{"id":1436,"date":"2024-11-11T20:44:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T20:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=1436"},"modified":"2024-11-14T17:35:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T17:35:22","slug":"end-of-an-era-as-2024-season-concludes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=1436","title":{"rendered":"End of an era as 2024 regular season concludes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Coaching changes, new playoffs system are front and center in Lake County<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brian Sumpter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake County Sports on Facebook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAKE COUNTY >> Well, there goes another regular season in football and it\u2019s taking plenty with it. Two casualties are longtime head coaches Bill Foltmer of Middletown and Mark Cory of Clear Lake, both stepping down. Throw in the new playoff system being used by the North Coast Section and it\u2019s enough to make a person scream into a pillow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yep, it\u2019s a new world for Lake County and small school football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While change is inevitable, that doesn\u2019t mean you have to like it, and at least in regard to the new \u201ccompetitive equity\u201d system for the playoffs, it sounds more like the section is catering to underperforming large schools at the expense of small schools. It\u2019s not the fault of a small school if a large school can\u2019t measure up in its own league. Try getting better or shop for a different league. Maybe create separate playoffs for public and private schools. Hey, it\u2019s just a thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only certainty of the new playoff system in this neck of the woods is that anything less than a North Central League I undisputed championship means your postseason chances are pretty much slim and none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, so much for the ranting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 11 has come and gone as the football season in Lake County and North Central League I is over for all but the Kelseyville Knights, who get to travel about 450 miles to play Del Norte High School of Crescent City in the opening round of the Division 7 playoffs Friday night at 7 p.m. Hopefully Knights fans all have their passports up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelseyville should be able to take care of its own business with strong and deep offensive and defensive lines and a powerful offense led by a pair of 1,000-yard backs in junior Michael DeJohn and senior Kyle Watkins, and a senior quarterback in Brock Barrick who has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and is having a career year running the ball. If anyone can hold its own with the big boys in Division 7, it\u2019s the Knights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would have been nice to see a full-strength Middletown team get a crack at a postseason berth after quarterback Blake Costlow and wide receiver\/defensive back Jon Hawkins rejoined the lineup just in time for Foltmer\u2019s final game Friday night at home against Upper Lake, a 46-0 Mustangs victory. Costlow and Hawkins made an immediate impact as Middletown put the game away early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That won\u2019t happen, unfortunately. It would have been nice to see NCL I runner-up Willits (8-2 overall) get a chance to return to the postseason, but that won\u2019t happen either. An 8-2 team, 7-1 in league, not make the playoffs? Yep, it\u2019s a really sad day when something like that happens, even sadder when people try to justify it by calling it \u201ccompetitive equity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look back at some of the highlights and lowlights (mostly covered above) of Week 11:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rushing \u2013<\/strong> The Kelseyville Knights ran over the St. Helena Saints to the tune of 554 rushing yards (not a typo) in their 48-27 victory. Michael DeJohn led the onslaught with 242 yards and four touchdowns, Kyle Watkins added 188 yards and two TDs, and quarterback Brock Barrick had 84 yards. Middletown\u2019s Trenton Griffith had his lightest workload of the season but still prospered, gaining 73 yards on six carries. Griffith\u2019s backfield mate, Tyler Galamay, closed out a stellar freshman season with 37 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. Zack Jones rushed for a touchdown and two-point conversion in Lower Lake\u2019s season-ending 50-20 loss at Fort Bragg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passing \u2013<\/strong> Blake Costlow, out of action for two months with a broken foot, returned to the Middletown lineup Friday night and went 5-for-6 for 133 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half. His first two passes of the night were 64- and 27-yard touchdowns. Kelseyville\u2019s Brock Barrick went 7-for-13 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Upper Lake\u2019s Jerod Rosales had a rough night against the Middletown defense, going 4-for-12 for 21 yards and three interceptions. Lower Lake\u2019s Ashton Hartmann had a pair of TD passes against Fort Bragg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Receiving <\/strong>\u2013 Returning to the Middletown lineup after missing six weeks with a wrist injury, Jon Hawkins had four catches for 131 yards and two TDs, all in the first half. In fact, his first two catches were 64- and 27-yard touchdown grabs. Kelseyville\u2019s Kyle Watkins had five catches for 94 yards, including a 71-yard TD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special teams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost one of each \u2013<\/strong> Middletown\u2019s Trenton Griffith returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against Upper Lake. Later in the game hie had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown wiped out by a penalty that occurred late during his return. The Mustangs still ended up with great field position and went on to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6-for-7 <\/strong>\u2013 Kelseyville kicker Jose Juarez converted six of his seven extra-point kicks against St. Helena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three picks \u2013<\/strong> Middletown\u2019s Jon Hawkins, Hayden Xavier and Tyler Galamay picked off Upper Lake passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five sacks \u2013<\/strong> The Knights sacked St. Helena quarterback Jhony Covarrubias five times. Daniel Anderson Reyes had two of those while also leading Kelseyville with nine total tackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finishing strong <\/strong>\u2013 Middletown shut out its final two opponents \u2013 Lower Lake and Upper Lake \u2013 by a combined 94-0. The Mustangs registered three shutouts on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Double digits \u2013<\/strong> Middletown\u2019s Brody Costlow had 10 total tackles for the junior varsity squad in a 35-8 win over Upper Lake that wrapped up a perfect season (10-0).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

