Photo: Greta Ferrell Dodson Turney.

Hip, hip hooray for the Redwood Empire Little League 11-Year-Old All-Star Squad, which defeated cross-state rivals East Redding last night to clinch a slot in the Northern California Little League State Championship this weekend!

The RELL 11-year-olds emerged with top honors from a grueling sectional tournament in Chico, where the Eureka-area baseballers went 4-1 in serieses against East Redding and Paradise. Highlights included a squeaky 14-13 win over Paradise and a no-hitter from RELL pitcher Nicholas Duggan in a 2-1 victory over East Redding.

Now it’s on to the state championship tournament, which begins this weekend in Anderson. Teams from all over northern California — defined, for Little League purposes, as anything north of the Grapevine — will congregate and compete there for a full week.

Many congratulations, too, to the RELL 10-year-old squad, which fell just short of advancing to state in a crushing loss to a hometown Susanville crew:

So it’s on to state with the 11-year-olds! You can follow their progress by fanning up on their Facebook page, or else you can check the team’s progress on the frequently updated Redwood Empire Little League website.

Here are some more photos from the 11-year-olds’ matches in Chico, courtesy of proud mom Greta Ferrell Dodson Turney:

Claiming the banner after last-night’s victory.

Korbyn Turney, about to jam a line drive down East Redding’s throat in Tuesday’s match.

Chet Keasey snags a fly ball, preserving pitcher Nicholas Duggan’s no-hitter.

Where does Redwood Empire Little League rank, overall?