LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Record-Bee will release its All-Lake County volleyball and football squads next week to wrap up an incredible fall sports season for the county’s teams.
Clear Lake football and volleyball both qualified teams for the state playoffs. Clear Lake’s football squad, the first county team ever to reach the state tournament, fell 42-21 to eventual 5-A state champion Orland in the NorCal championship game on Dec. 3 in Orland. Orland closed out a 15-0 season Saturday with a 20-7 win over Shafter High School, capturing the first state title in school history.
The Cardinals won North Central League I and North Coast Section Division 7 titles during a 12-2 campaign, which included a win over Kelseyville in the Division 7 semifinals.
Kelseyville, Middletown and Willits tied for second place in one of the more competitive NCL I races ever to take place, one that wasn’t decided until the final weekend of the regular season and just missed ending in a five-way tie. Along the way, Middletown longtime head coach Bill Foltmer won his 300th career game to join only a handful of coaches to reach that milestone in the state’s history. He finished the year with 301 victories and will return for at least one more season — his 39th — as the Mustangs’ head coach in 2023.
The All-County football team, which is selected by the Record-Bee in consultation with county coaches, includes a first-team offense with most valuable player and a first-team defense with most valuable player.
Volleyball
Clear Lake’s volleyball team placed second in the league with a 14-2 record — its only two losses to an undefeated Roseland University Prep squad — and reached the semifinals of the North Coast Section playoffs before falling to The Bay School. Awarded an at-large berth in the NorCal bracket of the state playoffs, the Cardinals fell to Colusa in a first-round match, capping a 30-5 season.
The All-County team, which is selected by the Record-Bee in consultation with the county’s coaches, includes a most valuable player, a first team and a second team.
