Humboldt State student newspaper wins four first place California College Media Association awards
The Lumberjack won 14 California College Media Association Excellence in Student Media awards for a variety of work in 2019. The Lumberjack took home four first place awards, seven second place awards and three third place awards at the CCMA awards banquet Feb. 29 in San Francisco.
Vanessa Flores (top left), Tony Wallin (bottom left) and Jose Herrera look through awards won by HSU journalism students at the California College Media Association Excellence in Student Media awards banquet Feb. 29 in San Francisco. | Photo by Megan Bender
The United States men’s national team has not made much progress since failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup
The lowest moment in recent history for the United States men’s national soccer team was on the night of Oct. 10, 2018, on a rain-soaked pitch in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago.
The U.S. was on the cusp of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and only needed a draw against the Trinidad and Tobago national team, who were dead last in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football qualifying standings and had not won in their last nine matches.
Even if the U.S. were to lose this game, a failsafe existed in the form of either Mexico or Costa Rica winning their respective game, which would send the U.S. to their eighth straight World Cup. It seemed like a sure thing.
On that fateful night, everything that could have possibly gone wrong for the U.S. men’s national team went haywire.
I believe it was one of the worst moments in American sports history.
An own goal that was deflected off the leg of U.S. defender Omar Gonzalez somehow found its way past goalkeeper Tim Howard in minute 17. Trinidad would add another goal in minute 37, and while the Americans would add a goal late, it would not be enough.
The United States lost 2-1 to the worst team in the final round of qualifying. To make matters worse, Mexico and Costa Rica, who were two of the best teams in the region, managed to lose both of their matches. For the first time since 1986, the United States would not be in the World Cup. To say this was an embarrassment would be an understatement.
I believe it was one of the worst moments in American sports history. For the United States to fail to get a tie against a team that was 1-8 previously in qualifying was a national embarrassment. Missing out on the World Cup would deal a massive blow to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Fans across the U.S. would miss out on seeing their national team play on the world’s biggest stage, and subsequently, the up-and-coming players on the national team would miss out on a valuable experience that would strengthen their development. To make things even worse, qualifying for the next World Cup does not begin until 2021, leaving us a long time to think about what happened.
Since then, the U.S. Soccer Federation has fired their head coach, Bruce Arena, and after many months of interim coaches at the helm, Gregg Berhalter was selected to lead the long journey back to the next World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. Many of the players that were a part of the 2010 and 2014 World Cup squads are now gone, leaving a lot of young and talented but unproven players to develop at the international level.
A lot of the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup was years in the making. The U.S. had an aging roster of players that were on the back end of their international careers. Players like Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, who were a huge part of past World Cups, were just not producing at the same level as in the past.
Now that the U.S. has an almost entirely different roster, it looks like the team has no sense of direction. An embarrassing loss to Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League in October highlighted the fact that the U.S. still has a long way to go to reach the next World Cup. The U.S. roster is currently highlighted by budding superstar Christian Pulisic, who is the best scorer for the team and plays club soccer for Chelsea in one of the top soccer leagues in the world. Other than Pulisic, the U.S. roster is a rotating door of names.
If the U.S. has issues competing with teams on our own continent, then being able to someday compete with the top European or South American nations is going to be a daunting task.
It all comes down to a complete lack of talent within the U.S. Soccer Federation. One problem is finding talent and developing it, but the main problem is dual-national players committing to other nations. If you’re a young player and you have the choice of playing for the United States or Mexico, right now I would bet that player is going to choose Mexico.
While the men’s team is trying to find their identity on the field, I would like to shout out the U.S. Women’s National Team for winning two straight World Cups and continuing to make this country proud. They are setting an example for how American soccer should be played and I look forward to their continued success.
Why HSU should bring back baseball in the post-football era
It has been over a year since the Humboldt State University football team played their final game ever, leaving local sports fans wondering how we are going to fill the void the HSU football team left in its wake.
Now that I’ve had some time to get used to a fall semester without the green and gold jerseys at the Redwood Bowl, it’s begun to feel more normal for HSU to be a school without a football team.
I know that bringing back the football team, at least in the near future, is an idea that seems like a pipe dream. Once you cut a program that was as much of a financial strain as the football team was, it is really hard to justify bringing such a program back. I think we need to explore alternatives of bringing back other, less expensive sports to HSU, and I know exactly what sport it should be.
Humboldt State needs to revive its baseball program, and I know that HSU baseball would be very well supported by the community.
For one, sports fans in Arcata and the rest of Humboldt County love baseball. There is no bigger example of this than the support that Arcata’s summer collegiate baseball team, the Humboldt Crabs, receives every summer from June until early August.
“From a baseball perspective, an HSU baseball team would be a huge benefit to both the athletes that would play here and the Humboldt Crabs organization.”
Liam Warner
Experiencing a Crabs game is one of the purest forms of Arcata that you will ever experience. From the world-famous Crab Grass Band to the unique heckling coming from the fans, thousands of people pack the Arcata Ballpark every summer to watch the Crabs play. Unfortunately, this is when most of the student population is home for the summer.
Another reason why an HSU baseball team would be easy to start is because finding a facility to play at won’t be a problem. The Arcata Ballpark, which is located right next to Arcata City Hall, is considered to be one of the best ballparks on the summer baseball circuit. For a Division II baseball school, I’m sure we would have one of the best baseball facilities on the West Coast.
Having an HSU baseball team that plays at the Arcata Ballpark would also give fans a lot more opportunities to watch baseball in downtown Arcata. Typically, college baseball season runs from February into late April. The Humboldt Crabs season starts in late May or early June, meaning that we would have six months of baseball with a gap in May between the seasons.
I’m sure extending the season of high-level baseball in Arcata would provide a boost to the economy downtown, as it would allow the opportunity for more people to watch quality baseball at the ballpark.
From a baseball perspective, an HSU baseball team would be a huge benefit to both the athletes that would play here and the Humboldt Crabs organization. The Crabs draw quite a few of their homegrown players from the College of the Redwoods baseball team, so an HSU baseball team would naturally become a feeder of players to play on the Crabs during the summer.
HSU Jacks players would have the opportunity to continue their season on a well-established summer baseball club, and the Crabs would have a local pool of baseball players they could pick from.
Ultimately, it’s up to HSU athletics to make the decision to bring back a sport. But I think all of the factors are there to make an HSU baseball team a successful part of the community.
Humboldt State’s persistent offense pushes its preseason to a 4-1 record
After gaining a home win in a 91-85 game over the Antelope Valley Pioneers on Nov. 13, the Jacks turned their attention to a different Pioneers team in their final non-conference, tune-up game.
Humboldt State played against the Pacific Union College’s Pioneers on Saturday night in front of a packed Lumberjack Arena crowd.
