Strathmore High School's Jeromy Blackwell is the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register’s Leo Robinson Coach of the Year for the 2023-24 school year.

The award is given to Tulare County's most outstanding high school football coach.

From coma to state champion

In July, Strathmore head coach Jeromy Blackwell and those closest to him didn't know if he was going to make it after he suffered a heat stroke that led to a medically induced coma.

Inspired by his players, he worked his way back onto the field and coached his team all season long, not missing a single game or practice.

On Dec. 9, the former College of the Sequoias and Fresno State fullback led the Spartans to their second state championship in school history as they defeated Bell Gardens 42-7 with a running clock to bring home the state's Division 7-A title.

Strathmore culminated their outstanding season with a dozen victories, going 12-4.

The Spartans and Central Valley Christian were the only Central Section programs to capture a state title in 2023.

Blackwell orchestrated a Strathmore squad that outscored their foes a combined 442-213. The Spartans were led by a rushing attack that gained more than 3,200 yards while scoring 63 total touchdowns. Strathmore culminated its outstanding season winning seven games in a row.

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What coaches and players said about Blackwell during the season

"We didn’t know if he was going to make it at all," Strathmore defensive coordinator Scott Bowser said. "But to see him pull through that and basically be back to normal has been a pretty neat story because that’s who he is. He's a fighter. He's always been a fighter. I think it's put a new perspective on him, too, as far as football and everything.

"It's very inspiring. It's inspiring the kids, too. They were really worried at the beginning of the season and he wasn’t as energetic as he normally is at the start of the season. I think the kids kind of fed off that, too," Bowser said. "There was a time we didn’t even know we would make the playoffs. We were just trying to get to a couple of wins here to get to five wins, but the kids have been remarkable as far as coming together and their improvement since the beginning to be where we are now.

"We never thought we be here, to have a chance, this is our eighth state playoff appearance. This is kind of a remarkable story in itself as far as what these kids have done."

"He's a good guy. He's like a dad to me honestly. He's always pushed me past my limits," Strathmore running back Jacob Poole said. "I made it to regional championships for track and he was there by my side. He's always pushed me to do my best because I feel like he sees something in me that I don't always see all the time. It's amazing to have guys like that in my corner, pushing me, making me my best."

"When that happened, after, it felt like nothing ever happened. He was just in the zone, his old same self," Strathmore quarterback Bryson Bias said. "Always excited. Always ready to go."

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Leo Robinson Coach of the Year Award

The Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register honors Tulare County's most outstanding high school football coach with the Leo Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Still the Central Section's all-time winningest head coach, Robinson guided Woodlake High School to six section titles (1972, '82, '85, '86, '87, '89) and 18 league championships from 1962-2002.

A 2002 California State Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Robinson amassed a 290-129-11 overall record during his coaching career. The Tigers' football field is also named after the late Robinson — who died in 2002 at 67 years old.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Strathmore's Blackwell named 2023-24 Leo Robinson Coach of the Year