1 with a late penalty kick from Mumbi Kwesele to defeat Sonoma State Seawolves 3-2, at College Creek field Sunday afternoon.

    Freshman Ethan Waters put the Jacks up 2-0 with two goals before the five minute mark.

    The team, now 3-0 in conference play, will next turn its attention to home contests this weekend with Chico State, Friday at 3 p.m., and Stanislaus State, Sunday at 2 p.m.

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    Robbert Webber Running versus Simon Frazier. | Thomas Allie

    Football

    The Jacks overcame a 21 point deficit to beat Western Oregon in overtime, 49-48. Senior running back, Ja’quan Gardner finished with 25 carries for 176-yards and two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback, Robert Webber, the reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, passed for 334-yards, five touchdowns. Junior receiver, John Todd, led Humboldt State receivers with 225 yards on seven catches and had three touchdowns in the teams 49-48 overtime win at Western Oregon. His 90-yard touchdown reception is the second longest play in school history. Todd’s 225 receiving yards is the second-best single game performance in HSU history. For the third consecutive week, a Humboldt State football player earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. John Todd received this week’s award winner after leading the Lumberjacks to a come-from-behind victory. Three weeks into the 2017 campaign Todd ranks second in the GNAC averaging 113.7 receiving yards per game.

     

  • Trump VS Sports

    Trump VS Sports

    On Friday night, President Trump started another one of his trademark fights. After firing off against African American athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, the stars of the NFL and NBA are aligning to respond to Trump.

    The president went after America’s most popular sport when he mentioned NFL players at a political rally in Huntsville, Alabama.

    “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He’s fired. He’s fired,’” Trump said. “You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it, but they’ll be the most popular person in this country.”

    Trump then went on to attack the NFL’s lower ratings and new safety procedures designed to make the game safer.

    “The NFL ratings are down massively,” he said. “Now the number one reason happens to be they like watching what’s happening with your truly. They like what’s happening. Because you know today if you hit too hard…15 yards. Throw him out the game. They’re ruining the game. That’s what they want to do. They want to hit. It is hurting the game.”

    NFL team owners donated millions to the Trump campaign. Patriots owner Robert Kraft even gave Trump his own Super Bowl ring. That didn’t stop NFL commissioner Roger Goodell from issuing a statement condemning Trump’s comments.

    “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities,” Goodell said.

    NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith came to the defense of his players in a statement released Saturday morning.

    “The union will never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens, as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks,” Smith said.

    Trump was not finished there. Early Saturday morning, after finding out about NBA superstar Stephen Curry rescinding an invitation to the White House, the president took to Twitter.

    “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” Trump tweeted at 7:45 a.m. Saturday.

    Curry caught the President’s attention when he announced he would not vote to go to the White House when the team makes a decision as a whole.

     

    “By acting and not going,” Curry said, “hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to”

    Lebron James also piled on to the president when he took to Twitter to defend his NBA comrade.

    “U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to the White House was a great honor until you showed up!” James tweeted.

    With renewed attention on the players, all eyes are sure to be on Sunday’s NFL games and the players’ actions during the national anthem.

  • Lumberjacks early-season struggles continue

    Lumberjacks early-season struggles continue

    When a team is on a losing streak, team cohesion and chemistry can be lost. The Lumberjacks volleyball squad is not one of those teams.

    Despite losing their eighth straight game to the Sonoma State Seawolves at Lumberjack Arena on Friday night 3-1, team morale remained high. Senior setter Jessi Lammers led the team with 28 assists and feels the team has remained focused during these rough times._MG_4419

    “We really depend on looking inward toward each other,” Lammers said. “We ignore the crowd and ignore the other side of the net and just look to the girls that play next to you.”

    The first set of the match was the most competitive, with each team going on big runs. The Jacks held the lead throughout but lost control of the set when the Seawolves tied it up at 24 and proceeded to score four of the next five points.

    HSU exhibited their true potential in the second set by going on four, five, and seven point runs, dominating the set and winning 25-13. Jacks senior middle blocker Janelle Ayala showed why she should be on the court as much as possible by making several smart plays in the team’s only set won.

    The Jacks starting lineup is not yet set in stone, but assistant coach Greg Railsback believes they are close to finding the right mix for team success.

    “Our last two games, we’ve been playing with more mental intensity and energy,” Railsback said. “We’ve been starting to play with a little more belief.”_MG_4326

    The road is a long one but the team and coaches have faith that they can still turn this season around. The team must cut down on costly mistakes and mental blunders. Jacks head coach Kelly Wood wants the team to have stronger finishes in their later sets.

    “We have this tendency to just drop off and play really inconsistently in the fourth set,” Wood said. “We had 14 errors between hitting and serving. We’re not gonna beat anybody making 14 errors.”

    The Jacks look to get back in the win column against San Francisco State Saturday, Sep. 23. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Lumberjack Arena. HSU students, faculty, and staff get in free with campus ID.

     

  • Future of Jacks ball in doubt

    Future of Jacks ball in doubt

    It’s Saturday night at the Redwood Bowl. The fog and mist comes over the trees, suddenly 7,000 screaming fans echo off the trees like owls in the night. Daunting to any opposing team, especially when the chainsaws roar as Humboldt State scores.

    In the midst of a historic season, this could all be gone as of Nov. 1, when Humboldt State administration will decide on the fate of HSU Football as they continue to handle the school’s intercollegiate athletics program and its financial deficit.

    “We’re not just looking for pledges for the first year, we also hope to get pledges for the next five years,” said Athletic Director Duncan Robbins. “We don’t want to just save football for a year, we want to plan for the future as well.”

    Robbins and the Office of Advancement are working together with alumni and community volunteers to raise the needed initial funds and future pledges by the November deadline. The suggested number being around $500,000 before the deadline.

    “We know what we need to raise to remove the red ink from our budget,” said Robbins, “so we have a definitive target from what we need from HSU’s campus and community members on saving the program.”

    The goal is to save the program with options of cutting or putting the team on a two year hiatus.

    As a program that has gained national recognition from the New York Times and Sports Illustrated, there’s a noticeable crazed fan base in this community. With that comes the emotion and outrage of potentially not having a football team at Humboldt State. Former players like Taylor Mitchell want President Rossbacher to know they won’t let the program go silently.