Offense has not been a problem for the HSU men’s basketball team in the few games they have played this season. In the four games prior to Saturday’s match, the Jacks’ lowest scored points in a game was 89, which came in two separate games against Southern Oregon and Fresno Pacific.
The game against Pacific Union was no different as the Jacks’ offense fired on all cylinders. Five different scorers reached double-digit point totals for the Jacks. Despite Pacific Union tying the game twice in the second half, the Jacks never relinquished the lead and beat the Pacific Union Pioneers 86-80.
Less than a minute later, Lewis hit a deep three right at the halftime buzzer giving the Jacks the 44-34 lead.
Two successful shots from seniors Rob Lewis and Zachariah Christian had the Jacks out to an early 4-0 lead. The defense started strong by preventing the Pioneers from scoring in the first four minutes of the half.
The Jacks eventually found an 11-2 run, but a few turnovers and missed shots allowed the Pioneers to close the deficit to 13-8 just before the first media timeout. The Jacks widened the lead to 11 points a bit later on in the half.
Freshman Isaiah Pope splashed three-pointers on back-to-back possessions and brought the Lumberjack Arena crowd to a roar.
Less than a minute later, Lewis hit a deep three right at the halftime buzzer giving the Jacks the 44-34 lead.
The second half was more of a test for Humboldt State. The Jacks’ shots weren’t falling like they were in the first half as their shot from the field dropped from 50 percent to 40 percent.
Humboldt State senior Leland Green jumps past Pacific Union’s defense during the Jacks’ game at Lumberjack Arena on Nov. 16. | Photo by Thomas Lal
Despite the drop in production from the offense, the Jacks used the free-throw line to their advantage to close out the game, going 15-20 from the charity stripe. With three minutes left, Pioneers’ senior Marc Williams hit a three to tie it up at 73-73. The ensuing Jacks’ possession resulted in senior Leland Green drawing the foul and sinking two free throws. The Jacks pulled away with the victory.
The Jacks gained contributions on offense from several different players. Senior Leland Green led the team with 17 points, Lewis had 14 and sophomore Amari Green had 12. Christian lead the team with nine rebounds.
Despite the win and the offensive production, Head Coach Steve Kinder stressed the need to work on defense heading into conference play.
“Pacific Union did a great job on sharing the ball, penetrating and kicking to open shooters,” Kinder said. “We had a difficult time keeping guys ahead of us.”
After the game, Jacks’ center Arash Poorsina also stressed the need to work on defense, but he touted the chemistry that the team has built up with each other early in the season.
“The good thing about this team is that no one really loses faith in one another,” Poorsina said. “We all know our skill set, we all know the things that we can do.”
Soccer and volleyball fall to Sonoma State, cross country prepares for second Oregon meet
For the Humboldt State volleyball and soccer teams, anything regarding the Sonoma State Seawolves is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth. Sonoma State dealt three different Humboldt State teams a loss over the weekend, all on the road in Rohnert Park.
Men’s soccer was the victim of a come-from-behind effort from the Seawolves, women’s soccer lost a tight game and volleyball lost in four sets. Cross country didn’t compete last week as they continue to prepare for their upcoming meet in Salem, Oregon.
Coaches and players from HSU soccer, volleyball and cross country were at the weekly Tuesday press conference at Lumberjack Arena.
Cross Country
After a good showing at the Sundowner Invitational in Monmouth, Oregon the Jacks’ attention turns to another Oregon course at the Willamette Invitational in Salem on Oct. 5. Head Coach Jamey Harris noted that training is going to be lighter going into this week in hopes that his runners are ready for the upcoming meet this weekend. He also noted the women’s race in Salem will be a 5k instead of the standard 6k, which could lead to faster times.
Harris talked about the men being ranked tenth in the NCAA regional rankings and how it motivates his runners to be even better on race day. For junior runner Elliott Portillo the ranking is something to feel good about, but it serves as a spark to push even harder.
“It’s definitely something very validating,” Portillo said. “It means people are beginning to take notice, and we have to show them that we are deserving of the title.”
Another topic of conversation was the passing of legendary former HSU cross country and track coach Jim Hunt. Hunt coached the cross country and track teams from 1967 to 1986 and produced 64 All-Americans and 11 national champion runners. Harris was visibly emotional as he spoke about what coach Hunt meant to Humboldt State and to him.
“The impact that he [Hunt] had on this university, I can’t even put it into words,” Harris said. “I honestly don’t know what to say, because I feel like I can’t say anything that will be adequate.”
Volleyball
The HSU volleyball team played Sonoma State on Saturday as part of their three-game road trip and lost in four sets by a score of 3-1. The Jacks won the second set and tied the score at 1-1 early on, but Sonoma won the next two sets and won the match. For Head Coach Kelly Wood, she feels that this year’s team is a vast improvement over last season’s team as far as talent, but that the team needs to be more consistent throughout the entire match. She talked about needing all of her players to have a great game, not just a few.
“We’re showing good streaks within the match, but we have yet to pull together an entire, consistent match,” Wood said. “It seems like we need to get all of our cylinders firing during a match, we’ve got a couple on and a few that aren’t on.”
Women’s Soccer
For a team that is still getting their footing under them, going down to Rohnert Park and playing a nationally ranked Sonoma State team is going to be a significant challenge. The Jacks fell just short of completing that task, losing to the Seawolves 2-1 with Lindsay Stoner scoring the lone goal. Head Coach Paul Karver had a very positive attitude about the loss, despite the result.
“The Rubik’s cube is sitting in the corner, it’s two turns away and we just gotta get there,” Karver said. “There was so much heart and determination out on the field and our girls were never going to say die in that moment.”
Men’s Soccer
The Jacks lost on Friday to Sonoma State in the cruelest of fashions, losing the game 4-2 despite taking a 2-0 lead early in the game. Isiah Dairo and Gus Baxter scored early for the Jacks but by halftime they were tied 2-2 and then Sonoma State scored two more times to seal the victory for the Seawolves. Jacks’ midfielder Ethan Waters talked about how the Jacks lost focus after gaining the early lead and eventually falling short.
“We lost momentum,” Waters said. “We have to respect them a little bit more, of course we got the two-goal lead but I think overall we didn’t control the game.”
Jacks win both games on Saturday but postpone Sunday games due to weather
The Humboldt State club baseball team was scheduled to play a doubleheader on both Saturday and Sunday at the Arcata Ballpark. They swept their doubleheader on Saturday under sunny skies, but wet and cold weather conditions on Sunday forced the Jacks to cancel the rest of the home-stand after only playing two and a half innings.
The fall season is about development and chemistry building before the team begins its competitive season in spring, but the players were happy with the results of their doubleheader.
