Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Del Norte senior Colton Schaad, middle, has been named the 2024 Big 4 Defensive MVP.

By Ray Hamill — After winning a fifth straight Big 4 title in football this fall, it was no surprise to see the Del Norte Warriors well represented on the conference all-league team. 

Two players in particular played key roles on the march to the championship, and both were rewarded with MVP honors.

On offense, senior running back Benjamin Borges was named MVP, while on defense, senior linebacker Colton Schaad was named co-MVP along with Fortuna senior Jake Houseworth.

All three MVPs left their mark on the 2024 season, with Houseworth also playing a key leadership role for the Huskies, who finished second in conference.

After a slow start to the season, which saw them drop two of their opening three games, the Warriors went on an eight-game winning streak, including a perfect run through conference play and a victory in their playoff opener against Kelseyville.

And Borges and Schaad helped set the tone during their remarkable run, not just with the level of their play but also how they approached the game and the work ethic they showed during the offseason.

“Ben took over in all of the fourth quarters,” Del Norte head coach Darren LaFazio said. “He’s in the weight room al the time, and he’s a team guy. Him and Schaad both played their hearts out.”

Borges was a tough running back to bring down and made opposing defensive players know it.

“He’s just hard-nosed,” LaFazio added. “He does it the Del Norte way. He finished off his runs.

“And he’s worked his butt off to get to where he is. And he’s a great kid.”

Schaad was both physically imposing and a student of the game and he was the heart and soul of the best defense in the H-DNL this year.

“He ran the defense for us,” LaFazio said. “He’s jus smart. Very smart. He reads the game. We do a lot of different schemes and he knows them.

“And he’s very physical and a hell of a wrestler.”

The senior linebacker also earned the reputation as a player who never takes a play off and gives it his all every time the ball is snapped.

Benjamin Borges (24) celebrates the Big 4 championship with his teammates.

“He gets after it,” the coach added. “He tries his hardest every play.”

Borges likely will continue his football career at the college level, while Schaad, who is one of the best wrestlers the H-DNL has seen in the past decade and a defending North Coast Section champion, will likely compete in wrestling in college.

Houseworth too will continue his football career at the next level.

The standout Fortuna linebacker recently committed to play for the University of California Berkeley and is another player who has earned the respect of his peers, not just with the level of his play but also with the manner in which he conducts himself on and off the field.

“Jake Houseworth has been our leader for several years, and he’s not just a great player but an even better teammate,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said. “Always willing to do whatever his team needed ho to do, he consistently puts the success of the group above all else.

“Jake is a special player whose dedication and character make him someone our entire community can be proud of.”

Jake Houseworth has committed to play at Cal after graduation.

Borges and Schaad weren’t the only Warriors honored on the all-league teams.

Eight different Del Norte players were named to the all-league team and six others received an honorable mention.

Aidan Rice, Curtis Bartley, Tobias Meyers, William McCovey, Braydan Johnson and Dane Brown join Borges and Schaad on the all-league team after impressive seasons for all of them.

No team showed more improvement throughout the season than the Warriors.

The Huskies, meanwhile, had six players included on the all-league team.

In addition to the outstanding Houseworth, the other Fortuna honorees include Chandler Crenshaw, Mariquis Ludd, Hunter Reback, Tim Still and Kavi Bolden.

The Eureka Loggers had four players included on the all-league team after a breakout season for the program that saw them take some big steps in the right direction under first-year head coach Sam Edmonds.

Kyle Johnston, Chayton Rose, Michael Jewell and Cole Harbin all were named all-league for the Loggers.

The St. Bernard’s Crusaders, meanwhile, finished without a win in their three conference games, but they pushed the Warriors all the way in a one-point loss in the regular-season finale.

The Crusaders had a pair of all-league selections, with  Michael Manzi and Jahseree Bailey included.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Del Norte — Kanyon Starkey, Sawyer Fry, Greyson Franklin, Ricardo Borges, Aaron Burger, Yatish Patel

Fortuna — Mako Limon, Cody Chapman, Hunter Kelley

Eureka — Gavyn Haberman, Cole Zeller, Tama Fonoti, Tau Ou, Jadyn Payton, Michael Leen, Isaac Lopez, Dallin Baker

St. Bernard’s — Tyler Hinrichs, Josh Tinkham, Tyler Maples