FALL RIVER — It's time to acknowledge the great coaches in the Greater Fall River area who enjoyed a season like no other in the 2023-24 school season.
Several Herald News high school sports team made great runs during the year, including several schools who went all the way to a state championship.
The sports department honor those great men and woman who put their heart and soul into their teams. We broke it down to the final 14 choices.
Supporters of the schools and athletes can visit heraldnews.com to vote for the coach of their choosing. Voting will conclude on Sunday, July 28, with the winner announced on heraldnews.com and X (formerly known as Twitter).
FAN VOTE:Herald News High School Sports Team for the 2023-24 School Year
Somerset Berkley's Landon Richardson won the Male Player of the Year for the spring poll on July 9, gathering 8,660 votes (51.49%) while Case track and field athlete Hannah Santos won the female honors.
YOU CAN VOTE HERE
Fall
Nick Freitas, Somerset Berkley football
The Raiders under Freitas punched their ticket to the postseason for the second straight year. SBR finished with an area-best 8-3 mark and a share of the South Coast Conference Blue Division title.
Brendan Kelly, Case girls volleyball
The Cardinals under Kelly made another run toward a state final appearance this past fall. Case fell short in the Elite 8 against Frontier Regional to finish the year 18-5.
Chris Parker, Westport boys soccer
Parker's boys put together the best season in program's history after capturing the school's first-ever MIAA state title this past fall. Westport, seeded eighth, beat the No. 1, 2 and 4 seeds in the tourney and finished the season with a remarkable 22-0-1 record.
Hayden Tavares, Durfee girls soccer
The Hilltopper girls soccer team capture their first Southeast Conference title in program's history in 2023 and concluded the regular season with a 14-game unbeaten streak.
Winter
Jennifer Gargiulo, Westport girls basketball
The Wildcats made their second straight Division 5 Elite 8 contest this past winter. Gargiulo's group had the area's best 21-2 mark and held opponents held their opponents to 35 or less points in 20 outings.
Bob Slater, Somerset Berkley boys basketball
Slater guided his team to record setting season in the winter as the Raiders advanced to the Division 2 Final Four. It was the furthest SBR had made it the state tournament since 2003.
Kevin Snyder, Somerset Berkley ice hockey
The longtime Raider mentor (18-2-2) enjoyed his best season on the bench as SBR advanced to its first-ever Final 4 appearance in school history. SBR, who lost to Nauset, finished with an impressive 18-3-2 record.
Aaron Soares, Diman girls indoor track
Under Soares, the Bengals finished the season at league champs in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Large. Diman finished league standing with a 4-0 record.
Spring
Floriano Lima, Diman baseball
Lima's squad was head and shoulders above everyone else in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Large Division. The Bengals were rewarded as league champion and finished with a record of 15-3.
Jason Martin, Somerset Berkley baseball
In Martin's first season, the Raiders advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 before losing a close game against 10th seed Norwood. SBR ended the season with a 16-6 record.
Mike Martin, Durfee baseball
The Hilltoppers enjoyed plenty of success under the leadership of Martin. Durfee (18-5) advanced to the Elite 8 before being eliminated by Division I state semifinalist Xaverian Brothers.
Sally McKinnon, Somerset Berkley
Last season's Final Four finalist Raiders aim to get back to the Final Four under McKinnon. SBR was stopped short against eventual Division 2 state champion Walpole in the Elite 8 to finish at 16-7.
Shannon Silva, Case softball
The former two-time Cardinal state champion and Case head coach helped lead the girls from Swansea to their second straight back-to-back titles in school history. The Cardinals finished with a record of 23-1.
Stanley Koss; Kerry McElroy, Case outdoor track
The Cardinal girls concluded the spring season undefeated, making it back-to-back perfect season this year.
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
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