Fortuna Huskies honored for their sportsmanship in the fall of 2023

By barstoolfanatics on January 10, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Submitted photo – Fortuna Athletic Director Mike Benbow and some of the Huskies fall sports student-athletes received the 2023 H-DNL Fall Sportsmanship Award at halftime of Tuesday night’s basketball game.

By Ray Hamill — It was a good fall for Fortuna High sports in more ways than one.

The Huskies enjoyed memorable campaigns in football, volleyball, soccer, cross country, girls tennis and girls golf, but perhaps the biggest impact they had was how they collectively conducted themselves.

On Tuesday night, at halftime of the school’s boys basketball game against Eureka, the Huskies were honored as the H-DNL Fall Sportsmanship Award winners.

The award is handed out to one of the league’s 11 schools after each of the fall, winter and spring seasons.

And the 2023 fall winners are the Huskies, who become the first Big 5 school to earn the honor.

“I’m very proud that our school has been recognized with the H-DN sportsmanship award,” school athletic director Mike Benbow said. “It’s a testament to the dedication and character of our student-athletes, coaches and the entire school community.”

The sportsmanship award is the brainchild of the league’s Student Athlete Advisory Council, which initiated the awards at the start of the 2022/23 school year.

The awards are based on input from three different groups — officials, coaches and school administrators.

The inaugural award winner was NorthCoast Prep in the fall of 2022, with Ferndale winning last year’s winter award and St. Bernard’s receiving the honor last spring.

The league also hands out an annual sportsmanship award for the school that shows the best sportsmanship over the course of all three seasons, an award that was won last year by the South Fork Cubs.

Fortuna is the first Big 5 school to receive the honor and it’s something the Huskies are proud of, according to Benbow.

“We prioritize sportsmanship as a core value, fostering a positive and respectful environment for all participants,” said Benbow, who also is head coach of the Fortuna football team. “This award is a reflection of our commitment to excellence both on and off the field.”

Fortuna was one of just two H-DNL schools with no ejections of any players, coaches or fans during the fall sports seasons, which added to their overall ratings for the award.