Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Will Omey reacts during the state championship game last month.
By Ray Hamill — A great year for Will Omey and St. Bernard’s football just got even better.
On Thursday, CalHiSports.com named the Crusaders senior their small schools State Player of the Year.
“It’s an amazing honor,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “We’re all proud of Will.”
Omey, who is the first player from Humboldt County to receive the award, is coming off a sensational career as a two-year starter at quarterback for the Crusaders, including playing a pivotal role in their 6-AA state championship win last month.
The senior QB had more than 5,000 yards of total offense in his final season, and accounted for 60 touchdowns, remarkable stats by any standard.
For his career, Omey has 9,036 yards, while accounting for 111 TDs, most of those in the past two years, where he led the entire NCS in total yards in each season.
“The numbers he’s put up the last two years, and to culminate in a state championship, he really does deserve this honor,” Tomlin said.
Omey was inspirational in the state championship game — when the Crusaders defeated South 34-20 — accounting for 327 yards and all five touchdowns, including four TD runs.
Those remarkable numbers don’t even take into account his presence on defense, where he was an outstanding DB, nor his leadership.
“The biggest games we played in were the biggest he played,” Tomlin said. “He was really big for us when we needed it.”
Tomlin admits he was a little shocked when they got the call from Harold Abend at CalHiSports with the news on Thursday.
“It’s definitely a surprise for a school up here in Humboldt County, but at the same time it was very well deserved,” he said.
Omey, whose younger brother Grant showed plenty of promise as a freshman this past season, will have plenty of options to play college ball.
He already has received interest from several schools, including some Division-I programs.
“He’s looking at a number of options,” Tomlin said. “He’s a really good student and he’s trying to find the right fit academically as well.”
Omey’s teammate, linebacker Justin Hagler, is also expected to play college football and has also received interest at the Division-I level.
Categories: Football, Sports, St. Bernard's
