Foltmer, Cory stepping out once 2024 season is complete
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKE COUNTY >> The high school football landscape is about to undergo a dramatic change.
When the 2025 season opens some nine months from now, the two coaches with the most continuous years of service will be gone. Middletown High School icon Bill Foltmer, who is retiring upon completion of his 40th year with the Mustangs, won’t be the only one moving on. Mark Cory, Clear Lake’s varsity coach since 2016, is also resigning. Cory coached his final game Friday night during the Bass Bowl against Kelseyville, wrapping up a successful nine-year run as the Cardinals’ skipper.
Cory announced the news to his team and school officials last week. A search for a new coach will soon be under way. Cory will coach the varsity boys basketball team this season, his second as head coach, but that will be it. By this time next year he will be traveling and living abroad.
A longtime assistant coach for a very successful Eureka High School program, Cory said he dreamed about the day he would be the head coach somewhere, and it was Clear Lake’s good fortune to land him nearly a decade ago. A selection committee considered several candidates for the job, but Cory was deemed the best pick, and the results speak for themselves.
Taking over a program in complete disarray following a 2-8 season in 2015 when the Cardinals had to forfeit two league games because of low numbers, Cory rejuvenated the program in short order. Turnout for the 2016 team was more than double from the previous season, and Clear Lake actually qualified for the playoffs. The Cardinals did even better in 2017, riding the arm of Alex Adam to the North Coast Section semifinals where they lost a 60-44 shootout with eventual section champion St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo.
After a couple of lean years in 2018 and 2019, followed by the COVID-canceled season of 2020, Clear Lake went on a great three-season run (2021-23), going a combined 17-4 in league and 28-8 overall (best in the county), including league titles in 2022-23, a North Coast Section championship in 2022, and a berth in the state playoffs that same season, marking the first time a Lake County team has made it that far.
The 2022 season was particularly memorable as the Cardinals set a school record for wins in a season (12) while also securing the school’s first section championship since 1998. To capture that section championship, Clear Lake upset No. 1 seed St. Vincent of Petaluma 56-55 at Rancho Coate High School in Rohnert Park, perhaps the greatest game ever played by a county team. The Cardinals went on to lose to Orland, the eventual state champion, in the NorCal championship game of the CIF playoffs.
With nearly all of its key skill position players back in 2023, Clear Lake appeared to be in a great position to repeat its 2022 success, but a late-season season injury to starting quarterback Jake Soderquist forced them to settle for just a co-league championship. They lost to eventual section and state champion Ferndale in the semifinals of the sectional playoffs, a last-minute drive to tie the game falling short in a 20-12 loss.
While the recently completed 2024 season – Clear Lake will accept a forfeit win from Cloverdale this coming Friday because the Eagles are no longer fielding a varsity team because of injuries – was not what Cory had hoped for, such are the fortunes of a small school public high school coach.
For his career at Clear Lake, Cory went 48-40 overall, including a 33-25 league mark and 5-5 postseason record. He took the Cardinals to the postseason five times in eight seasons (throwing out the 2020 COVID year).
“I had a lot of fun,” Cory said while looking back on his nine years at Clear Lake. “My whole thing was to leave the program in better shape than I found it.
“I wanted to be a head coach somewhere, I had no idea that I would end up in Clear Lake,” Cory added. “They made me feel welcome here and I’ve enjoyed my time. Leaving is bittersweet in a way.”
With Cory on the sidelines coaching the Cardinals in basketball for the next few months, there certainly is plenty of time for CLHS fans to thank him for a job well done while saying goodbye. The school has some big shoes to fill.
Looking back at Week 10 highlights and lowlights:
Statistics
Rushing – Kyle Watkins gained 179 yards on only 11 carries, including an 86-yard touchdown run, as Kelseyville beat Clear Lake 40-14 in Bass Bowl XIV. The Knights came pretty close to having three 100-yard rushers on the night as quarterback Brock Barrick finished with 102 yards and a TD while running back Michael DeJohn added 84 yards and a touchdown. Middletown’s ever-productive backfield of Trenton Griffith and Tyler Galamay struck again. Griffith gained 173 yards and scored four times in a 48-0 victory over Lower Lake. Galamay, just a freshman, added 69 yards and two TDs. Jon Barnes of Upper Lake finished with 75 yards on 14 carries in a 23-0 loss at Willits. Clear Lake’s Zane McAuley had 64 yards on 14 carries and a TD against Kelseyville.
Passing – A fairly quiet Week 10 on the passing front. Clear Lake’s AJ Bruch went 9-for-22 for 111 yards and a TD against Kelseyville while Knights counterpart Brock Barrick went 6-for-12 for 97 yards, but three of those completions went for touchdowns.
Receiving – Kelseyville running back Kyle Watkins caught two passes, both for touchdowns, in the Knights’ Bass Bowl victory over Clear Lake. Adrian Truby hauled in a TD pass for the Cardinals in the third quarter of that game.
