The Times’ football coach of the year: Narbonne’s Manuel Douglas

Never before has there been a City Section team that took on such a demanding schedule and succeeded as well as Harbor City Narbonne did this season.

The Gauchos went 14-1, won their second consecutive City Division I championship and had wins over Long Beach Poly, the Pac-5 Division champion; Santa Ana Mater Dei, the Pac-5 runner-up; Gardena Serra, the Western Division champion; Palos Verdes, the Northern Division champion, and Crenshaw, the City runner-up.

For getting his team to focus one week at a time and make it through big game after big game, Manuel Douglas of Narbonne has been selected The Times’ coach of the year.

The Gauchos’ only loss came in the CIF state championship regional Open Division bowl game to Corona Centennial when they rallied from a 27-8 halftime deficit to tie the Huskies, only to lose, 41-34, with 22 seconds left. In defeat, Narbonne earned even more respect.

“It was a bitter loss, but I was glad our players showed who we were,” Douglas said. “Now everyone knows who Narbonne is, and it’s a great legacy for our program.”