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Yucaipa’s Blake Minkler is the IE Varsity Player of the Year – San Bernardino Sun

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Blake Minkler began playing water polo in the third grade after his cousin Logan Featherston received a pamphlet about the sport in middle school.

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Yucaipa High School junior Blake Minkler, 16, has been selected as the the IE Varsity Boys Water Polo Player of the Year. Yucaipa on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

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Minkler decided to tag along after his cousin.

Yucaipa High School is the beneficiary as Minkler, a junior attacker, has been named the IE Varsity Boys Water Polo Player of the Year.

That is on top of being named the Citrus Belt League’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 101 goals for the Thunderbirds

Yucaipa, after winning the CBL in unbeaten fashion, made it all the way to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs before losing 17-16 to Westlake in triple overtime.

“I love how competitive it is and how intense games get,” said Minkler, when asked what he relishes about the sport.

Minkler, now 16, has impressive athletic genes. His father, Hank Minkler, played baseball at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, and his mother, Starsha Mann, played soccer at Loma Linda Academy.

“Blake is a very gifted athlete,” Yucaipa coach Ty Hudson said. “He has a long body, and he has all the tools. He’s a very smart player and he has great anticipation. Emotionally, he gets the guys over losses and onto the next thing. He works hard, and that extends to the classroom. He’s very goal oriented.”

Minkler has a 3.5 grade point average. He has received interest from Cal Baptist University, Biola, and UC-Santa Barbara and hopes to eventually become a physician’s assistant or a pharmacist.

Minkler has also excelled outside the high school arena, starring for both Ryan Williams’ Renegades club team, and for Hudson’s Sand Canyon program at various times during his career.

Besides those two coaches, Minkler said his association with teammates Tyler Ter Keurst and Ian Shulda has been vital, saying, “They’ve always been there for me.”

Minkler’s excellence has taken him to some lofty heights. He’s been involved in the Olympic Development Program for three years and last spring played in Chicago at the national championships. Those were around St. Patrick’s Day and Minkler got to see the Chicago River turned emerald green for the city’s annual parade.

“There were amazing players out there and I met some coaches and players and made some friendships that I’ll never forget,” Minkler said.

While there is no green dye in Citrus Belt League waters, there is more than the naked eye sees happening below the surface.

“What people don’t understand is how intense and physical things get below the water,” Minkler said. “There’s punching, kicking, elbowing and grabbing. I had my nose broken at the Olympic Development tryout.”

— JOHN MURPHY

IE VARSITY COACH OF THE YEAR

Jason Mendoza, San Bernardino

Mendoza was a standout at San Bernardino from 2014 to 2017, but the program never advanced past the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs during his time there. Mendoza returned to his alma mater as a coach and guided the program to a historic campaign in 2024, as the Cardinals captured the Southern Section’s Division 6 championship. The section title was the school’s first in any sport since the boys water polo program won the Division 4 championship in 1993. San Bernardino showed great improvement throughout the season. The Cardinals dropped a 15-6 decision to Arroyo Valley in late August but beat the Hawks 11-10 in the Division 6 semifinals. San Bernardino finished with a 17-10 record, a 12-win improvement on the previous season.

— ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON



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