Special teams
4-for-6 – Kelseyville’s Jose Juarez banged through four of his six extra-point attempts despite wet field conditions during Bass Bowl XIV.
Kickoff return woes – It’s been a tough season for Clear Lake football in general, but especially for its kickoff return unit. The Cardinals failed to cover another kickoff in the second half against Kelseyville, leading to a Knights touchdown.
Defense
Safeties – Kelseyville’s junior varsity team took a 2-0 lead into the fourth quarter of its 9-0 win over Clear Lake. Willits’ final two points against Upper Lake in varsity action also were the result of a safety (and the soaked Willits field).
14 tackles – Kelseyville’s River Calhoun had four solo stops and 10 assists against Clear Lake. His teammate, Michael DeJohn, had 11 total tackles, including a sack.
Blanked – Middletown has shut out two of its last three opponents.
Bad weather, a defense’s best friend – In North Central League I varsity action Friday, two of the four games played were shutouts – Willits 23-0 over Upper Lake, and Middletown 48-0 over Lower Lake. Three of the four JV games also were shutouts – Kelseyville 9, Clear Lake 0, Middletown 39, Lower Lake 0, and Upper Lake 6, Willits 0.
Miscellaneous
Welcome to 1,000 yards – Kelseyille’s Michael DeJohn needed 83 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the season and he gained 84 in the team’s Bass Bowl win over Clear Lake.
Streaks — Kelseyville’s varsity has won seven straight and Lower Lake’s has dropped six in a row. Middletown now owns a 16-game winning streak against Lower Lake dating back to the Trojans’ last win over the Mustangs in 2007.
NCL I race (varsity) – Kelseyville (7-0) hosts St. Helena (6-1) on Friday night at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport. Willits (7-1) has a bye this Friday. If Kelseyville wins, the Knights are the undisputed champions. If St. Helena wins, the race ends in a three-way tie.
NCL I race (JV) – Middletown (7-0) has already clinched a tie for the league championship and the only team that can catch them is Kelseyville (6-1). Middletown hosts Upper Lake (4-3) while Kelseyville hosts St. Helena (4-3) on Friday. If Middletown wins, the race is over. If Middletown stumbles and Kelseyville wins, the league ends in a tie.
Bass Bowl – Kelseyville has won its last two meetings with Clear Lake by almost identical scores – 40-14 this year, 42-14 last year, and now holds a 9-5 edge.
Pretty close – Lake County Sports asked its readers to submit their predictions for the Bass Bowl and there were some pretty good guesses. Former Kelseyville High three-sport star Noah Lyndall, soon to be Dr. Lyndall, guessed 42-14 Kelseyville while Melissa Dom Galamay had 40-16 Kelseyville. They tied for first place. Close behind were Carrie Bridges (42-13 Kelseyville) and Sharice Marie Sims (42-12 Kelseyville). They’ll all receive a set of Bill Foltmer commemorative 300-win pins.
Speaking of Foltmer – Middletown’s head coach is now tied for ninth place on the state’s list of all-time win leaders with 313.
Speaking of Foltmer Volume II – This is Bill Foltmer Appreciation Week. His final home game is Friday night against Upper Lake and Bill Foltmer Field should be rocking as Middletown fans support the only coach they’ve had since the 1985 season. That means the seniors on Foltmer’s first team are closing in on age 60. Think about that.
Speaking of Foltmer Volume III – Lake County Sports will be running three separate video reels featuring photos of Foltmer going way, way back. The first reel runs Tuesday, the second Wednesday, and the third Thursday. There’s still time for your photos to make one of those last two reels as long as you email them to briansumptermail@gmail.com by Tuesday noon.
Congrats! – All three division winners in the Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League are Lake County teams, and two of them are from Lower Lake. The Lower Lake pee wees upset No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Westshore 14-7 in a double-overtime thriller, while the Lower Lake varsity stunned No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Middletown 22-12. Middletown captured the junior varsity, capping an undefeated season (9-0-1) with a 34-14 victory over Sonoma.
More congrats – To the Kelseyville varsity volleyball team for a 17-7 season that included a North Central League I championship and a 1-1 record in the North Coast Section Division III playoffs.
Don’t even bother – You’re always free to leave your feedback on Lake County Sports stories as long as it’s not political in nature, which a few people tried this week. They were deleted and the authors instantly banned. Enjoy your freedom of speech but enjoy it on other sites where your political rants are welcome. This is a Lake County sports site.
Week 11 – The final week of the high school regular season features no shortage of good matchups, beginning with St. Helena at Kelseyville and also featuring Upper Lake at Middletown. Lower Lake also visits Fort Bragg. Clear Lake receives a forfeit from Cloverdale although the Clear Lake JV teams will travel to Cloverdale for its season finale.
Can’t give you what we don’t receive – We didn’t have any Lower Lake statistics to report again this week.
