Phoos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Eagles 19Us manager Scott St. John talks to Rhythm Green during one of the team’s games this summer.

By Ray Hamill — Scott St. John believes the future of the Humboldt Eagles is in good hands, and he’s excited to be a part of that.

St. John, who admits he thought he was done with coaching earlier this year, returned to the fold this summer to oversee the Eagles 19Us.

The summer season not only helped the former Mack High and Humboldt B-52s coach rediscover his love for coaching, but also opened his eyes to the potential of the longtime local American Legion club.

St. John admits there is still plenty of work to be done, but having already committed to return next year he’s optimistic about the future of the team and what the Eagles can achieve.

“I’m really excited about where the team is going to go in the future of this organization,” he said. “The board have a clear vision of what they want and now it’s just a matter of let’s go out and get it done.”

His first summer in charge of the team was an educational one for St. John.

Among other things, he believes the Eagles have a “rising star” in the coaching ranks, that the schedule needs to be addressed, and that the team still lacks some of the best talent available in the county, something he finds disappointing.

First the good.

The Eagles roster, which is made up of some of the best high school and college players in the county, finished the summer with an impressive 17-10 record, with six of their losses coming by the narrowest of margins.

The highlight moment of the campaign was at the Fairfield Firecracker tournament, a competitive tournament which the Eagles won.

“For me, I think about all those one-run losses and just not being able to get over the hump,” the coach said. “But all year long, the Crabs and Petaluma were the only two teams I left the field thinking that team was better than us.

“So in that way, maybe it was a little disappointing, but for what (the Eagles) are trying to do and what they’ve been through the past few years, we did good.”

As with many summer teams all across the country, having enough players for tournaments every weekend is always a challenge, taking into account vacations and other commitments a busy group of players have.

But St. John says he would like to have a true all-county all-star team and believes several players around the area missed out on a golden opportunity.

“We have the talent in the area to compete at the state level, that’s for sure,” he said. “And I’m disappointed not being able to get all that talent to play. That’s my biggest frustration. There are five other kids out there that would have helped us for sure.”

In the contemporary landscape of the sport, many young players believe they need to play for well-known travel teams if they want to grab the attention of college coaches.

“I don’t necessarily buy into that, but I’m sure there are some who do,” St. John said. 

The manager, however, was more than happy with the players he had available and says he thoroughly enjoyed his summer traveling and competing with them, while getting to know the players and their parents .

Likewise with the coaches, a staff that included Sean Brantley, Cam Saso and Kenton Johnson, all of whom have committed to return next summer along with St. John.

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

One of the young coaches in particular caught the attention of the manager.

“Cam Saso is a rising star as a coach in this area,” St. John said of the former McKinleyville High and Humboldt Crabs player. “I was so impressed with what he did this summer. And Brantley is a great coach and someone I’ve known for years, and Kenton Johnson too.

“All four of us worked really well together and we’re on the same page.”

The players also made the experience special.

“It was a great group of kids this year,” St. John added. “I had kind of given up on coaching and then I got a call out of the blue and I felt this is where I needed to be.”

St. John says he is more than happy with the direction the Eagles board is taking and is optimistic about the future of the longtime club that has been a big part of the Humboldt County summer sports landscape for generations.

“(Eagles president) Teri (Levitt) and the rest of the board are pretty fired up about where we’re at and making this thing bigger and better,” St. John said. 

Submitted photo

One thing St. John would like to see is an increase in the number of games, from 27 this year to between 35 and 40 in 2027.

And with the contacts he has in the sport, he believes it’s possible to add several more games in Oregon, although he acknowledges it’s difficult to get teams to travel to Humboldt County.

“If we expand our schedule, I think that would be a better draw (for players),” he said. 

Several players impressed for the team this summer, including the always dangerous Garrett Levitt, who is coming off an outstanding year playing for the Eureka Loggers and the Eagles, along with Michael Manzi and soon-to-be high school seniors Ryder Mitchell, Rhythm Green and Joe Tanno, among many others.

“These guys are going into their senior year of high school and I can’t wait to have these guys back next year,” St. John said. 

A pair of 16-year-olds — Tate Saso and Jake Brunner — each also impressed for the Eagles this summer after playing key roles for the McKinleyville Panthers in the spring.

“I’d say I’m excited about where the program is going, that’s for sure,” St. John said. “They asked me back and I want to come back. I really believe we can compete at the Area and State level if we get everybody to come out.”