Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Del Norte’s Carlee Harper is the 2024 Humboldt Sports Softball Player of the Year.

By Ray Hamill — After leading the Del Norte Warriors to an historic Big 5 and Charles Lakin tournament championship double this spring, junior catcher Carlee Harper is the 2024 Humboldt Sports Softball Player of the Year.

Harper, who was also named Big 5 MVP earlier this month, enjoyed an outstanding season for the conference champs and played a pivotal role in a postseason run that saw them reach the NorCal state playoffs.

And it wasn’t just her talents that paved the ay for her individual success, but the way she stepped up her game when it mattered most.

Harper caused problems for opposing teams in just about every aspect of the game.

She was without doubt the best catcher in the H-DNL this spring, as well as hitting for power and average, and when she reached base she was also arguably the most dynamic base runner in the league.

All in all, it was a season the young catcher won’t forget any time soon and she should only continue to improve.

“What stood out in my mind is her catching every game behind the plate, her work ethic and the effort she put into it,” Del Norte head coach Aaron Healy said of Harper after she was named conference MVP. “She truly bought into what we were asking of her, and when she got on base she caused chaos. She was just an all-around asset to the team.”

According to her coach, the hard-working Harper also grew in confidence this spring.

“It looked like she had more fun with the game and it looked like she understood the game more,” Healy added. “She had a lot more confidence and that showed on both sides, on defense and on offense.”

The multi-talented Harper also received an all-league honorable mention on the volleyball court this past year, showcasing her all-around talents.

Harper, who also was an all-league selection in softball last season, batted a remarkable .641 in conference play this spring and was arguably the most difficult catcher in the H-DNL to steal on.

And the accolades don’t end there for Harper.

After claiming a second straight Big 5 title and the program’s first-ever Charles Lakin tournament championship, the Warriors are the 2024 Humboldt Sports Softball Team of the Year.

They were not just successful, but they were clutch on the way to that success.

With the conference championship in the balance for much of the spring and both Fortuna and McKinleyville pushing them all the way to the final day of the regular season, the Warriors withstood the pressure and won 10 of their final 11 Big 5 games to claim the pennant.

After overcoming some injuries and inconsistency earlier in the campaign, the Del Norte girls grew stronger as the season went on and lived up to the billing as Big 5 favorites.

Perhaps most impressive of all was the fact that whenever they did suffer a setback someone always managed to step up for the team and fill the void.

With McKenna Curtis and Shay Nolan dominating in the circle, they had the best one-two pitching punch in the H-DNL and a defense that grew in confidence and stature as the season went on.

A relentless lineup also caused their opponents problems all spring and the Del Norte bats hit well one through nine.

Led by seniors Curtis, Reece White, Madison Calleja, Ava O’Reilley, Trinity Hawkins and Koy McQuillen, the Warriors were deserved Big 5 champs and a worthy choice for our team of the year.

Rounding out the end-of-season awards, South Fork’s Lisa Todd is the 2024 Humboldt Sports Softball Coach of the Year.

Todd was instrumental in leading the Cubs back to competition after they were unable to field a team last spring.

Not only did she step up to the challenge and revitalize the program, but she also led the Cubs to another North Coast Section championship, the only one for the H-DNL this season.

And with none of the players having played high school softball in two years, Todd had the added job of rebuilding the program on their way to success.

“I felt like we basically started from scratch this year,” she said. “They didn’t play last year and they needed time to work together, and some of the players hadn’t played much softball at all.

“It took a lot of work on both sides, players and coaches, but in the end I feel the hard work paid off.”

Remarkably, Todd has led the Cubs to three NCS championships in her last three full seasons in charge of the team (2018, 2019 and 2024), firmly establishing the program as one of the most dangerous when it comes to the section playoffs, regardless of divisions.