Coach-of-the-year candidates in high school football keep expanding

With two weeks left in the high school football regular season, it's clear that the list of candidates for Coach of the Year is deep and growing. They are believed to be based on them exceeding expectations, winning championships or helping turn the program around when no one saw it coming.

Let's take a look at some of the standout coaching accomplishments this season:

• Ray Fenton, Los Alamitos: This man looks so fit he could run around any stadium without breaking a sweat. Few expected the Griffins to be 8-0 by this point, let alone contend for a spot in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. He formed a team of best friends who believed in themselves, no matter the opponent. San Clemente and Mission Viejo are the only teams standing in the way of a 10-0 regular season.

• Terrence Whitehead, Crenshaw: When head coach Robert Garrett was placed on administrative leave before the start of the season, Crenshaw alumnus and longtime assistant took over. Garrett has been helping him train, and Crenshaw is 7-1 heading into Friday's Coliseum League title showdown against King/Drew. The Cougars have discipline, toughness and play in a way that would make Garrett and his assistants proud.

  

  Crenshaw interim coach Terrence Whitehead talks with cornerback Danniel Flowers.

  (Robert H. Helfman)

• Brad Wonnahme, Crespi: Who predicted the Celts would be 8-0 and headed to the Del Rey League championship in the third season of Wonnahme's massive rebuilding effort? He didn't deal in transfers, but rather relied on players starting out as rookies, learning the game and working their way up. There is now a group of sophomores emerging that could be very good in the coming seasons.

• Jason Negro, St. John Bosco: The Braves have established themselves as the No. 1 team in California, if not the country, even as they rely on an improving sophomore quarterback and four receivers leading to college success. He knows championships are won through the offensive and defensive lines, and those are the areas to keep an eye on as the playoffs approach.

  

  St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro has his team ranked first in the country.

  (Craig Weston)

• John Ellinghaus, Sierra Canyon: The Trailblazers are 8-0 and no one has come close to beating them. The season will depend on whether they can break through and break the dominance of St. John Bosco Mater Dei. Their defense is clearly the best in Southern California.
• Daylen Smith, Palisades: He lost his field, lost his gym and almost lost his team to the Palisades fire. And yet, the Dolphins survived and are 8-0 with players remaining and a couple of new players who wanted to experience an adventure with no guarantee of success.
• Chad Johnson, Mission Viejo: With the Diablos (7-1) coming off wins over Santa Margarita, Folsom and San Diego Lincoln, Johnson challenged his team with a tough non-league schedule and they were up to the task. He has confidence in quarterback Luke Fahey and has no doubt about how far this team can go.
• Rick Clausen, Westlake: Clausen, a lifelong assistant coach, decided to take the head coaching job even though his wife had died of cancer. He somehow managed to juggle parenting and coaching duties while helping Westlake go from 0-10 last season to 8-0 this season in his rookie year.
• Tony Henney, Dana Hills: Wherever Henney goes, he succeeds. He was the head coach at Nordhoff, Trabuco Hills, St. Bonaventure and Westlake. He has Dana Hills at 8-0 heading into Friday's game against 8-0 Laguna Beach, whose own coach John Shanahan has surrounded himself with an elite group of assistants, including former JSerra head coach Scott McKnight. The winner of the battle of the invincibles cannot be stopped until the end of the road.

• Kevin Hettig, Corona del Mar: With his team at 8-0 and tough games ahead, Hettig calmly and competently prepared the Sea Kings to stay focused and continue to improve each week.

  

  Corona del Mar head coach Kevin Hettig, quarterback Brady Annette and NMUSD Superintendent Dr. Wesley Smith.

  (Don Leach/Staff Photographer)

• Jason Miller, Leuzinger: Who will lose their only quarterback who can pass the ball and still keep the team winning? Miller and the Olympians (6-1) are on the verge of ending Inglewood's reign as league champions, using 5-foot-8 Journey Tonga as their versatile offensive weapon and replacement quarterback.

• Mike Moon, Oxnard Pacifica: Moon is trying to push his perennially underrated 8-0 team to the top of the table in the Marmonte League. He helped develop junior quarterback Taylor Lee, handling rising expectations and winning close games.

  

  Oxnard Pacifica's Mike Moon puts his team at 8-0.

  (Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)

• Raymond Carter, Torrance: The former All-City running back at Crenshaw leads his team to 8-0, beating the local team after the local team is led by junior running back Gibson Turner, who has 20 touchdown passes.
• Mark Carson, Rio Hondo Prep: Year after year, Carson prepares Rio Hondo Prep for success. This year's 8-0 start is no different. The upcoming challenge will be playing in a tougher playoff division.
• Darryl Goree, Palm Springs: The 8-0 start had the Indians the talk of the town. Senior linebacker Koa Rapolla is out and is averaging 13 tackles per game.
• Rick Curtis, Crean Lutheran: Curtis figured out how to best utilize one of the Southland's best athletes, quarterback/point guard Cayden Jones, and it led to an 8-0 record.