This past fall, Keith Minor and his Panthers made Saint Mary’s of Albany school history.

After a tough 6-7 finish last season that ended with a loss to NCS Division IV champ Justin-Siena in the second round of NCS Playoffs, Minor guided his team back to the NCS playoffs this year. But this time, things were different.

The Panthers capped off a 10-4 season with a 42-21 victory over Fortuna in the Division IV Final for the school’s first-ever North Coast Section Championship in football.

For Minor’s leadership, he has been named the Prep2Prep NCS Coach of the Year.

“Its icing on the cake,” said Minor. “There are so many great coaches and to be mentioned among those great coaches means a lot. To be singled out as the best is truly an honor for our program, student-athletes, and the entire coaching staff.”

Since taking over the job at Saint Mary’s in 2009, he has posted a 35-25 overall record, and has finished above the .500 mark in three of his five seasons.

Minor says that falling to the eventual NCS Champion last year motivated his team to return to the playoffs this year. Experience was also a major factor in the Panthers' championship run. With 18 of 31 players returning from last year (11 juniors, 7 seniors), the Panthers were packed with weapons to succeed.

“We had a lot of sophomores on that team and they took from that experience to help them get back to the playoffs," Minor said. "We had a lot of experience all around, and we really got hot at the right time and had a great run."

He also noted the benefits to having a smaller roster of 31 players, which is half of major NCS powerhouses such as De La Salle (69) and Pittsburg (65).

“It can sometimes be difficult to practice, but on the positive side, everyone knows they are going to get in and play, so the guys are very focused on getting prepared,” said Minor. “Everybody works hard and you have lots of personal connections when you have 30-some-odd players.”

Although Minor says he enjoyed many moments throughout the year, he has one that he said tops others.

“Honestly, picking up the trophy and holding up the plaque and singing our alma mater song at the end of the game against Fortuna, and winning the first NCS Championship in school history, that was just great.”

Also considered: Eric Billeci, California; Justin Alumbaugh, De La Salle.

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending NCS football awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the football field that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS football.