Jacks pitcher Nick Mavrolas at the top of his pitching motion. HSU baseball played a doubleheader against local teams at the Arcata Ballpark. | Photo by Liam Warner
The Jacks played two scrimmages against local teams mostly comprised of high school players from around the county, the Northern Humboldt Giants and the Humboldt Eagles. The two teams proved to be good competition for the Jacks.
Pitching and defense was the theme of the day for Saturday’s games. Nick Marvolas started game one for the Jacks against the Northern Humboldt Giants, only giving up two runs in three innings pitched.
The Jacks started scoring in the third inning when catcher Alejandro Caravalho ripped a line drive into right-center field giving the Jacks a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Caravalho was tagged out trying to advance to third base on the play. After the Giants took a 2-1 lead in the third inning, the Jacks responded in the fourth when Christian Amador hit an RBI single and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Jacks a 3-2 lead. In the seventh inning, Xander Gonsalves scored on a steal of home and the Jacks won game one by a score of 4-2.
Ryin Alexander in his batting stance as he waits for the pitch. HSU baseball played a doubleheader against local teams at the Arcata Ballpark. | Photo by Liam Warner
The second game of the day against the Humboldt Eagles followed a similar pattern.
Caravalho started the game on the mound for the Jacks and put together a spectacular performance against the Eagles hitters. He went five innings, allowing no runs despite allowing five hits and three walks. Christian Amador pitched the last two innings, only giving up one earned run. Offensively the Jacks made the board early again and took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Willie Cestarollo drew a walk with the bases loaded.
The Jacks added three more runs in the fourth inning with the aid of a Justin Miller triple and a Lorenzo Hernandez double. A couple of runs came across in the seventh for the Eagles, but the Jacks held on for another 4-2 win.
Shortstop Christian Amador heads for third base. HSU baseball played a doubleheader against local teams at the Arcata Ballpark. | Photo by Liam Warner
On Sunday, in the typical Humboldt spirit and despite the downpours and the chilly weather, the Jacks attempted to play their first game against the Humboldt B52’s. After two and a half innings, the weather conditions forced the teams to cancel the rest of the day’s action.
Despite their homestand getting cut short, the Jacks were happy to be out on the field playing. For Jacks’ first baseman Chris Friedley, who grew up in Humboldt County, being able to play on the same field that he watched his baseball heroes play on when he was growing up made the whole experience special.
“I’ve been playing on this field since sophomore year of high school,” Friedley said. “Having my family be able to come out and watch, honestly it’s a gift.”
Capping off a legendary career, Bruce Bochy retires as manager of the San Francisco Giants
When Bruce Bochy got his job as manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2007, the Giants hadn’t won a World Series title since the franchise moved from New York in 1958. The Giants weren’t necessarily a lousy franchise since moving to San Francisco, reaching the World Series in 1962, 1989 and 2002 but they were never able to claim baseball’s ultimate prize.
Bochy’s first few years as manager of the Giants were subpar, but in 2010 Bochy gave San Francisco something the city had waited for decades to get: a World Series title.
As a die-hard Giants fan, things have gone pretty well over the last decade with Bochy at the helm (with the exception of the last few seasons). The Giants won the World Series three times in a span of five years: 2010, 2012 and 2014. Which is something the Giants’ blue colored rivals to the south haven’t done since before I was born.
Bochy ended his hall of fame career today after the Giants played their last game of the regular season at Oracle Park in San Francisco. It’s been an emotional day for every single person that is a fan of the Giants or has been a part of the organization. There have been tributes from players and coaches past and present. I guarantee that tears have been shed, including my own.
It may be hard to understand what Bochy has meant to San Francisco and the game of baseball if you’re not a Giants fan. The impact he has made on both the franchise and the game of baseball is hard to put into words. It starts with the way that he treats his players and the way that he situated his players to win three World Series titles.
In 2010 the Giants had few superstar players and no one expected them to make the postseason, much less win the World Series. The team had a budding superstar as catcher, Buster Posey, and Tim Lincecum, a Cy Young Award winner, as its pitching ace. Outside of that the Giants were never expected to be a World Series contender.
After winning the division and beating the Braves and Phillies, the Giants found themselves in the World Series against the Texas Rangers and were able to beat them in five games to capture the title.
The players are the ones that win the game, but the manager moves the pieces around so that the team has the best chance to win. Baseball is a very detail-oriented game, and Bochy was able to create lineups and use his pitching rotation to put his teams in the best position to win. It also speaks to Bochy’s character that he treated his players with respect. In every World Series team that Bochy managed, his players bought in and played their absolute hardest for him.
Another aspect of Bochy’s style that is unique in this day and age, is that he manages with his gut. Nowadays, baseball is about advanced metrics and stats. Almost every lineup and pitching decision is made off of computer data. Bochy still manages the game the old-fashioned way, using his knowledge of the game and scouting reports of opponents to set his lineups and make pitching changes.
The entire 2019 season, at every ballpark that Bochy visited for the last time, he was presented with a gift from the opposing manager and given a standing ovation by opposing players and fans. But there was one moment in particular that stood out to me during Bochy’s farewell tour.
On Sept. 7th at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, a place where pure hatred of the Giants is felt every time they make the trip down, the Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts presented Bruce Bochy with a gift. A montage of Bochy’s highlights played on the big screen, including his World Series highlights.
For those who don’t understand the rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers, the teams and the fans hate everything that has to do with the other. When the presentation was shown at Dodger Stadium that night, fans cheered. In a rare moment, the SoCal team and its fans showed respect for the Giants and their manager that had been their adversary for so long.
Bruce Bochy will forever live on as one of the greatest managers in San Francisco Giants’ history. After today, the Giants will search for a new manager and hopefully return to the glory days of beating the Dodgers and parading the World Series trophy through the streets of San Francisco.
Women’s and men’s soccer win big, cross country performs well in Oregon and volleyball faces some tough competition at home
This past week was successful for Humboldt State Athletics. The women’s soccer team soundly defeated the visiting William Jessup Warriors 4-0 in the friendly confines of College Creek Field. Men’s soccer traveled to Redding and kept their goal scoring barrage going with a 5-1 win over Simpson University. Cross Country traveled to Monmouth, Oregon and reached excellent individual numbers with both the men’s and women’s teams finishing in fourth place. Volleyball started their CCAA conference schedule at home in Lumberjack Arena, winning the first match and then losing the next two to some very tough competition.
Tuesday’s press conference at Lumberjack Arena featured comments from all of the head coaches and selected athletes from each sport.
Women’s Soccer
The Jacks played their home opener on Saturday and played effectively against the visiting William Jessup Warriors. The tone was set early in the match when senior midfielder Lindsay Stoner scored just three minutes in. From there, the Jacks never relinquished control of the game.