    “The program means everything to me, the opportunity to play out my dream of playing college football,” said Mitchell. “It’s the heart of the community.”

    There’s a sentiment from a few players on this year’s current team that Rossbacher and Robbins aren’t doing everything in their power to keep football at HSU.

    “Lisa Rossbacher and Duncan Robbins, if they wanted to fix it, they could,” said senior lineman Jarred Layel. “They’re trying to kill the program.”

    Head Coach Rob Smith’s not just coaching a group of football players, but a group of young men that are growing and developing everyday as Jacks, something that goes beyond the field.

    “Frustrated, disappointed, a touch of anger at the work these kids are putting in on a daily basis,” said Smith.

    Coach Smith believes there’s value in college sports, the value it brings to the community, to the students on campus. If it wasn’t for the school’s athletics program. Getting the community of Humboldt County onto the campus would be difficult.

    “There’s value to community, our players and our student body,” said Smith. “There’s entertainment value.”

    You go to the games, you see kids asking for players autographs. That’s when you know the impact has been made. This football program doesn’t belong the current AD, president or coach. It belongs to Humboldt County. It was here before them and the hope is it will be here when they are gone.

    “What other program on campus brings in 7,000 people from the community on to this campus,” said Smith. “This community appreciated us.”

    Going from playing and hosting a Division II playoff game in 2015 (the first time since 1968) to getting its program cut sounds like a cruel and unusual punishment. It’s a realization that all the success in the world can’t save the team from what looks like insurmountable debt.

    “The deficit isn’t of our doing,” said Smith. “It has to do with enrollment and what I believe is a flawed funding in the way athletics is funded at HSU.”

    There’s an understanding between athletic director Robbins, President Rossbacher and Head Coach Rob Smith that preserving what historically has been a rich tradition at HSU is a good thing for the community. HSU has lead the conference in attendance since coach Smith has been here.

    Players will also have the option of transferring to another school without facing an eligibility penalty because HSU dropped the program.

    “Our goal if the worse thing happens would be to place the players and coaches in the best situations possible.” said Robbins.

    Robbins and Smith both have reiterated that the coaching staff and athletic department would work to help players find new schools if they want to keep playing.

    “I think with a segment of the community that would be a huge loss,” said Robbins. “That’s why there’s so much passion to save the program.”

    The community’ support for the team, alumni and boosters have a tall task in front of them to keep football in Humboldt.

    “We’re have a specific plan for fundraising, we’re out making phone calls and kissing babies,” said Robbins.

  • Like a fine wine, Brady passes Manning in the record books

    When will people stop doubting New England Patriots QB Tom Brady after one bad performance? It’s time to take the man at his word. If he can’t play well, he will retire.

    After last weeks abysmal game, talk of Brady’s retirement stirred up once again, but after shredding the Saints defense in week 2 the talk should stop. Brady threw for his third largest yard total of his career (447) in the regular season while adding three touchdowns and zero interceptions for the 52nd time in his career, passing up Peyton Manning for the all-time record.

    The Saints defense was riddled with holes, and the Patriots took advantage of every opportunity. Saints QB Drew Brees was unable to keep pace with the ageless wonder Brady, despite leading his team to over 420 total yards.

    Raiders win 45-20 over Jets

    Hyphey Mode was on full display Sunday as Raiders running back, Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch showed his dance moves on the Oakland sidelines, pumping up the crowd during their team’s 25-point romping of the Jets.

    Lynch showed he still has some gas left in his tank, rushing for 45-yards and a score. Raiders QB Derek Carr connected with his favorite target, wide-out Michael Crabtree for three touchdowns. The Raiders look like one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.

    Chiefs win 27-20 over Eagles

    Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt had only 7 yards at the halfway mark of Sunday’s game, but he exploded for a 53-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which gave the Chiefs control of the game. The Chiefs D had 6 sacks with three from DE Chris Jones.

    New Eagles kicker, Jake Elliot, missed a 30-yard field goal in the first half and QB Carson Wentz threw a game changing interception in the fourth quarter. The AFC West will be fun to watch with three teams in serious contention for a championship.

    Seahawks win 12-9 over 49ers

    After a weak showing by the Seattle offense in week 1, the 49ers were supposed to be an easy bounce back opponent. They were anything but, sacking QB Russell Wilson three times and holding Seattle’s offense out of the end zone until Wilson’s game winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

    49ers RB Carlos Hyde, was a rare bright spot for San Francisco. He gained 124 yards on 15 rushes for 8.3 yards per carry against Seattle’s elite defensive front.

    Dolphins win over Chargers 19-17

    The San Diego ― I mean Los Angeles Chargers ― have to be the unluckiest franchise in all of sports. Just six days since last week’s blocked kick, after being iced by Broncos coach Vance Joseph, Chargers kicker Younghoe Koo got another chance Sunday. After watching the 44-yard game winning field goal sail right, Charger fans have to be asking themselves “Why me?”

    The loss dropped the Chargers to 4-11 in one score games since the start of the 2016 season and 7-20 in such games since 2015. San Diego Charger fans that left the team have to be laughing to themselves a little bit.

    Dolphins QB Jay Cutler had a positive debut for his new team, throwing for over 200 yards and a score. The story was the workload of RB Jay Ajayi. He carried the ball a season high (for all running backs) 28 times for 128 yards. The Dolphins look like the only real competition in the AFC East for the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.

    Week 2 Final Scores

    Texans 13 Bengals 9

    Ravens 24 Browns 10

    Steelers 26 Vikings 9

    Titans 37 Jaguars 16

    Cardinals 16 Colts 13

    Panthers 9 Bills 3

    Redskins 27 Rams 20

    Broncos 42 Cowboys 17

    Falcons 34 Packers 23

    Lions 24 Giants 10

     

     

  • HSU rolls past Simon Fraser 72-14

    HSU rolls past Simon Fraser 72-14

    By | Diego Linares

    The football team has now scored 185 points over its first three games of the season after defeating Simon Fraser University, 72-14, in the Redwood Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 16.

    “It’s awesome. I love those guys,” Humboldt State University quarterback, Robert Webber, said about his offensive line. “Those guys really do one heck of a job to keep me upright and allow me to do what I do, but none of this would happen without them.”

