HERMISTON — Richland, Washington, Athletic Director Adrian Ochoa said it was a no-brainer to cast his vote for Hermiston’s Larry Usher for the District 8 Athletic Director of the Year.

Others felt the same, as Usher earned the honor for the 2023-24 school year, and now is nominated for the Washington Secondary School Athletic Administrators Association Athletic Director of the Year, which will be announced April 29.

“For me, personally, I am finishing my first year as athletic director, and he has been a great mentor and inspiration to me,” Ochoa said. “To be able to learn from him and his willingness to help anyone. He is all for the kids. He’s a great resource for everyone in our league. He is good at finding the next level and setting the bar high and doing what is best for the kids. He is one that I know if I have a question, he will answer the phone or text.”

Athletic directors in the Mid-Columbia Conference and the Greater Spokane League voted on the District 8 honor.

While Usher said he appreciates the honor, he said credit also goes to the administration — Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney and the school board.

“Everything we do has to be approved by the district,” he said. “Dr. Mooney is supportive of programs that get kids involved outside of the classroom.”

This past year, Usher has brought a couple new programs to Hermiston and is seeing success with both.

“One that is pretty important is starting the officiating class,” he said. “We know officials are essential for our athletes to compete. I feel if there is a problem, we become part of the solution. We are looking to expand that further next year into other sports.”

The second program is the Student Athlete Leadership Team.

“I picked that up at the national athletic directors conference,” Usher said. “We have two kids from each sport come together during their season and learn leadership skills. Just like the officiating class, it’s in its first year. It has been a good experience, and the coaches have had good things to say about it.”

He also has been instrumental in starting baseball, softball, soccer, bowling and golf at the middle school level in Hermiston.

Usher came to Hermiston in the fall of 2002 and was the boys basketball coach for nine years. He took over the athletic director’s job in the fall of 2015.

During the past eight years, Usher has implemented several programs at the high school, and at the top of his list is getting the Bulldogs in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and the Mid-Columbia Conference, which Hermiston has been a member of since the fall of 2018.

“I’m the one who had to put in thousands of miles between Renton and Portland,” Usher said. “If we stayed in the (Oregon School Activities Association) it would have devastated our athletic program. It’s the same distance from Richland to Renton as it is from Hermiston to Barlow. That would not have been good for our kids. Not sure how much our athletic program would have survived had we not have moved to the WIAA. That move is something I am very proud of.”

While community members have voiced their concerns about Hermiston not being able to compete as well in the WIAA as the OSAA, Usher said that is starting to change.

“Our coaches and I believe that our kids are competing against better programs,” Usher said. “Our wrestling program is a good example. They have continued to rise to the occasion, and so has track and field and our five-time state champion dance team. We have programs that compete well at the state level.”