Even though, to the untrained eye, there was not much fault in the game for the Jacks, Head Coach Paul Karver noticed that after scoring the first goal his players were losing a bit of focus.
“We had a conversation at halftime about we need to play our style, and we need to have a real identity and we need to get back to that,” Karver said. “And that was a challenge because everyone is trying to do more and get on the scoreboard.”
Men’s Soccer
Right now, the Jacks seem like an offensive force that is going to be very hard to stop. In the last two games the Jacks have outscored their opponents 10-2 and overall this season they are already averaging almost four goals per game. Head Coach Fred Jungemann was happy with the results of his team thus far. He feels that his team is ready for the tough CCAA conference which begins on Friday as the Jacks take on Sonoma State in Rohnert Park.
“Certainly the preseason has helped and brought us to a level of confidence,” Jungemann said. “We’re going to this game on Friday with a self-belief that we can step on the field and compete with anybody we play against whether we score five goals or not.”
Cross Country
In addition to both cross country teams finishing in fourth place, the Jacks had some standout performances. For the men, it was Daniel Tull who finished second in the race and earned himself an all CCAA award for the second time this season. For the women it was Cessair McKinney who had the standout performance for the Jacks, finishing seventh and earning herself student-athlete of the week.
The men’s team also earned an 8th place NCAA regional ranking based on their recent performances and for freshman runner Finn Tyvoll the ranking is a validation of the team’s success.
“It’s fantastic because it shows how much work we’re putting in,” Tyvoll said. “It’s worth it because of the grind and putting Humboldt on the map.”
Volleyball
The Jacks volleyball team went 1-2 on their opening homestand at Lumberjack Arena last week. They won their home opener 3-1 against Cal State Monterey Bay in front of a packed crowd. The next night, the Jacks lost 1-3 to the nationally ranked Cal Poly Pamona Bronco’s. A significant challenge was presented to the Jacks on Saturday as the No. 1 team in the nation, Cal State San Bernardino, played at Lumberjack Arena and swept the Jacks 3-0.
Despite the daunting task, Head Coach Kelly Wood was not phased by the level of competition that CSU San Bernardino presented.
“Overall we went into it very loose, understanding that the pressure is always on the team that’s expected to win,” Wood said. “I think we could have competed harder than we did and maybe we could have played a little better and taken a few more points off of them, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Jacks make it look easy as they beat William Jessup 4-0 at home
It was a moment of glory for Humboldt State women’s soccer as they shut out the William Jessup Warriors and collected their first win. After a rough start to the season, the Jacks found a way to turn their errors around and create game winning plays.
Three minutes into the first half was all it took for midfielder Lindsay Stoner to score the opening goal. This scoring opportunity gave midfielder Sabine Postma a chance to capitalize on a second goal minutes later. Jacks held a 2-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
Since the start of the season, the Jacks have outshot every opponent but have come up short on finishing for a goal. Midfielder Pikake Hix produced six shots on goal and scored during the second half, putting the Jacks at a 3-0 lead.
“I think we’ve always been able to build well as a team,” Hix said. “We just haven’t been able to finish.”
HSU forward #4 Kendal Spencer tries for a standing tackle on the William Jessup. | Photo by Liam Warner
HSU midfielder #7 Rose Hartman sizes up the Jessup defender. | Photo by Liam Warner
HSU midfielder #16 Sabine Postma takes on the William Jessup defender. | Photo by Liam Warner
Warriors’ goalkeeper Camile Cavey put forth a valiant effort of 13 saves, but it was not enough to sway her team’s morale to overcome the onslaught of the Jacks’ offensive line.
“We knew we had to come out hard,” Hix said. “Especially for our first home-opener, we were excited. We wanted to keep the momentum up.”
It was all quiet on the western front for Jacks’ goalkeeper Katelin Talbert. The effectiveness of their offense ensured that the Warriors would struggle to keep the ball out of their zone.
With the second half winding down, the final goal came from Jacks’ midfielder Rose Harman. The Jacks now held a 4-0 lead over the Warriors. Harman pointed out that an important strategy of the game was to capitalize on the momentum.
“We had more of an attacking mentality especially coming into the second half,” Harman said. “We knew we needed more goals and wanted more goals. So playing positive instead of negatively and just finding the pockets to play the ball was definitely our strategy.”
Jessup forward #44 Abigail House takes on HSU midfielder #16 Sabine Postma. | Photo by Liam Warner
HSU midfielder Rose Harmon looks for her next move as she takes the ball up the field. | Photo by Liam Warner
HSU midfielder Pikake Hix sends a cross into the penalty box with a Jessup defender in front of her. | Photo by Liam Warner
After the game, head coach Paul Karver spoke with his players about their performance against William Jessup. He was satisfied with overcoming a scoring deficit that the team has experienced in their last games, but most importantly he enjoyed letting all his players get play time. However, Karver didn’t ignore the fact that too many opportunities for goals were overlooked.
“When you have as much goal creating production as we have I think we need to do a better job at finishing the opportunities,” Karver said. “We spent the last year and a half really reworking the system to create these opportunities for the players, and it’s something that’s difficult.”
Women’s soccer will play their next game at College Creek Field against San Francisco State University. This recent win has created momentum for the team to capitalize on, and for players like Rose Harman, they look forward to competing against SFSU.
HSU forward Erin Siegel #2 gets a shot off as she is draped by Jessup defenders. | Photo by Liam Warner
#14 Selena Osorio leads the attack for the Jacks in the second half. | Photo by Liam Warner
#16 Sabine Postma and #22 Pikake Hix celebrate after the Jacks scored to go up 4-0 and seal the win. | Photo by Liam Warner
“We need to keep the attacking mentality like I said in this game during the second half,” Harman said. “They’re a good team and it’s gonna be a challenge, but we’re up for it.”
Volleyball bounced back, women’s soccer took a loss and cross country preps for an upcoming meet in Oregon
As Humboldt State sports fans wait for Jacks games to return to College Creek Field and Lumberjack Arena, the volleyball and soccer teams competed along the West Coast and beyond. Volleyball suffered an initial setback at the West Region Showcase in San Francisco, but bounced back with two wins. Women’s soccer managed a loss and a draw in Portland and men’s soccer traveled to Billings, Montana and won both of their games. Cross Country did not compete last week, but they are training for their upcoming meet in Monmouth, OR.
The weekly HSU Athletics press conference at Lumberjack Arena featured comments from the coaches and chosen players from each sport.
Volleyball
The Jacks traveled home from San Francisco with a 2-2 record. Thursday brought a doubleheader loss to both San Francisco State and Cal State Dominguez Hills, both by a score of 3 sets to 1. Friday and Saturday proved to be much better, as the Jacks swept Fresno Pacific and Dominican 3 sets to 0.