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    Humboldt State University running back Jabar Byrd sprints past defenders down the left side of the field for a 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of a 72-14 win over Simon Fraser University on Saturday, Sept. 16. Photo credit: Diego Linares

    Webber recently, against Azusa Pacific University, became the all-time leader in passing yards and completions for HSU and managed to keep that momentum into Saturday’s game. Webber finished with five touchdowns and 224-yards on 15 completions out of 18 attempts.

    “When you have a running game, running backs like Ja’Quan (Gardner) and Jabar (Byrd) and all them, and an offensive line that dominates the line of scrimmage, it makes it easier on me because they try to load the box,” Webber said.

    Gardner had 85-yards on his first six carries of the game and finished with 121-yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack sparked the offense and kept the opposing team’s defense honest having to commit to stopping the run throughout the game.

    Simon Fraser was able to score two touchdowns in the second quarter to keep things interesting in the first half, but HSU managed to go on a 51-point tear.

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    Defensive coordinator Barry Sacks lectures linemen of the Humboldt State University defense on the sideline during the team’s 72-14 win over Simon Fraser University on Saturday, Sept. 16 in the Redwood Bowl. Photo credit: Diego Linares

    “It’s important that you don’t let your play drop off,” HSU head coach Rob Smith said. “I thought we were flat when we came out, but then the players responded. We’ve got a lot of weapons on the offensive side and we were able to utilize many of them tonight.”

    While the offense was handling things on its end, the HSU defense was also able to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, contain Simon Fraser’s running back, Jalen Jana, and create a turnover late in the game.

    HSU defensive lineman Sefa Tauanu’u managed to get in the backfield for two tackles for loss against Simon Fraser, while also getting three quarterback hits in last week’s win against Azusa Pacific.

    “If I trust them and they trust me, then we’ll get it,” Tauanu’u said about working with his teammates. “If I’m taking on a double-team, I trust that one of my fellow defensive linemen can get a sack or a tackle for loss.”

    Simon Fraser is now on a 26-game losing streak, winning 10 games since the 2012 season.

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    Jabar Byrd makes a cut upfield as he finds his opening in a 72-14 win for Humboldt State University over Simon Fraser University on Saturday, Sept. 16 in the Redwood Bowl. Photo credit: Diego Linares

    “For us to compete, we need to execute at a very high level,” Simon Fraser head coach Kelly Bates said. Which means great decision making, and we’re just not consistent enough right now.”

    The football team’s next game is Saturday, Sept. 23 against Central Washington University, the only other team in the Greater Northwestern Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record.

  • HSU tops Rival Azusa

    HSU tops Rival Azusa

    By | Skye Kimya

    This weekend the Humboldt State Lumberjacks faced off against rival, Azusa Pacific Cougars, on the road for its first 2017 season game. The Jacks defeated the 8th ranked Cougars 30-19.

    After losing to Azusa twice last season by a combined score of 83 – 40, the Jacks were ready to create a different narrative this year. The win also snapped the Cougars’ nine-game GNAC win streak and also ended their eight-game home winning streak.

    Ereon Nash, a sophomore defensive back who played against Azusa Pacific last season, knew they had to come back and play better this year.

    “We prepared all week,” Nash said, “we know we had to bring it and come out here ready.”

    An offensive battle, the jacks outgained the Cougars in total offensive yards 456-405. Senior Running Back Ja’Quan Gardner had 168 yards on 31 carries, scoring three touchdowns. The preformarnce helped him claim the GNAC Football Offensive Player of the Week award.

    Junior John Todd led the Jacks with 58 receiving yards, including a 14 yard catch that secured the school’s all-time passing record for Senior Quarterback Robert Webber.

    “We stepped up when we needed to step up,” Todd said, “we want that ring, so we need to make things happen.”

    With the win, Humboldt State finds itself top of the list among teams receiving votes in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Lumberjacks trail No. 25 Slippery Rock by just four points.

    Humboldt State continues its conference schedule next weekend, hosting Simon Fraser on Sat., Sept. 16 at the Redwood Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

    “We just showed up, handled business, and shut it down,” Nash said.

     

  • Krivashei all about winning

    Krivashei all about winning

    Lumberjacks football star, Chase Krivashei is going to break the Lumberjacks all-time record for receptions this season, but don’t tell him that. He has his mind set on one thing. Winning.

    The Corona, California product has been rewriting the record books here at HSU and that was a goal in the beginning.

    “The recruiting process was really tough for me,” Krivashei said. “Almost my whole high school career, I was told I was gonna go D-1 and when I ended up going Division 2, I just told myself I’m going to be the best player I can be at that school and just try to break every record possible.”

    Krivashei plays slot receiver, which means he is constantly asked to go over the middle for catches in traffic, which exposes him to the hardest hits in the game, but at only 5’9”, Krivashei’s small stature has never been an excuse for him in a game played with giants.

    “I try to use it to my advantage in certain situations,” Krivashei said. “Some guys if they’re a little bit taller, they cant get into certain areas as easy or they get hit easier.”

    Krivashei’s athletic ability isn’t his only contribution to the team. He has shown his grit by coming back strong this season after a season ending injury a year ago and he’s a natural born leader on and off the field. Jacks receivers coach, Nick Williams appreciates everything Krivashei brings to the table.

    “The special thing about Chase is his presence. It’s not just about football,” Williams said. “It’s about being around the guys on and off the field. Just having him around makes everyone around him better, it makes all of us better.”

    Krivashei holds the records at HSU for receptions in a game (18) and for a season (96) and as of now, right before the Jacks big game at Azusa Pacific University, he is a mere 38 receptions away from the all-time career mark.

    “I broke a couple records already,” Krivashei said. “I’m not too worried about breaking anymore. You’ll remember winning more than you’ll remember breaking records.”

     

  • HSU Athletics donates to Hurricane Harvey victims

    HSU Athletics donates to Hurricane Harvey victims

    By Keaundrey Clark

    Hurricane Harvey has made its mark on the lives of Houston-area residents and the Humboldt State Athletic Department is lending a hand in the relief efforts.

    Lumberjack coaches and staff have coordinated together and are donating clothes and other gear that was sent to Houston and those in need. The donations are being sent to the University of Houston where basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson is leading an effort to help those affected by the hurricane.

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    HSU Softball team sending donations to the University of Houston. | Photo by Shelli Sarchett

    “It’s awesome to know that our program is willing to do something to help,” said freshman softball player, Megan Graeser. “We try to do as much as we can in our community, but it’s a wonderful thing that we are capable of making a difference in other places too.”

