Times coach of the year: Jon Ellinghouse made all the right decisions for Sierra Canyon

Coach Jon Ellinghouse of Chatsworth Sierra Canyon had a wild and crazy season.

He lost his starting quarterback, Niko Harris, to a knee injury in the third game of the season. His team won a triple-overtime playoff game against Redondo and a double-overtime playoff game against Newport Beach Corona del Mar when he called for a two-point conversion to end it.

In the CIF state championship Division 2-A bowl game, Ellinghouse decided to start Harris after three months on the sideline. All he did was pass for 201 yards and one touchdown to help the Trailblazers defeat San Mateo Serra, 42-40, to finish the season 15-0.

As if winning a state title and going unbeaten wasn’t thrilling enough, Ellinghouse became a father for the first time in September.

For his ability to make adjustments and make the correct judgment calls, Ellinghouse has been selected The Times’ coach of the year.

In his 10th season, Ellinghouse has guided Sierra Canyon to two state bowl championships and three Southern Section titles.

This season was his most challenging, because the Trailblazers moved from Division 10 to Division 4 under new Southern Section playoff groupings. They had to go through one of their toughest schedules, even beating another state champion, Lancaster Paraclete, in league play.

“When push came to shove, these kids were fighters,” he said.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: latsondheimer