Outside Hitter Lenox Loving scored 60 kills in the four matches, earning her HSU student-athlete of the week honors. She talked about how the team chemistry and energy have improved over last season, with the benefit of the team returning ten players from last year’s squad.
“Even when we lost everyone was working hard,” Loving said. “I think it’s just that the team chemistry is so much better this year, and everyone has the same attitude of working hard and getting the job done.”
Cross Country
The Jacks weren’t in competition this week; however, they were still hard at work as they prepare for their upcoming competition at the Sundowner Invitational in Monmouth this weekend. Head Coach Jamey Harris talked about the team’s preparation and what to expect with the course in Monmouth.
“We’ve been training hard out in the marsh and in the forest trying to make ourselves better,” Harris said.
He also talked about the course that the Jacks are going to race this Friday, saying it is milder than the home course in Arcata and he expects times to be faster.
“It’s almost all grass, so it’s similar to our home meet,” Harris said. “It’s not nearly as hilly, but most of it is not entirely flat.”
Men’s Soccer
The long days of air travel paid off for the Jacks in Montana, as they swept their road trip and won both games convincingly. On Friday they beat MSU-Billings 2-0, and things only progressed as they put the University of Mary away with ease in a 5-1 win on Sunday. The Jacks made history in the second game as Isaiah Dairo scored just 10 seconds into the match, which broke a team record for the fastest goal in a game. Dairo took us through the process of the goal that started at the opening whistle and how he noticed the defenders playing farther away from their own goal.
“From the start, we had seen that they were playing a high line,” Dairo said. “My teammate Dalton Rice plays a fantastic ball, and it took maybe two touches at most.”
Women’s Soccer
The Jacks are still searching for their first win. Their trip Portland included a 3-1 loss to Concordia and a 0-0 tie in double overtime to Saint Martin’s. Head Coach Paul Karver talked about the need to finish their chances, as the team only had two goals on 63 shot attempts over the two games. He also discussed the pressure on the team as they search for their first win.
“It’s a big old gorilla on the back and the girls feel the weight,” Karver said. “It’s just that in that final moment we’re not making the right decision.”
HSU football brought two communities together and now we’re at a loss
In July of 2018, with most of the student population home for the summer, former Humboldt State President Lisa Rossbacher and former Athletic Director Duncan Robins made the announcement that the HSU football team would be cut following the conclusion of the 2018 season.
The efforts of many community members to raise money for the football program earlier in the year were seemingly for nothing. Many community members, including myself, were outraged about the decision to cut the football team, but some applauded the move, saying that a football program was unnecessary and a drain on academics. Either side you may be on, it was a polarizing move for the university to make.
I am part of the small percentage of HSU students that grew up in Humboldt County. In fact, I grew up right here in Arcata about a mile away from the HSU campus. I am as local as a local student can get. I spent a good portion of my life going to HSU football games and it became a significant source of pride that my small town had a Division II college football team. When I started attending HSU, this was not just my school’s football team, this was my hometown team as well.
When I transferred to HSU from College of the Redwoods, the first thing that caught me off guard about HSU was how separate it seemed from the rest of Arcata. Even though I was going to school in my hometown, HSU felt like a world of its own, far from the Arcata I grew up in. I felt that my identity as a native of Arcata and a student at HSU were two separate worlds, even though in a geographic sense I was in the same place.
HSU football games were one of the only times that these two worlds felt one and the same. The games became some of the only times where I saw both students and local community members in the same place, at the same time, rooting for the same team. People from Arcata and Los Angeles alike, all rooting for the Jacks.
It wasn’t just about the football team itself, but it was how football brought the entire community together. Getting rid of the football team felt like severing one of the last ties between the campus community and the local community.
The only good news I can gather from this is that the Redwood Bowl is actually seeing more football this season than when the HSU football team was active. My alma mater, College of the Redwoods will be playing their football games at the Redwood Bowl starting on October 5, and both Arcata High and McKinleyville High are playing their football games on campus as well.
I hope that someday HSU football will be brought back, but in the meantime, all of the other HSU athletes that are still here deserve our full support. Go Jacks!
Cross country dominated at home, volleyball won two of three games and soccer had mixed results
The Humboldt State men’s and women’s cross country teams stood out at the Baywood Golf and Country Club on Sept. 6, while women’s soccer lost on the road and men’s soccer started the season with a 1-1 record. The volleyball team won two out of their three games at the Toro Classic in Carson, CA.
The HSU cross country team performed well in front of the home crowd as they walked away with sweeping wins in men’s and women’s competition. Senior Daniel Tull took first place for the Lumberjack men, and freshman Hannah Hartwell nabbed first place for the HSU women.
The HSU volleyball team lost their first match in Carson against Cal St. Dominguez Hills (3-0), but were able to bounce back with sequential wins against Academy of Art (3-0) and Notre Dame De Namur (3-2).
Women’s soccer went 0-1-1 on their Bay Area road trip, losing to Academy of Art (2-0) and tying against Notre Dame De Namur (1-1). Men’s soccer was able to go 1-1 on their San Rafael road trip, pulling off a comeback win against Dominican (4-3) in overtime and falling to Holy Names (3-2).
At the Sept. 10 HSU Athletics press conference, each coach and player from their respective sport spoke on their team’s performance and looked ahead to upcoming matches.
Cross Country
Head Coach Jamey Harris was ecstatic about his team’s performance in front of the home crowd at Baywood, and it helped that the Jacks had a supportive home crowd behind them. Harris noted the fact that HSU President Tom Jackson was in attendance, along with several members of the local running community.
“I couldn’t have asked for the season to start any better,” Harris said. “This was sort of an early-season meet just to see where we are at as we go into more specific training.”
Harris also talked about how important it was to the team that the community came out to support and noted how it works both ways, with the team also wanting to contribute back to the community.
“It shows our runners that the community cares and that the campus cares,” Harris said. “It helps them see the value in investing their time in the community, and it becomes a great cooperative relationship that way.”
The cross country team has a little more than a week to train and prepare before they make their way up to Monmouth, Oregon for the Sundowner Invitational on Sept. 20.
Volleyball
Head Coach Kelly Wood was happy about the Jacks bouncing back after losing the first match against Dominguez Hills. Wood talked about the unforced errors that the team made, but also acknowledged that the season had just started.
“We absolutely looked like a team playing its very first match of the season against Dominguez Hills that first night,” Wood said. “We made 36 hitting errors. That’s an insane amount of hitting errors, and that’s a recipe for disaster.”
Despite a rough first match, the Jacks were able to steal wins against their next two opponents at the Toro Classic. According to junior outside hitter Lexi Riggs who had the second-most kills during the classic with 37, the group raised their energy level for those next two matches.
