NFHS California Coach of the Year nominations from CIF’s Sac-Joaquin Section
The CIF State Office recently announced the Section nominees for the NFHS California Coach of the Year award for the 2019-20 school year.
“The coaches were selected based on the positive work they have done with the student-athletes in their respective sports programs,” per a CIF press release.
SBLive is taking a closer look at the nominees from each of the state’s 10 Sections. Here are the nominees from the Sac-Joaquin Section:
Charly Garza - Hughson - Baseball
Garza had the Huskies at 7-0 and had outscored opponents by 49 runs before the COVID-19 stoppage.
Dehard Wilson - Grant - Boys Basketball
Wilson guided the Pacers to a win over St. Mary's (Stockton) for the Sac-Joaquin D2 Championship and a berth into the CIF State D1 playoffs.
Jeff Ota - McClatchy - Girls Basketball
Ota helped the Lions reach the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin D1 Championship.
Kevin Selby - Nevada Union - Boys Cross Country
Selby, a long time cross country coach, has been with Nevada Union for the past two seasons.
Amber Lassetter - Cosumnes Oaks - Girls Cross Country
Lassetter has coached cross country for several decades and started with the Wolfpack in 2008.
Chris Musseman - Ripon - Football
Musseman led the Indians to a 14-1 season that included a Sac-Joaquin Section D5 Championship and a win over Highland to capture the D4-AA CIF State Championship.
Tim Healy - Granite Bay - Boys Golf
Healy has been the golf coach at Granite Bay since 2014.
Matt Doyle - Enochs - Girls Golf
Doyle led Enochs to their second consecutive section championship.
Geovanni Villalobos - Natomas - Boys Soccer
After losing in the D4 section championship, Villalobos led the Nighthawks to the Northern California D4 Regional Championship.
Jordan Martinez - El Camino - Girls Soccer
Martinez guided the Eagles to a 3-1 win over top-seeded Ripon in the D4 section championship.
Mary Jo Truesdale - Sheldon - Softball
Truesdale has won 759 games and eight section championships during her tenure at Sheldon. (Truesdale is pictured above)
Michele Fay - Sierra - Spirit
Fay helped the Timberwolves to first place in the Universal Cheerleaders Association Cheer Camp.
Lotty Hellested - Nevada Union - Boys Swimming
Hellestad oversees both the Swimming and Water Polo teams at Nevada Union.
Owen Yancher - Davis Sr. - Girls Swimming
Yancher had his team partner with St. Francis for a virtual league championship in which the athletes competed in scavenger hunts and other competitions.
Dale Eckenberg - Rocklin - Boys Tennis
Eckenberg coaches both the boys and girls teams and has been at Rocklin since 1998.
Ed Melfort - Sierra - Girls Tennis
Melfort helped the Timberwolves capture the D4 section championship in 2019-20, beating Central Catholic in the final.
Peanut/Tena Harms - El Dorado - Boys Track & Field
The Harms' have been longtime Track & Field and Cross Country coaches at El Dorado.
Dave Unterholzner - Bella Vista - Girls Track & Field
Unterholzner has been in charge of track & field at Bella Vista for 29 seasons.
Martin Soyama - El Camino - Girls Volleyball
Soyama led the Eagles into the Division 3 playoffs while fighting an illness that resulted in two amputations.
Rob Beckhart - Central Valley - Boys Wrestling
Beckhart has been the longtime boys and girls wrestling coach for the Hawks.
Lance Mannsuetti - Nevada Union - Boys Volleyball
Mannsuetti had his team out to a 3-0 start, having swept all three opponents, before the COVID-19 shutdown.
Jeremy Arsich - Natomas - Girls Wrestling
Arsich had three athletes from Natomas qualify for the CIF State meet in 2019.