    Softball head coach, Shelli Sarchett, got the ball rolling on the project. After viewing a tweet from Sampson asking for donations of clothing or shoes by all NCAA programs. Having never even been to Houston. Sarchett knew it was the right thing to do.

    “It doesn’t matter who they are, or the fact I’ve never met them,” said Sarchett. “Just knowing we can help people, it just says a lot about human nature.”

    As a coaching staff they decided that the extra clothing they had a good start. After asking both basketball programs, football and other athletic programs at HSU for their extras the whole athletic department was involved.

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    HSU Softball team sending donations to the University of Houston. | Photo by Shelli Sarchett
    “It is great knowing that we as a community can help those in need,” said senior, Breonna Bejaran. “And that in today’s connected world our reach is endless.”

    Despite the distance, the HSU athletics department providing hope for those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Shows the human spirit and the ability to help those when times are dire.

    “When other americans are in need It’s nice knowing when things go wrong people are there to help,” said Sarchett.

  • International Friendly Game Shows the Lumberjacks Potential for the Upcoming Season

    International Friendly Game Shows the Lumberjacks Potential for the Upcoming Season

    Video by Sarahi Apaez.

    The Lumberjacks go big for its only preseason 2017 home game against international team Cetys University from Mexico. Cetys arrived to Humboldt County Thursday, August 31, and shared the Lumberjack’s practice field in preparation for Saturday’s game at 6 p.m. game at the Redwood Bowl.

    The game started with a 94-yard kickoff return by running back, Jaquan Gardner promptly followed by two other touchdowns by Gardner in the first quarter.

    “It was a good start to the game,” Gardner said, “a good way to build momentum for the team.”

    Offensively, the Lumberjacks showed its upcoming competition what it is made of. The team put up a total of 83 points on the board by the end of the game. Eight touchdowns were scored by: JaQuan Gardner, Malcolm Hale, Edwin Campbell, Kaleo Garrigan, and Jabar Byrd before Cetys scored its first touchdown with only seconds left in the 2nd quarter.

    Malcolm Hale, a transfer player from Contra Costa College, had two receiving touchdowns for a total of 157 yards in the first half of the game.

    “I am just happy to be a Jack, to be able to score and be able to win for my team,” Hale said. “Whatever it takes, I am going to do it.”

    As well as offense scoring, the defense put several points on the board. Senior, Edwin Campbell from San Jose, California started with the first big hit of the game. And with 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Campbell intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.

    “It felt great,” Campbell said, “it felt like a movie, to be honest.”

    Senior, Ryan McKenzie, also from San Jose can relate to his teammate’s enthusiastic play overview. McKenzie went in for a big hit in the 2nd half of the game and also had a 48-yard interception return.

    “When you make big plays like that and can score off the turnovers,” McKenzie said. “It gives a good spark for the team.”

    Now although the Lumberjacks defense made big plays and overall held a high number on the board, first year defensive coordinator Barry Sacks gave us his opinion about where to go from here for the first official season game on the road against Azusa Pacific next Saturday, September 9.

    “I thought we were good, sound, and solid in a lot of situations,” Sacks said. “A little sloppy at times in the second half, but I think it is a great start. We want to make sure we improve as much as we can before next week.”

    The Lumberjacks displayed its potential and had its fans chanting every other minute. The players are ready for another blowout, and the coaches are ready for another smart, well-played game.

    “We are just ready to prepare for Azusa,” Gardner said. “I think we’ll be alright.”

  • Lumberjack Classic a success for the Jacks

    Lumberjack Classic a success for the Jacks

    Humboldt State University’s Women’s Soccer team kicked of it’s season with two impressive wins against Fresno Pacific and Colorado Mesa to end up 2-0 at the Lumberjack Classic.

    Saturday against Fresno Pacific, HSU got a steady dose of Alex Jenkins. Jenkins, a junior, scored two goals. The first goal came at 30:32 and the second at 89:23.

    “Sometimes when you have the fastest girl in Californa running around, sometimes you’ll score goals,” Said Head Coach Paul Karver.

    Jenkins led the Lumberjacks in points a season ago, and was the team’s second leading goal scorer from a season ago. She already has half as many goals in the first two games this year as she did last season.

    “Focusing and calming my nerves helped me before the game,” said Jenkins. “The one thing I can control is my work rate, after everything will follow.”

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    Junior Forward Alex Jenkins runs with the ball | Thomas Allie

    Defensively the Lumberjacks pitched a shutout. Humboldt State goalkeeper, Sophomore Katelin Talbert recorded nine saves on the day, as the team outshot the Sunbirds 11-10.

    Helping patrol the back line was one of the four seniors on this years team, McCall Madriago.

    “We have a lot of intelligence on this team,” said Madriago. “You can definitely see out there we are comfortable and we trust each other.”

    Coming off of a four win season. The Lumberjacks can only improve. With only five new players this season. The team brings back experience that’s guaranteed to help this year.

    “The second game of a weekend tournament is always about guts and determination,” said Karver. “We put ourselves in some bad situations, our back line came up huge with a shutout.”

    In its first regular season game of the year. The Lumberjacks got a 2-1 win over Colorado Mesa from a late goal by Myriah Epino that capped the victory.

    Freshman, Sabine Postma, scored the first goal of the season for HSU.

    In his first three years as head coach, Karver had seen steady improvement in each of his teams. Topping his totals for wins each year until last. He hopes to make a significant jump this year.

    “We scheduled these games knowing we’d have great competition,” said Karver. “For us to come out of this week 2-0 is fantastic.”

    The maturity and the progress the players have made is what have Karver excited for a rebound season for HSU.

    “We have players that have really embraced the roles and leadership that we’ve asked them to,” said Karver. “The team dynamic is better then it’s ever been.”

  • Jacks win big in home opener

    Jacks win big in home opener

    The Lumberjacks’ women’s volleyball team opened its season at home with a bang on Thursday, Aug. 31, handling the Academy of Art Urban Knights 3-1(25-17, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21).

    Alex Lolland, senior and outside hitter, had a night to remember on what was also her 21st birthday. Lolland had a team high 16 kills. Six of them came in a crucial period when the Lumberjacks were in danger of losing a second straight set.