“Everybody stepped up,” Riggs said. “Every single person on the team stepped up and got themselves going. I think what turned it around for us was the energy.”
The volleyball team will travel to the West Region Showcase in San Francisco for matches Sept. 12-14.
Men’s Soccer
The Jacks had a mixed weekend against Dominican and Holy Names, but the win against Dominican was a season opener that many on the team won’t forget anytime soon.
Going into the 53rd minute, the Jacks trailed 3-1. They were able to score twice and force overtime, and then defender Gus Baxter drew a foul in the penalty box and buried the game-winning goal to complete the comeback.
Baxter gave credit to his teammates for putting him in the position to draw the game-winning penalty. He gave credit to Dalton Rice for his two clutch goals, one in the first and one in the second half of the game.
“There were a couple of good passes around the box and then all of a sudden the ball is at my feet,” Baxter said. “I shoot, and it hits the guys hand. I took a deep breath, stepped up to it and buried it.”
The Jacks will get on a plane early Thursday morning and head to Billings, Montana this weekend where they will play Montana State University at Billings and the University of Mary.
Women’s Soccer
The Jacks weren’t able to get a win on their road trip, but they did get the tie in a hard-fought game against Notre Dame De Namur. Despite the results, Head Coach Paul Karver was able to see early-season improvements in the team.
“I think we saw a lot of the hard work that was put in over the offseason,” Karver said. “Going 2-0 would be super fun, but in a weird way, I’ll take where we’re at. The lessons we learned were really important, and that is what the preseason is all about.”
The Jacks will travel up to Karver’s hometown of Portland, Oregon this weekend for matches against Concordia and Saint Martin’s.
Part 1: We discuss the opening seasons of competition for Humboldt State sports including cross country, volleyball and soccer. We also provide an update on HSU basketball alumni Justin Everett’s move to professional basketball in the Republic of Georgia.
Part 2: With hockey season just around the corner we recap the San Jose Shark’s 2019 playoff finish and offseason. We also talk free agency with the Sharks’ losing Captain Joe Pavelski, and give our thoughts on the re-signing of Defenseman Erik Karlsson as well as Timo Meir and Kevin Labanc.
Part 3: Conversation turns to the start of the NFL season and the teams we support. We talk about some of the more notable scorelines form the weekend. We also dip into some NCAA news, with California attempting to pass a bill that would see college players compensated for having their likenesses used by schools.
Part 4: In the closing segment we talk some Formula 1 off the back of the Italian Grand Prix heading into Singapore and speak about the death of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert. We also address the international basketball scene with the U.S.A. being eliminated from the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
HSU’s club baseball team gets ready for competition with informational meeting
The Humboldt State Baseball Club prepared for its upcoming fall season with an informational meeting on Sept. 7 at the Redwood Bowl. The team went over basic information like club dues, practice times, expectations of the players and their tentative season schedule.
HSU’s Baseball Club President Martin Gordillo at the Redwood Bowl on Sept. 6. | Photo by Liam Warner
Even though Humboldt State does not have an intercollegiate baseball team that would have the benefit of being in the NCAA and able to recruit players on athletic scholarships, the club team offers a more tight-knit atmosphere. It also allows players of all skill levels the experience and play time that they might not receive elsewhere.
According to the club’s president Martin Gordillo the important part of being on the team is the experience and having a good time.
“You get the travel experience, and you get the playing time,” Gordillo said. “It’s like when you were playing baseball in high school.”
HSU Baseball Club Vice President Alejandro Caravalho at the Redwood Bowl on Sept. 6. | Photo by Liam Warner
The club baseball team is completely student-coached. For Alejandro Caravalho, the club’s vice president who transferred from the College of The Redwoods baseball team, the student-coached model allows for more flexibility and more player choice in how the team is run.
“It’s more collaborative, rather than a dictatorship where the coach’s word is law,” Caravalho said. “I have a more informed role on the team where we discuss finances, and we get a say as opposed to a coach telling us what to do.”
The club baseball team also gets the benefit of practicing and playing their home games at the Arcata Ballpark in downtown Arcata. The park is home to the Humboldt Crabs during the summer months.
Travel Secretary Willie Cestarollo (#6) practices his pitching motion at the Redwood Bowl on Sept. 6. | Liam Warner
During the meeting, Travel Secretary Willie Cestarollo talked about the Arcata Ballpark being one of the best baseball facilities in Northern California and mentioned how visiting club teams praise the ballpark as one of the best facilities that they visit.
The team plays in the National Club Baseball Association, which is comprised of club baseball teams from schools across the country. HSU’s division consists of teams such as Stanford, Sacramento State and St. Mary’s and are teams that HSU will play in the spring.
Slated for the fall season is a trip down to Chico State and two non-conference home series games at the Arcata Ballpark. The first one is September 28-29 against the Humboldt Eagles and then November 16-17 versus Sonoma State, weather permitting.
“I like the team because it’s small,” Gordillo said. “It’s easier for us to get closer with one another.”
Coaches and players from HSU’s volleyball, cross country and soccer teams spoke about the upcoming season
The fall sports season is almost underway here on the North Coast and head coaches and select players from Humboldt State’s volleyball, cross-country and soccer teams were in the press room at Lumberjack Arena to discuss their upcoming season.
They talked about their previous season of play, along with their expectations and strategy against their opponents. The mood in the room was hopeful and optimistic as each sport has its entire upcoming season around the corner.
Volleyball
Lumberjack volleyball started their 2019 season on September 6th at the Toro Classic in Carson, CA on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. After a winless 2018 conference play season, the volleyball team finished with an overall record of 3-23. Head Coach Kelly Wood is determined to change the dynamic going into this season.
“We don’t want to go through that again, we don’t want to end on another losing streak,” Wood said. “They worked really hard on the basics again, serving and passing and all that, but also are having a lot of tough and difficult conversations.”
Despite past struggles, Wood seemed hopeful with the group of players that she has going into the 2019 season.
“I just think we’re all on the same page, and we all have a little more faith and a little more trust in one another,” Wood said.
Cross-Country
While all other sports start out on the road, the men’s and women’s cross country teams start their season at home. The Humboldt Invitational was on September 6th Baywood Golf and Country Club in Arcata.
Head Coach Jamey Harris talked about the advantage of being at home and knowing the course better than the visiting competitors.
“Knowing how to run fast on some of the more difficult parts and how to measure your effort through it should be helpful both this weekend and through the season,” Harris said. “We love getting out there and knowing our first meet is going to be at home on our own course,”
“We’re looking forward to showcasing what we’ve got, and hopefully the Arcata running community will get excited,” Harris said.
