High school football season ends in Lake County as Kelseyville bows out
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKE COUNTY >> Welcome to the final edition of the high school football week in review courtesy of the Del Norte Warriors, who ended Kelseyville’s season a few weeks earlier than the Knights had hoped for with a 13-12 victory Friday night in Crescent City.
To be sure, Kelseyville went into the game with a chip on its shoulder after being forced to travel to near the Oregon border to play the Warriors. League champions generally have the advantage of playing their first game at home in the sectional playoffs unless said league champion, in this case the Knights, are paired with another league champion, in this case the Warriors, who are a higher seed, which was the case.
The chip-on-the-shoulder thing had absolutely nothing to do with a fine Del Norte program – the Warriors simply did what they were supposed to do, which is beat the Knights. It’s just that with the section’s new “championship competitive equity” system that allows teams to move up or down as many as two divisions from the base division, Kelseyville couldn’t but help be a little bit miffed, and many others were as well. Division 7, normally a division reserved for small schools, was suddenly hosting much bigger schools as Del Norte, which has nearly twice Kelseyville’s enrollment.
“They have twice the manpower to pick from,” Kelseyville head coach Leo Flores said of the Warriors. “We’re given what we’re given each year and have to plug the best players in place. We have to work with the players we’ve got.”
Added Flores, “Most of our players go both ways, not just one, so they’re out there all the time. They don’t get much of a break.”
The only small schools in Division 7 this year were Kelseyville, Ferndale, the smallest of all but a football powerhouse to be sure (and a defending state champion), and St. Bernard’s of Eureka (a private school that has the advantage of taking any athletes it wants in the Eureka area – just ask the bigger schools up there). Ferndale advanced to the semifinals with a 35-20 win over No. 7 Vallejo (a Division 5 school) and draws No. 3 Piedmont, a 42-26 winner over Fortuna, next Saturday in Ferndale. Moreau Catholic, another private school, is home on Friday to play Del Norte. Moreau Catholic routed St. Bernard’s 49-14 in the opening round, and Del Norte barely got by St. Bernard’s in its final league game, 33-32.
As for the now-eliminated Knights, the hunt for the school’s first section title in football since 1982 fell short, but not because of a lack of talent or effort. Kelseyville gave Del Norte all it could want and came up just short. One less mistake on offense or special teams, one less penalty, and it might have been a different story. The Knights’ defense turned in a superb effort as both Warriors touchdowns were the result of short fields – 20 yards late in the first half and 43 yards late in the fourth quarter.
With two Lake County coaches leaving after the 2024 season – Bill Foltmer is retiring after 40 straight seasons at Middletown while Clear Lake’s Mark Cory is stepping aside after nine years with the Cardinals — Kelseyville second-year coach Flores said he is unlikely to return as head coach next year. Assistant coach Logan Barrick, who ran Kelseyville’s defense, will likely move up while Flores would like to return as offensive line coach, which is his passion.
“I’m probably going to stop down and be the offensive line coach,” Flores said. “I’m leaning toward it. Between family time and work, it’s probably the best move for me.”
Whether he returns as head coach or not, Flores wants the 2024 Knights to know that they accomplished their mission.
“We achieved what we wanted. It’s not easy to win eight league games. Our league is a very difficult league. Seeing such great players become great young men, it’s exciting for me. They’re going to go on to great careers. I’m excited for them.”
Here’s a quick look back at the highlights and lowlights of Week 12:
Statistics
Rushing – Kelseyville quarterback Brock Barrick had 31 yards on seven carries while running back Kyle Watkins finished with 31 yards on four carries. Running back Michael DeJohn added 27 yards, 13 of those on a touchdown run capping the Knights’ first possession of the game. It was his team-leading 16th rushing TD of the year.
Passing – Brock Barrick went out with a solid 7-for-11 performance for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Receiving – Kyle Watkins caught five passes for 168 yards, the biggest catch a 76-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that gave the Knights a 12-6 lead. Hugh O’Boyle had one catch for 28 yards.
Special teams
Not a good night – Whether it was kickoffs, punts or extra-point tries, the Knights had a less-than-stellar evening, and it cost them the game.
Defense
Keeping busy – Daniel Anderson Reyes led the Knights with 13 total tackles while Michael DeJohn added 12 tackles and Jayden Teabo and River Calhoun had 10 each. Other tackle leaders were Adrian Garcia and Brock Barrick with eight apiece, Kyle Watkins, Milez Gambria and Adam Astrup with seven each, and Bryce Keener with five.
Goal-line stand – Leading 6-0, the Knights stopped Del Norte on downs at the 1-yard line in the second quarter. Later in the game Kelseyville took over on downs at the 12 as the defense once again came up big.
Miscellaneous
Thanks to those who keep the stats – Kelseyville, Middletown and Clear Lake never failed to report complete stats this year in a timely fashion. Upper Lake did pretty well.
Streaks – The loss to Del Norte snapped Kelseyville’s eight-game winning streak.
All-County football team – Will definitely have an orange and black hue to it this season. And thank you Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association for sponsoring the awards.
All-County volleyball team – Same as above. And thank you Adriana Marquez-Chavez of Glowing Smiles Dental Hygiene of Lakeport for sponsoring the awards.
Last fall athletes standing – County cross country runners compete this Saturday in the North Coast Section Championships in Hayward. Top qualifiers advance to the CIF State Championships the following weekend in Fresno. It’s always a special memory for me because my daughter Sarah finished second at the sectionals in Hayward in 2006 and won in 2007 while running for Healdsburg High School. She captured the state championship in Division 4 in 2007 before moving on to UC Davis to compete in cross country and track. She conquered every challenge set before her until cancer ended her life in 2015.
It’s still hard to believe – That Bill Foltmer won’t be on the sidelines in 2025, but I was fortunate to cover every one of his 40 seasons – 38 at the Lake County Record-Bee, the last two for Lake County Sports.
Winter sports – Ready or not, they’re here. Soccer (Kelseyville’s teams play in the winter) and basketball open this week. Middletown’s Mia Hoogendoorn needs just 37 points to reach 1,000 for her career. If she doesn’t reach the milestone Tuesday against Casa Grande in Petaluma, she’ll likely do it at home Saturday against Willits in non-league action. After that, the Mustangs’ next game isn’t until the start of the Piner Tournament on Dec. 5 in Santa Rosa. Before the season is over, Hoogendoorn could become the school’s all-time scoring leader (for girls and boys).
No. 5 in the state – Upper Lake’s Alexis Peregrina, a junior, enters the 2024-24 wrestling season ranked fifth in the state at 147 pounds.
Addendum to great fall sports season – Last week I mentioned that Kelseyville teams had a great fall sports season. So did Middletown’s. The junior varsity and varsity boys cross country teams won championships as did the junior varsity football team. The girls and boys soccer teams reached the playoffs while the girls cross country team finished second in league. And the varsity football team battled through some major injuries to complete a .500 season both in league (4-4) and overall (5-5).
First leg of the trifecta – Many of the same athletes who played on Kelseyville’s league-champion varsity football team are also members of the school’s varsity boys basketball and varsity baseball teams, which are defending North Central League I champions. Can they win pennants in all three sports? Stay tuned.
Thanks – To Mallory Young for all of her Kelseyville football photos this season. I couldn’t have made that end-of-season reel without her help.
Last game – If the Upper Lake at Middletown football game is the last one I ever cover, I couldn’t have picked a better one. Between the game and post-Foltmer retirement party at the Middletown Lions Club, it was a great evening, one to be remembered.
`