314 (wow) \u2013<\/strong> Who would have thought a young coach breaking in with the Mustangs back in 1985 would go on to win 295 games at the school and 314 overall during his 45-year career, yet that\u2019s what Bill Foltmer did. His legacy goes far beyond the wins, league titles (21), playoff appearances (29) and section championships (four) he brought to Middletown. He influenced the lives (for the positive) of countless players at the school. His memory will live on long after most of us have departed this life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foltmer, Cory exit \u2013<\/strong> Clear Lake\u2019s head coach from 2016-2024, Mark Cory, is also exiting the county\u2019s football scene. He\u2019ll remain on as Clear Lake\u2019s varsity boys basketball coach through the end of the winter season, then he\u2019s off to Europe for a visit with his brother. Foltmer and Cory both left their respective programs in better shape than they found them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New playoff system \u2013<\/strong> Here\u2019s one vote for not a fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All-League teams \u2013<\/strong> All-League teams for fall sports (football, volleyball and soccer) are voted on by the coaches, so please remember that before you drop an email to Lake County Sports complaining about who did or didn\u2019t make the team. All-County teams are based partially on All-League results, but input from league coaches is also taken into account about the strengths\/weaknesses of players. Ultimately the final selection process is that of Lake County Sports, so you certainly can blame us for All-County picks you don\u2019t like. One thing is for certain this season; there are too many first-team-caliber players for too few spots. Some tough decisions are coming up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollywood script \u2013<\/strong> Middletown\u2019s top two players return to the starting lineup after lengthy absences because of injury and both turn in All-Star performances on a night when their head coach is appearing in the final high school game of his 45-year career. Middletown not only starts well but has a 14-0 lead after running one play from scrimmage and a 21-0 lead after running four plays from scrimmage. Yeah, happens every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

793 \u2013<\/strong> Kelseyville\u2019s total rushing and passing yards against St. Helena. Yikes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV champions \u2013<\/strong> Middletown\u2019s junior varsity team completed an 8-0 run through the North Central League I with a 35-8 home win over Upper Lake on Friday, and also put the finishing touches on a perfect (10-0) 2024 campaign in head coach Tony Hart\u2019s final season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New head coach at Middletown? \u2013<\/strong> If it\u2019s not Kurtis Woodard, there\u2019s something wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great fall season \u2013<\/strong> Kelseyville High School won league titles in varsity football, varsity volleyball and JV volleyball. The JV football team came in second. Both of the school\u2019s cross country teams, boys and girls, did well and fielded complete squads all year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter sports \u2013<\/strong> Just around the corner and basketball games begin as early as next week. Middletown\u2019s Mia Hoogendoorn opens her senior season with 963 career points, just 37 shy of the coveted 1,000 mark. Her first game is Nov. 19 at Casa Grande (Petaluma). The Mustangs then return home Saturday, Nov. 23 to take on Willits in another non-league game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks \u2013 <\/strong>To all those who assisted Lake County Sports by submitting statistics, photos, score updates and other pertinent game information. At the top of that list would be Mike Hansen, by right-hand man so to speak, freelance photographer Trett Bishop, another old, retired guy like me, and my longtime work associate during my former job at the Lake County Record-Bee, photographer Bob Minenna. While the Record-Bee has pretty much ignored high school sports coverage since I retired in late July of 2023, Minenna has submitted photos of area sporting events so that Lake County\u2019s high school athletes still can see themselves in action. Several other photographers have also submitted their fine work, including Michael Lucid, Geri Costlow, Mallory Young, Lindsey Hamner, Coral Pratt and Ed Oswalt. Many parents have chipped in by emailing photos and stories, too. Couldn\u2019t do what I do now as a hobby without all of your help, so thanks again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coaching changes, new playoffs system are front and center in Lake County By Brian Sumpter Lake County Sports on Facebook LAKE COUNTY >> Well, there goes another regular season in football and it\u2019s taking plenty with it. Two casualties are longtime head coaches Bill Foltmer of Middletown and Mark Cory of Clear Lake, both stepping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,20,58,26,17,18,19,59,15,57],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1436"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1450,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions\/1450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}