    LSvolleyball1
    Alex Lolland going towards the ball in the HSU Lumberjacks Arena on Thursday, August 31st. | Photo by Lauren Shea

    Humboldt’s use of the drop shot was evident in the first two sets as they repeatedly were able to fool the opposing teams blockers with smart plays, great digs and teamwork. The team won by a combined 18 points in overall set play.

    “I used to be a big hitter that used to go up and swing at everyone, but you have to realize between a big fancy swing versus an easy tip is a point-to-point,” Lolland said. “Coach Kelly and Greg have definitely been implementing that in me to be a wiser player.”

    The Academy of Art settled down in the third set from what looked like early game jitters and rallied behind strong serving and defense at the net. The Lumberjacks were able to keep the set competitive and went up 20-18, but the Urban Knights held their composure and closed it out on a 7-2 run, winning the third set 25-22.

    LSvolleyball2
    Lauren Reid and Savannah Horton block a spike from Academy of Art in the HSU Lumberjacks Arena on Thursday, August 31st. | Photo by Lauren Shea

    Knights head coach, Ray Batalon wants his team to start doing the small things right early in the season.

    “We were pretty tentative in the first two sets,” Batalon said. “Once we started to serve a little more aggressively and force Humboldt into some bad situations it gave us a few more opportunities.”

    The fourth set remained a competitive one as both teams were fighting to keep their record clean in the first game of the season. The Lumberjacks rallied with a 7-1 run but the Knights quickly responded with a 6-1 run of their own. Tied 19-19, HSU was able to close out the set on a 6-2 run giving the team (1-0) its first victory of the season.

    Senior setter, Jessica Lammers, and junior setter, Taylor Yancey, each finished with over 20 assists on the night. Lammers and senior libero, Nicole Bianchi, had 13 digs a piece.

    HSU head coach, Kelly Wood, is happy with the result of the home opener but knows there is still work to be done.

    “In those first two sets we played really well but Academy of Art gave us a lot of our points in those first two sets but we were playing very well on our side of the net,” Wood said. “Playing at a consistent level throughout every set is something that will make us very hard to beat.”

    LSVolleyball4
    Alex Lolland spikes the ball to the other team Academy of Art in the HSU Lumberjacks Arena on Thursday, August 31st. | Photo by Lauren Shea

    HSU and Academy of Art meet up for the rematch Friday Sep. 1 at Lumberjack Arena. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. and HSU students, faculty and staff receive free admission with campus ID.

     

  • Race and sports

    By | Keaundrey Clark

    The modern athlete has more to do then just play sports, they participate in their community. They are more socially conscious and have the platform to have their voices heard. Still there are people who want them to remain silent and stick to their respective sports. This is highly irresponsible because if an injustice is happening, it is everyone’s duty as a human being to speak up and allow their voice to be heard. Here at HSU our athletes face similar things as well.

    Humboldt State football players such as Curtis Williams, a redshirt junior, knows the struggle of being a black athlete in today’s world.

    “I’m a football player, but I’m black as well,” Williams said. “I like to pride myself on being a scholar.”

    The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has had a rocky presidency, to say the least. Consistent daily explosions, rants and odd tweets has made it hard to cover sports from Pop Warner to Professionals. Even the traditional box-score way of sports has been left in the wind. Nowadays sports will likely make it’s way onto the White House lawn.

    This powerful element of protest, offers athletes, young and old, the chance to be at the center of a national discussion. They can be community leaders in our country speaking on issues such as race as well as human and moral rights. In this era in which players are routinely asked to “stick to sports,” more and more athletes are saying no.

    “Football is not just my life, there are things that happen after football,” Ju’wan Murphy said. “When racial things happen I really try to get involved and see what’s up. I am not defined by what I do on the football field, there is more out there. There are racial problems everywhere in America. You just need to live right and do what is right.”

    Head Coach of the Humboldt State football team, Rob Smith, oversees the most African American students at HSU.

    “It doesn’t matter their color, it doesn’t matter their culture, it doesn’t matter whether they’re city or country,” Smith said. “You bring the team together. I think our locker room is a great example of what this world needs. People of all colors, from all backgrounds, from a lot of different places, they come together. And I think you really get that in sports, not just football but all sports.”

    Sports is a microcosm of society, where all backgrounds and views come together on a given sports teams. Athletes also have opinions and thoughts on what’s effecting this country.

    “I do feel like the athletes can use their sport as a stage to speak out on what is going on, because we all know things aren’t right,” Murphy said.

    Athletes now more then ever are using their voice to be heard. With eyes on them at all times they know they have the platform to speak of change.

    “So I’m going to do everything in my power. I’m not standing up for the American flag or for the pledge of allegiance and I really don’t care what anyone has to say,” said Williams.

  • Breaking Boundaries

    Breaking Boundaries

    By Bryan Donoghue

    A professor develops expertise in their area of study after years of building their intelligence. A martial arts instructor culminates themselves into a master of their craft. There are three professors on campus who instruct in the classroom and the studio.

    Each professor said they see Bruce Lee as an inspirational pop-culture icon, but their own origin stories begin with a simple fascination of martial arts rather than following a role model.

    Hal Genger, an oceanography professor at Humboldt State University, is a 5th dan black belt in aikido and has been practicing the art since attending graduate school. His career at North Coast Aikido began in 1978, and has since become an instructor.

    “I just love to train with people,” Genger said. “When it flows good, I just feel so much better. Almost every time I get out of class I feel better than when I went to class. Every class does not go as well as I think it ought to, but I’m just working on myself figuring out how to do this.”

    Even now, Genger retains interest in martial arts. Not only does he enjoy passing on what he’s learned to his students, but Genger also finds benefit in martial art’s stress relief, as well as how it helps people battle their ego.

    “You know, kind of my whole life I’ve been interested in martial arts, and it really helped with some anxiety issues,” Genger said. “It helped me survive graduate school,

    and then I just got interested in the physical, mental, spiritual part of it. It was important to my whole life.”

    “Any martial art is dealing with your ego, you become a little bit more humble and you learn to listen more, feel the experience that’s going on instead of going directly to a conflict situation,” Genger said. “That’s really important in dealing with your significant others. It’s better to listen instead of argue.”

    Aside from dealing with ego and helping with anxiety, Genger finds the connection between martial arts and the classroom to be related to how he interacts with his students.

    “In the lecture you’re verbally interacting with your students, but it’s not a physical interaction, but with aikido it’s a little bit verbal but it’s just physical,” Genger said.

