It’s been a very successful few years for Del Norte High football and Warriors fans will be hoping for more of the same this fall.Last year, the Warriors clinched a fifth straight Big 4 championship with a thrilling 33-32 win at St. Bernard’s on the final day of the regular season, and there’s every reason to believe they can add to that impressive run this fall.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');The players reported for their first official practice of the preseason on Monday (Aug. 11) and will open the season at home against Hoopa later in the month.The Warriors will also travel to McKinleyville High School for the annual H-DNL preseason jamboree on Aug. 23, one week before their season opener.And head coach Darren LaFazio, now in his third year in charge of the program, is excited about the upcoming campaign and likes what he has seen from his players during the offseason. Particularly in the weight room.“Our kids are focused. I’m so proud of them,” he said. “The kids have been working hard in the weight room all year and it’s a beautiful thing. They buy in.” This year’s roster includes 16 seniors, most of whom are expected to have an impact and should be eager and ready to go against Hoopa.That group includes senior fullback/middle linebacker William McCovey, who sets the tone for his teammates in more ways than one.McCovey, who was an all-league selection last year, is a team leader on and off the field and appears poised for a big fall.“He’s done everything this year,” LaFazio said of McCovey, who has been a constant presence in the weight room. “He’s the best and he’s a great team leader. He’s as tough as they come.”Two other all-league selections from last year are also back and look set for big senior seasons.Tobias Meyers will line up alongside McCovey in the offensive backfield and also at inside linebacker, while fellow senior Dane Brown is back to anchor the trenches. Big things are also expected out of junior Max Borges (running back/linebacker) and senior lineman Yatish Patel, the latter of whom is 6-foot-6 and a beast in the weight room and could be in for a monster year.“We’ve got some good ball players and they just go for it,” LaFazio said. There also are some changes planned for the Big 4 this fall, with the conference switching from a three-week schedule to a six-week schedule, with a home-and-away format for all four schools.That should only add to the excitement of the race for the conference title.And LaFazio is expecting a battle in the Big 4, with St. Bernard’s, Fortuna and a rejuvenated Eureka all looking capable of causing problems. “(The league has) a bunch of talent for sure, and I think it’s going to be hard to win,” LaFazio said. “We’ve got a bunch of good coaches in our league too.”After their season opener at home against Hoopa, the Warriors will hit the road for four straight games, including non-conference matchups at Ashland, Arcata and Skyline in Oakland, as well as a conference-opening showdown at Fortuna in early October.They then return home for three straight home conference games against Eureka, St. Bernard’s and Fortuna, before closing out the regular season with back-to-back road games at Eureka (at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Redwood Bowl) and at St. Bernard’s.The North Coast section playoffs get under way on the third weekend of November. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });