By Ray Hamill — The H-DNL is lucky to have some of the very best coaches in the entire North Coast Section, and just like with every other category in our end-of-year high school awards there was no shortage of worthy candidates for the 2024 Humboldt Sports High School Coach of the Year.

Two of our seven finalists led their teams to state championships, while two others led their teams to breakthrough championships.

A fifth continued to work his magic in Big 5 girls basketball and like a fine wine he appears to be getting better with age, while the other two appear to be building something special with their respective programs.

All seven of them enjoyed outstanding years, which makes our choice for coach of the year a difficult one.

The Humboldt Sports Coach of the Year is one of six end-of-year awards we’ll be handing out, along with Team of the Year and Big 5 and Little 4 Girls and Boys Athletes of the Year.

All of the finalists will be named in the coming days, with the award winners to be announced shortly afterwards.

And a huge thank you to the local businesses that have stepped up to help sponsor this year’s awards, a group that includes Mendes Supply, DelReka Distributing, Bode Construction, The Humboldt Fence Company, and Chris Prior of Coldwell Banker Cutten Realty, whose generosity ensures all six award winners will receive trophies to honor their accomplishments.

Here then is our list of seven finalists for the 2024 Humboldt Sports Coach of the Year in alphabetical order, as well as a few honorable mentions.

Justin Andersen

Ferndale Baseball

Andersen has been one of the top baseball coaches in the H-DNL for the past decade and he showed us why this spring in leading the Wildcats to a Little 4 and NCS championship double.

This year’s Cats epitomized team ball as much as anyone and Andersen was a big reason for that.

Cass Bell

Arcata Wrestling

The former Tigers standout wrestler is building something special at Arcata High since taking over as head coach three years ago.

The interest and numbers are way up for the Tigers, who won their first-ever girls league title this year, as well as an H-DNL dual meet title, and Bell’s infectious enthusiasm and coaching has played a big role in that success.

Mike Dobrec

McKinleyville baseball

The 2024 Humboldt Sports Baseball Coach of the Year, Dobrec led the Panthers to a Big 5 championship and the program’s first-ever Charles Lakin tournament title.

Like the Cats, the Panthers epitomized team ball as well as anyone this year, and Dobrec and his staff were a big reason for that as well.

Clint McClurg

Ferndale Football

McClurg led one of the most successful programs in H-DNL history to one of its most memorable seasons ever last fall, and he did it while overcoming setbacks and challenges along the way.

What was most impressive about McClurg and his staff is that they kept the Cats on track and focused despite two devastating regular season losses to Arcata and having to travel hundreds of miles for four of their five playoffs games.

Cliff Napoleon

Eureka Girls Basketball

Pound for pound, Eureka girls basketball might have been the best sports team in the H-DNL this year, and Napoleon deserves a lot of credit for that.

The longtime local coach had his players prepared for their biggest games of the year and led them to a remarkable fourth straight Dick Niclai tournament title and an undefeated Big 5 campaign.

Clinton Schaad

Del Norte Wrestling

The longtime Warriors coach has built one of the most consistently successful programs in H-DNL sports.

This year, in addition to winning another H-DNL boys championship, the Warriors finally secured an NCS Dual Meet Championship after several near misses in recent years.

Matt Tomlin

St. Bernard’s Football, Girls Basketball, Baseball

No local coach succeeds as consistently in so many sports better than Tomlin, who has established himself as one of the greatest coaches the H-DNL has ever seen.

This year he led the Crusaders to a first-ever co-championship in Big 4 football, and followed that by leading the SB girls to the league’s first-ever state championship in basketball, while becoming the first coach in state history to win a state title in both football and girls basketball.

Honorable Mentions

Mike Benbow (Fortuna Football), Meagan Curtis (Del Norte Volleyball), Chris Davis (McKinleyville Boys Basketball), Taylor Duncan (Del Norte Track and Field), Brian Finck (St. Bernard’s Girls Soccer and Softball), Onawa Gutierrez (Arcata Tennis), Issac Gildea and Pat Shanahan (St. Bernard’s Boys Basketball), Aaron Healy (Del Norte Softball), Wendy Joyner (St. Bernard’s Volleyball), Tommy Learmouth (Eureka Girls Soccer), Kellen Maynard (Arcata Boys Basketball), Taylor Morrow (South Fork Boys Basketball), Scott Pesch (Eureka Track and Field), Merk Robbins (Hoopa Wrestling), David Sanyaolu (Del Norte Boys Soccer), Lisa Todd (South Fork Softball), James Washington (Arcata Cross Country and Track and Field)