    A fellow instructor at North Coast Aikido, Peggy Ilene, teaches aikido at the university. Ilene is a kinesiology professor, and although she only instructs aikido at the school currently, she has taught other classes in her time at Humboldt State. Her perspective of how students relate to the dojo and to the classroom is the difference in setting.

    “It’s simply that in the dojo every single person who’s come into the dojo is really dedicated to that art in a more specific way,” Ilene said. “Often people who are coming to the university have a more general either curiosity or they’re coming in to find out about it.”

    The benefit in either the classroom or the dojo is based on the interaction we have with other people. According to Ilene, people learn from each other by working together.

    “There’s something new to learn because, partly because, we’re working with people. People are so intricate,” Ilene said. “We’re working with principles that can simulate that intricateness and find a way to difficult places.”

     

    Aikido isn’t the only martial art present in Arcata that houses an instructor who is simultaneously a professor. Corey Lewis is an author, master of Arcata’s Sun Yi Tae Kwon Do academy and emeritus English professor at Humboldt State University. He finds that the relationship between martial arts and academics is based on balance.

    “For me, there’s always been that balance of that scholar warrior,” Lewis said. “It’s not just about the jock, the warrior and the athlete. You got to feed the mind and the spirit. You got to have scholar, too. You got to read, you got to write. It’s about the pen and the sword.”

    Fights and bullies were problems Lewis dealt with growing up until he made a decision to learn self-defense at 10 years old. From that point on, Lewis trained with Grandmaster Sun Yi who became like family to him, and then went on to teach his own classes when he turned 21. Lewis taught english classes at Humboldt State until 2014, and helped produce many graduates, and since owning his own practice in Arcata, Lewis has trained around 40 black belts. There’s a method to his instruction.

    “What I would tend to do in classes like that is what I learned in martial arts.” Lewis said. “First, need to break it down into its constituent components and model it several times. Then, have the students practice it a bunch. Then, you critique the students practice to help them improve.”

    A college degree or a black belt can boost a person’s confidence, but the underlying benefit is the way a balance as a martial artist and academic helps an individual grow.

    “I’ve always been really interested about how education empowers us and builds skills, and how martial arts empowers us and builds skills.” Lewis said. “There’s a lot of similarities between both of those.”

     

  • Calling HSU Home

    Calling HSU Home

    By Skye Hopkins

    When it came to continuing his football career, Humboldt State was not Jamere Austin’s first choice. But now that he is here, his positive mindset is helping him make the best of it. As a new HSU football recruit, Jamere Austin is a 22-year-old junior who traveled  from the San Fernando Valley this spring semester to major in communications.

    “I bought a plane ticket, but didn’t know which school I was going to,” Austin said. “I went to the airport and decided to come to Humboldt.”

    Austin started his college career at Los Angeles Pierce College where he played wide receiver. Considering a handful of the boys were from Austin’s hometown, he was excited to play with familiar faces. The coach that Austin originally spoke with before joining the Pierce Bulls left before the season even began leaving several of the players a little confused.

    “First season was bad,” Austin said. “We went three and seven.”

    With Pierce’s reputation of getting several players to higher division football schools, Austin was only focused on getting ready for the next season. He worked hard during the summer with close to no “off-days.” His sophomore year, they ended up going 5 and 5.

    “We were a good team,” Austin said. “But things got sad.”

    He described his sophomore year as the year that changed his head about football for the better. His views and ideas around the game itself were more clear and his technique got better. During week six of that year, Austin received his first offer. Within a few weeks, he had 16 Division II offers.

    He committed to Lindenwood University in Missouri a little after the season ended. Through the second semester of his sophomore year, Austin received several more offers and ended up committing to Southeastern Louisiana, a Division I school. However, the admissions department was hesitant to admit him because of a statistics class that had to be completed. Unfortunately, he did not end up passing the class. He was lucky enough to get a chance the retake the class, but with no luck. His spot was passed on during the annual recruiting process.

    “I knew it was time to start back up,” Austin said. “So I wrote a little letter explaining my situation and posted it on social media.”

    He picked up roughly ten Division II offers, and with only one week to decide, he narrowed it down to Humboldt State and Midwestern State in Texas.

    After a spontaneous decision to make the trip to Humboldt, Austin was on campus speaking with Head Coach Rob Smith before he knew it. However, for Austin it seemed like if it was not one thing, it was another. Humboldt’s admission office did not approve his acceptance. It took three weeks for Humboldt’s administration and coaching staff to inform Austin that he would not be able to continue his classes for the 2016 fall semester.

    With yet another detour, Austin began to feel extremely discouraged. He was already settled in to the small town, the positive energies of the HSU campus, and the welcoming manners from his teammates and coaches. Having to start over or even take a few steps back once again was not on his agenda.

    “Honestly, I started crying,” Austin said. “It just didn’t make sense. They told me I could come here, so I came and then just like that, I had to go back home.”

    Austin’s roommate, Jonathan Charles, was not too happy about his denial either. It looked like he would not get the chance to play a third college football season with his good friend and roommate.

    “Man was I bummed out,” Charles said. “My boy had to go all the way back home with no football in sight and I was stuck in a two-bedroom house with no Jamere.”

    Through those first few discouraging weeks spent back in the San Fernando Valley, Austin altered his focus and began to work rather than practice.

    “I was on a grind,” Austin said. “A money grind, but in the back of my head I still saw Humboldt.”

    Austin was not ready to only work and not play. He attended the Jacks away game against Azusa Pacific in September and kept in touch with the coaches, especially the wide receiver coach Nick Williams. Ex-roommate Joc was extremely happy about seeing Austin at a 2016 season game.

    With more time off and room to improve, Austin continued to work and picked up a few more offers. The same day he was offered by Division I Double A School Southern Illinois, he received a call from Humboldt State.

    HSU’s football staff asked when Austin was coming back. Austin was stuck between another warm welcome from Humboldt and a Division I offer from Southern Illinois. He knew the recruiting process would be long with Illinois but he wasn’t sure if Humboldt would let him in again. He had less than a week to make a decision and after making a list of the pros and cons, Austin sent his letter of intent to Humboldt State University.

    “Everything was right,” Austin said. “Not too much trouble to get into. I knew it was a small spot where I could focus and get things done.”