Senior runner Joseph Shanahan also went up to the podium and talked about his experience running the Baywood course.
“For me, it was a relatively difficult course,” Shanahan said. “There’s a big hill and a pretty gradual uphill, and you’re either going up or going down.”
Women’s Soccer
The HSU women’s soccer team finished with a record of 6-9-2 last season, but the record was mostly attributed to playing in the very competitive CCAA conference. Head Coach Paul Karver knows what the team needs to do to win, but he also understands what the team is up against in CCAA play.
“They’re really dedicated to making that push, and we have the players that can get it done,” Karver said. “Unfortunately, everyone else in the conference does, and we play in the best conference in the country.”
Karver talked about the preseason practices being very competitive, and with a smaller roster than usual more players will get a chance to play during the season.
“We have a lot of high soccer-IQ kids, and that’s going to allow us to move things around,” Karver said. “It has made training every single day competitive, it made it really fun and it’s a really fun group to be around.”
Men’s Soccer
The HSU men’s soccer team came off a 2018 season finishing 7-8-2, but the good news is they return with a good core group of players from last year, along with some bright new prospects. One of the experienced returners, senior goalkeeper Robert Quintero, mentioned how a skilled and fast team made him hopeful.
“I think we’re strong both offensively and defensively,” Quintero said. “Offensively we have some of the fastest guys on top, and they can put the ball in the back of the net.”
Head Coach Fred Jungemann talked about the team’s goals. For example, trying to make the CCAA conference tournament and win more games than last year. Building a strong culture for HSU soccer and having guys who mesh well together was another big emphasis.
“There’s a really good group of guys, not just on the field but their personalities fit together very well,” Jungemann said. “One of our biggest strengths is that we have a close-knit group of guys that enjoy being together, not just on the field but off the field.”
Benjamin Shaeffer’s double life as an HSU philosophy professor and Crabs’ baseball announcer
It’s a brisk June night in downtown Arcata as Benjamin Shaeffer arrives at the ballpark around 6:30 in the evening. He climbs up the ladder to the media booth, sets his personal belongings down, and says hello to the other people working in the booth that night.
Before the game starts, Shaeffer will usually talk to the others in the booth about world events of that day, philosophical musings, or about how bad the Giants are doing. He looks over the lineups for both teams, noting the pronunciation of the players’ names and he fills out his fielding chart, putting a player’s name in each position on the baseball diamond.
It’s around 6:45 p.m. when Shaeffer gets ready to put his voice on air, connecting to hundreds of radios, phones, and computers across Humboldt County and beyond. He puts his headset on, waits for the countdown to go on air, then begins the broadcast with, “Good evening Crabs fans around the world and around the block, on the world wide web, and on the radio, it’s time for Crabs baseball!”
Shaeffer is the current philosophy department chair and for almost 10 months of the year he teaches philosophy full time at Humboldt State University. For two months every summer, he spends his evenings in the Arcata Ballpark broadcast booth.
Shaeffer grew up in the Southern California city of El Monte, 13 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Journalism was his primary interest as he was the editor of his high school paper and then majored in journalism at Pasadena City College. But it wasn’t long before he started to lose interest in journalism, and it was then that he began to find what he believed to be his true calling in life.
“When I discovered philosophy, I realized that these are the questions I’ve been wondering about my whole life. I just didn’t know that you could get paid to ask them.”
Benjamin Shaeffer
“It seemed like it was more about selling papers than it was about informing people what was going on in the world,” Shaeffer said. “When I discovered philosophy, I realized that these are the questions I’ve been wondering about my whole life, I just didn’t know that you could get paid to ask them.”
Shaeffer went on to get his bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Cruz and then later received his Ph.D. at UC Santa Barbara. In 1998, not long after earning his degree at UCSB, Shaeffer accepted what he thought at the time was a one-year teaching position at Humboldt State University. Like many students and faculty who make the trek from LA to Humboldt, Shaeffer was not sure what to expect and was anxious about living in an unfamiliar place so far from home. He was certain that he wasn’t going to be in Humboldt for long and imagined he would return to his job in SoCal soon.
“I had this image of Humboldt,” Shaeffer said. “I thought I was going to live in the woods and it was going to be quiet like a small town. But when I got to Eureka and saw the Bayshore Mall, I was a little bit upset.”
Benjamin Shaeffer fills out his scorebook prior to the game. | Photo by Liam Warner
Aside from his interest in philosophy, a constant presence and a dear friend throughout Shaeffer’s life has been baseball. Shaeffer does not consider himself a sports fan as he has never been interested in other popular sports like basketball or football, but when it comes to baseball, he can recall the exact moment he fell in love with the sport.
“When I was seven, at the end of the street I grew up on, there was a park with a little league field,” Shaeffer said. “I remember going down there and just being fascinated by watching these kids plays baseball. I started to play as soon as I was old enough to play, but I didn’t get past little league.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Shaeffer discovered the Humboldt Crabs baseball team that played their summers in downtown Arcata.
“I was in heaven,” Shaeffer said.”I started to hang out at the games, and in 1999 there was an opening for a ballpark announcer. I wanted to be the ballpark announcer.”
Although Shaeffer didn’t get the ballpark announcing gig, there was an opening for an official scorer and he took that position. After being the official scorer for a year and hanging out in the booth next to the radio broadcasters, Shaeffer was given a chance to be on the radio. He would then join Robert “Hoke” Holcomb on the Crabs radio broadcast, and that started a summer tradition that continues to this day.
“I always said that if you didn’t get along with Benjamin Shaeffer you had a personality disorder and you needed to see somebody.”
Hoke Holcomb
“So I sat right next to [the radio broadcasters],” Shaeffer said. “I would interject things over the air, and then after the first season Hoke asked me if I wanted to volunteer. He asked me ‘why don’t you be my color man?’”
Benjamin Shaeffer and Hoke Holcomb would develop both an on-air and off-air friendship that would last 19 summers before Hoke retired at the end of the 2018 season. Shaeffer and Hoke both came from an academic background, were politically active, but most importantly loved the game of baseball, and that made for instant on-air chemistry.
“I always said that if you didn’t get along with Benjamin Shaeffer you had a personality disorder and you needed to see somebody,” Holcomb said. “I think he brings enthusiasm to the broadcast without having that enthusiasm drown out what he’s conveying.”
Throughout his summers as the voice of the Crabs, Shaeffer has brought a unique perspective to the sport of baseball, often sprinkling philosophical musings throughout the broadcast. His philosophical background allows him to view the game in a different light, valuing the slow and building moments of the game rather than the high energy, action-packed moments.
Photo by Liam Warner
“I think the thing about baseball that is philosophical is its slowness and its meditative quality,” Shaeffer said. “It creates tension and that’s the source of its excitement, rather than speed and things moving really fast. It builds to these moments of tension that have to get resolved.”
