Sooo close, but still missing something

Aaah, so kickback diodes prevent voltage spikes which could destroy the circuit. I could prevent that with an IRFZ44e which is rated up to 60v and install the diode in parallel with the inductive load, but backwards

Perfect-o. I'll give it a try right now

No, all you need to do is place a reverse biased diode (1N4007) across each solenoid coil terminals.

I've been working on this for 3 weeks!!! You solved my problem in a few short conversations. Thank you so much Red_Car. Made my day!

Will do. Definitely want to protect this build. Thank you