    With over two years of ups and downs throughout the recruiting process, Jamere Austin was proud to announce his commitment to Humboldt State with excitement to play in the 2017 fall season.

    Wide receiver coach Nick Williams was thrilled about the newest addition to their offensive team. Several coaches witnessed Austin’s passion and motivation for football and did not want to miss the opportunity of having him on the team.

    “We really wanted Jamere,” Williams said. “We needed him to be here.”

    Austin has been able to continue his football and academic career at Humboldt during the spring semester and will be returning with enthusiasm for the upcoming fall semester. He has been maintaining good grades as well as working hard in hopes of keeping his vibrant presence as a player for the Lumberjacks. He is expected to do well during this upcoming season and several classmates, professors and family members are excited to see how far he has come and what he has to bring to the table.

    “Jamere brings a great energy to not just the wide receiver group, but the team as a whole,” coach Williams said. “He is a natural football player and his foot is always on the gas. I like that he is just so excited to be here; he physically, mentally, and emotionally puts everything into anything he does.”

  • Untitled post 1638

    By Keaundrey Clark

     

    Softball

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    Junior Winona Vigil at the plate | HSU Lumberjacks 

    No. 9 Humboldt State softball split Saturday’s Senior Day doubleheader versus No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay and punched its ticket to the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The Lumberjacks matched their best run-scoring total of the season in game one’s 17-8 victory, and the Otters squeaked past the Green and Gold, 3-2, in the regular season finale.

    HSU earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and will face second seed Cal State San Bernardino Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Arnaiz Stadium in Stockton. Monterey Bay is the conference’s No. 1 seed and Chico State rounded out the tournament field as the fourth seed.

    Madison Williams picked up her 16th win of the season. She and fellow senior pitcher Kalyn Paque finished top 10 in wins and in strikeouts. Williams leading the conference with 182.

    This season senior catcher Breonna Bejaran led the Jacks with 11 home runs. She finished fourth in the conference. Senior second baseman Tiffany Hollingsworth lead the HSU with 40 RBIs, finishing top 10 in the conference in that category.

    Women’s Crew

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    HSU Crew | HSU Lumberjacks 

    HSU Crew’s 2017 season is coming to an end, this season has been one of the best in school’s history. Humboldt State crew teams took another step forward dominance as they captured the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship title Sunday at Lake Natoma.

    All but one of the Green and Gold boats advanced from Saturday’s preliminaries to Sunday’s finals.

    The women’s V8 boat finished third in the first race of the day. HSU placed behind leader Western Washington (6:23.836) and second place boat UC Santa Barbara (6:29.994) with a 6:31.874 finish.

    The Jacks’ novice eight boat placed sixth against  Division I competition with a time of 7:07.174.

    The best race of the day HSU’s women’s Varsity 4 finished just one second behind Western Washington. The Jacks finished with a time of 7:18.310, while the Vikings crossed the finish line in 7:17.630.

    The Green and Gold will have two weeks off from competition before making a cross-country trip to the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia on May 12-13.

     

  • NBA MVP

    NBA MVP

    By Danny Dunn

    The 2016-2017 NBA regular season has been full of interesting storylines. Everything from players getting more and more rest time to the “Shaqtin A Fool” beef between Shaquille O’Neal and JaVale McGee. Currently, one story stands above all the rest and that is who will be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player?

    Last season the MVP race was not nearly as exciting due to the fact that Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was the first ever unanimous MVP, collecting all 130 votes. Consider also that it was also his second consecutive MVP award.

    When Kevin Durant, who is one of the best players in the league, signed with the Golden State Warriors last summer, it essentially eliminated all Warriors from the MVP discussion, including Curry. So that leaves the award up for grabs this season and it seems that four players all have a legit claim to the MVP award. These players are Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. Check out how I rank their chances.

    Ranking and Description of each MVP candidate:

    1. Kawhi Leonard. Small forward, San Antonio Spurs.

    Leonard is averaging over 25 points per game while adding just under six rebounds and three assists per game. On top of this, Leonard is a lock for first team all defense once again and has taken his offensive game to another level. If there is one thing working against him it is that the Spurs are only about a one-point difference when he is not on the court, and they have a winning record even when he does not play. But that speaks more to coaching than it does to Leonard, and Leonard has been the best player on 60-win teams back-to-back years.

    1. LeBron James. Small forward, Cleveland Cavaliers.

    LBJ is the man, the myth, the legend. What else is there to say about how great he is? After bringing home a championship to Cleveland for the first time ever, he is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career. James is averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game. The only issue is his team has completely underachieved this season. The Cavaliers have not played a lick of defense since the start of the calendar year. They should have wrapped up the number one seed in the Eastern Conference a month ago. Yes, a month ago, but in their last 40 games they are hovering around .500 which is awful for this squad. Without LeBron, this team would be competing with the Brooklyn Nets for the worst record in the league.

    1. James Harden. Point guard, Houston Rockets.

    “Fear the Beard,” is a slogan I never associated with Harden because I always linked it to former San Francisco Giants closing pitcher, Brian Wilson. But this season Harden has earned the right to it by averaging 29 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. If not for Russell Westbrook’s dominating play, Harden would be the closest to averaging a triple double in some time. Under new coach Mike D’Antoni, Harden has moved from shooting guard to point guard and man, has it paid dividends? Harden leads the league in assists and has the Rockets third in the Western Conference behind the Spurs and Warriors. He is still a bit of a liability on the court, but he has noticeably improved this season. A downside is that he is one of the leaders in turnovers, but that is bound to happen since he has the ball in his hands most of the time.

    1. Russell Westbrook. Point guard, Oklahoma City Thunder.

    Double doubles are a dime-a-dozen, but triple doubles are somewhat rare in the NBA. For instance, Westbrook has more triple doubles this season than the rest of the NBA combined. He now has the single season record for triple doubles in a season (42), and joins Oscar Robertson as the only two players to ever average a triple double. Westbrook is averaging over 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, and is leading the Thunder to the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a subpar supporting cast after losing Durant last summer. His triple doubles are not empty, as his squad’s record is far better when Westbrook has a triple double than when he does not. He plays as hard as he can night-in and night-out with historic results and so I think Westbrook will win the 2016-17 NBA MVP award.

     

  • NFL Draft Review

    NFL Draft Review

    By Danny Dunn

     

    The NFL draft results are in, which means it is time to start evaluating each pick in the draft before they have played a single down for their team.

