Carson, Turner are The Herald’s co-Coaches of the Year

Published 3:41 pm Saturday, December 6, 2014

High school sports are about more than just winning and losing.

Oak Harbor’s Jay Turner and Marysville Pilchuck’s Brandon Carson are two head coaches that understand just that.

The pair displayed inspirational sportsmanship, with Turner’s Wildcats offering Marysville Pilchuck the No. 1 seed and berth in the Wesco 3A Championship game after the two teams’ game was canceled in the wake of a shooting at Marysville Pilchuck on Oct. 24.

The Tomahawks responded by bringing pizza and giving the league trophy to Oak Harbor the next week.

And it’s not just the incredible sportsmanship that earned these two top honors. Both performed well on the football field. Oak Harbor went 7-2 and made it to the first round of the 3A state tournament, while Marysville Pilchuck was 10-2 and got to the state semifinals for the second time in school history.

For their accomplishments on and off the field Turner and Carson are The Herald’s co-Coaches of the Year.

“Even before this year I thought highly of Jay Turner. He’s a first-class guy. He’s an incredible football coach and he does things the right way, not only in his life, but in the coaching world too. We’ve talked many of times even before all this stuff and it’s always a pleasure to play against his teams. I have a lot of respect for him and his program.” – Marysville Pilchuck head coach Brandon Carson

“Brandon Carson is just a stand up guy. He runs an amazing program. His kids are well coached. He’s a top quality guy. If I had kids down there I’d want them to play for him. He treats his kids with respect and they love him. He treats all the other coaches with respect. He knows the X’s and O’s and is good at squeezing every ounce of talent out of his kids.” – Oak Harbor head coach Jay Turner