Tim “Tres” O’Brien is one of the Crabs’ current ballpark announcers. He worked in the booth back in 2004 and then returned to his ballpark announcing duties in 2016. Tres has listened to Shaeffer both in the booth and on the radio, and he talked about what made Shaeffer a unique baseball announcer.
“Benjamin, while I think his style is more straightforward, he would have intellectual humor that would come out here and there,” O’Brien said. “He would ‘mini ponder’ about a certain play, and he would bring this other element to announcing a baseball game.”
Shaeffer’s day job might be teaching philosophy for most of the year, but to him, there is no better place to be during the summer than high up on that perch above the Arcata Ballpark, watching baseball.
“If I find somewhere where there’s baseball, I go,” Shaeffer said.
A Q&A with HSU interim Athletic Director Jill Willson
The athletic department at Humboldt State is in a transition phase under the new administration of President Tom Jackson Jr. Previous interim Athletic Director Duncan Robins left his position in June.
While searching for a permanent Athletic Director, President Jackson recruited Jill Willson and her company Double L Consulting for the position. Willson received her degree in biology from West Texas A&M University, then went on to coach the women’s basketball team and later run the athletic department for the university. Willson specializes in Division II athletics, more specifically in community outreach and recruiting and she serves on an NCAA committee for Division II athletics. Willson created Double L consulting to help Division II schools run their athletic department during times of transition.
Could you tell me about your personal background and the company you are with?
I’m a longtime women’s basketball coach and former athletic director at Texas A&M- Kingsville, which is where I spent the majority of my career. In 2007 I started my own company, which is called Double L consulting, two L’s in Jill and two L’s in Willson is how I came up with the name. I really founded the company to help Division II schools across the country. I help schools with the membership process and the transition from NAIA or Division III to Division II programs. I arrange all of the community engagement events for the Division II National Championship events. Three years ago I diversified Double-L consulting to help schools hire athletic directors, and what we do is help fill the seat while the athletic department is doing the search, so they are not down a staff member.
What are your goals, within the athletic department, for the upcoming academic year?
Our job is to help build a quality pool of candidates for the search committee to help find the next Humboldt State Athletic Director. It’s my goal to do a bit of a program review and evaluate what kinds of things we are going well and what things we need to work on so that when the permanent athletic director is hired in January, they can take off and run.
What is your current evaluation of the athletic department and where do you want it to be when you turn the reigns to the next athletic director?
Honestly, what makes Humboldt such an amazing institution is the people, and the athletic department staff is no different. They do a tremendous job at recruiting student-athletes and getting them to be great athletes, helping them do well academically and getting them to graduate. I think this is a great opportunity to help the athletic department to do an even better job at what they already do well.
What qualities are you looking for in the next athletic director for Humboldt State?
You need to have someone come in that is committed to making a difference in Humboldt County and on-campus at HSU. We need to have someone who can help fundraise, and the responsibility of the next athletic director will be to find new revenue streams and open up the athletic department to new boosters and new donors. Being a great leader and leading by example on campus for the student-athletes is crucial, and we need to be able to hold coaches accountable for academic success as well.
Liam Warner, Thomas Lal, Skye Kimya, Albert Muro, Weston Lazarus, and special guest Matt Shiffler talk local and national sports
Listen to the KRFH sports show live on Thursdays from 5PM to 7PM on 105.1 KRFH or KRFH.net.
Listen here:
Part 1: We talk about HSU softball and the exciting way they wrapped up their season. We also have an track and field update as our Lumberjacks head to the conference championships. We also have Lumberjack sports editor Matt Shiffler on to discuss local MMA star Cass Bell and his big win.
Part 2: If you’re a Dodger fan, you probably don’t want to listen to this segment. We talk about the San Francisco Giants huge series win over the rival Dodgers and the Giants struggles and strengths so far this season. We also talk about other news from around Major League Baseball.
Part 3: We have a special Formula one racing segment with Thomas and Surya. They talk about the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan and all other things F1!
Part 4: The hockey segment. We talk about the San Jose Sharks upcoming playoff game against the Colorado Avalanche. We also talk about the other Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Part 1: We start off with an HSU softball and track and field update. Then we cover the NFL draft as it happens! We discuss the first five picks of the draft and the effects on the teams involved.
Part 2: We continue with our NFL draft coverage. We also talk about the NBA playoffs and things get a little spicy between Weston and Gabe.
Part 3: We continue our NBA playoffs discussion. We talk about what has happened in first round action and we preview the second round of the playoffs.
Part 0: We have a special pre-show Formula 1 racing update from Thomas and Surya. They discuss the race in Bahrain and some Formula 1 history.
Part 1: We talk about HSU softball’s current hot streak. We also discuss Humboldt track and field action and HSU club baseball’s upcoming series. We finish the segment by talking about Tiger Woods’ comeback at the Masters golf tournament.
Part 2: We discuss news and scores from around Major League Baseball. We start with Tim Anderson’s controversial bat flip and we discuss showboating in baseball. We also talk about the positives and mostly negatives from the current San Francisco Giants season.
Part 3: We talk about Stanley Cup Playoff Hockey. We discuss the multiple shocking upsets around the league and the struggles of the San Jose Sharks vs the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Part 4: The Footy segment. We discuss UEFA Champions League action. We preview the U.S. Men’s National Team in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup and we also preview the U.S. Women’s National Team in the upcoming World Cup this summer.
Part 1: We talk about two huge additions for the HSU men’s basketball team, the HSU softball team’s winning streak, track and field action, an F1 update from Thomas, and we talk about the (then ongoing) Masters golf tournament.
Part 2: Liam goes on a rant about his Sacramento Kings firing Dave Joerger, we talk about the NBA playoff picture and the chaos surrounding the LA Lakers, and we talk about Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki’s final games.
Part 3: We talk about the San Francisco Giants offensive struggles and their series against Gabe Rivera’s beloved San Diego Padres. We also talk about the other scores and stories from around Major League Baseball.
Part 4: We preview the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and we discuss the San Jose Sharks defensive and goaltending struggles coming into their series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Part 1: We talk about the newest acquisition for HSU men’s basketball, HSU softball, the Green and Gold Invite for HSU track and field, and we discuss our March Madness brackets.
Part 2: It’s finally baseball season! We talk about MLB opening day, Gabe boasts about his talented San Diego Padres squad, and the San Francisco Giants fans on the crew air their frustrations.
Part 3: We talk about the race to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the San Jose Sharks recent struggles, and comments made by LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
Part 4: We talk about the soccer scores around the world during the FIFA international window. We discuss the UEFA European Qualifiers, U.S Men’s national team friendlies, and racism in soccer.
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