    It is impossible to know for sure how each team did in this year’s draft until a few years down the road, but that does not mean there cannot be an initial reaction to each team’s selections, based on team needs and how early or late a player was drafted.

    Here is a look at some winners and losers of the 2017 NFL draft:

    Winners:

    San Francisco 49ers: New 49ers General Manager John Lynch absolutely fleeced the Chicago Bears in the first round of the draft, but more on that later. As for the players the 49ers actually selected in the draft, they were solid, and for the first time in a long time 49ers fans can be excited about their draft class. Defensive end Solomon Thomas out of Stanford will help sure up the defensive line, while linebacker out of Alabama Reuben Foster appears to be the best linebacking partner for Navorro Bowman since Patrick Willis.

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have already made a splash this offseason by signing wide receiver DeSean Jackson to put alongside pro-bowler Mike Evans in the wide receiving corps. Through the draft they added tight end from Alabama O.J. Howard. Howard was the number one ranked tight end in college and rightfully so after a terrific performance in the national title game as one of Alabama’s best receivers. Quarterback Jameis Winston will now have a litter of elite offensive talent around him, so look for the Bucs to crash the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

    Houston Texans: The Texans have the defensive talent of a Super Bowl caliber team right now, and Pro Bowl level talent at the running back and wide receiver positions, but the only thing hindering their playoff success is the quarterback position. They may have solved that problem by drafting quarterback Deshaun Watson from Clemson, who has a chance to play in his third championship game in as many years.

    Losers:

    Chicago Bears: The Bears gave up two third round picks and a fourth to the 49ers to move up one space in the draft from number 3 to number 2, to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. This stunned everyone that watched the draft, because usually teams do not trade up one space; also, the Niners were probably not going to draft Trubisky.

     

  • LumberJack Elite

    LumberJack Elite

    By Andre Hascall

    There are many noteworthy student athletes at Humboldt State University. This week we highlight track star and future graduate student, Alyssabeth DeJerez. A fourth year Psychology Major on her way to graduate from Humboldt State, and continue her education in Human Development at Sacramento State.

    DeJerez went to Bonita Vista High School, in San Diego. “In High School I wasn’t really good at track,” DeJerez said. “It quickly became my passion.” Unable to go to a Division 1 school for track, she decided to come to Division 2 HSU. In 2014, DeJerez’s second year at Humboldt, she ended the season being eighth overall in the 400 meter hurdles. Accomplishing this just a year after her promise to Humboldt coaches.

    “I had the opportunity to transfer my sophomore year,” DeJerez said. “Now way. I’m not going to leave the school that believed in me.” Paying back the school and the team that put faith into her by going back to back First overall in the 400 meter and 400 meter hurdles in 2015 and 2016. Alongside being first place two years in a row, DeJerez broke records for the Humboldt State Women’s Track. In the the 400 meter hurdles she is, All-Time Top #1 with a time of  59.23 seconds, All-Time Top #1 in the 400 meter at 54.5 seconds, and All-Time Top #2 in the 200 meter with 34.94 seconds.

     

    Juggling between sports and studies will always be a difficult task. DeJerez even considered taking a year off from school at one point. But the professors in the Psychology department wanted her to stay on her path. “ They said i had the potential to go to grad school, and walked me through every step of the way,” DeJerez said. “I wouldn’t be leaving in the Fall if it weren’t for them.”
    DeJerez works multiple jobs as well, helping with students in Eureka who have behavioral issues, and in the Research Labs in the Psychology Department. Having a full schedule not only would make you tired, but it doesn’t leave much room for social life other than at practice. “I pretty much don’t sleep very much,” DeJerez said. “But if I didn’t have my team it’d be worse.

  • NBA Playoffs

    NBA Playoffs

    By Danny Dunn

    The 2017 NBA playoffs tip off with history on the line, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors look to be the first teams ever to meet in the finals three years in a row.

    The Warriors won the first finals matchup 4 games to 2 over the Cavs behind finals MVP Andre Iguodala. The Cavs then took the second finals matchup 4 games to 3 with a historical comeback from down 3 games to 1 in the series, lead by finals MVP LeBron James.

    The Cavaliers stumbled into the playoffs this season, they finished second in the Eastern Conference with 51 wins and 31 losses. Since the start of March the Cavs have played under .500 basketball with 10 wins and 14 losses in that span. They are still the favorites to get out of the East, because well they have LeBron James.

    The Warriors finished the regular season strong, winning 15 of their final 16 games and finished first in the Western Conference with 67 wins and 15 losses. They are a heavy favorite to come out of the West, with or without all star Kevin Durant who is dealing with a lingering calf strain.

    The first round of the postseason was relatively painless for the Cavs and Warriors, as they both swept their first round opponents.

    The rest of the postseason will not be quite as easy for these teams, the competition will get tougher.

    Obstacles:

    For the Warriors, they will play the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz series. The Warriors have not lost a game to the Clippers since Steve Kerr took over as head coach in 2015. As for the Jazz, they do not appear to have the firepower to match Golden State, the only chance they would have is to muck up the series and slow the pace of the game. But neither of these teams should last longer than six games with the Warriors.

    The real competition for Warriors will come in the conference finals where they will likely play either the Houston Rockets, or the San Antonio Spurs. Each team has beat the Warriors this year, the Spurs having done so twice. For the past few postseasons Spurs v Warriors is the matchup everyone has anticipated in the conference finals, but the Spurs have not been able to make it that far.

    For the Cavs, they will play the winner of the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks series. The Cavs defeated Toronto last year in the conference finals in six games. Do not expect this year’s results to be any different. As for the Bucks, it would be interesting to see Giannis Antetokounmpo [The Greek Freak] go head to head with Lebron in a series, but the Cavs should still be able to get by them.

    The Cavs true competition will also come in the conference finals, where they will likely play either the Washington Wizards, or the Boston Celtics. Boston might have even been a favorite in the East if they did not get blown out by the Cavs at the end of the regular season. Washington matched up well with the Cavs in their meetings this season, the Wizards backcourt John Wall and Bradley Beal in particular played well in their meetings with the Cavs.

    With the finals still about a month and a half away any number of things can happen to prevent a third meeting between the Cavaliers and Warriors, but at the moment it appears that these teams are on a collision course to square off again.