Plenty of coaches went beyond the call of duty this year | COLUMN

Today marks the final installment of the three annual honors we hand out here at the Kent Reporter.

Like the Male and Female Athlete of the Year honors, I do not take the Coach of the Year award lightly. First and foremost, it must be understood how much time and effort the local coaches put into each and every season. And while coaches get paid a stipend for their work, it hardly accounts for the countless hours they put in during — and outside — the season.

The coaching business has changed vastly since I was a senior in high school nearly 20 years ago. These days, it seems coaches spend as much — if not more — time in the offseason breaking down film as they do planning for the upcoming season. In addition, I can’t overlook the fact that these coaches wear more hats than their title suggests. They serve as mentors, counselors, teachers and, in some instances, parents throughout the course of the school year for the student-athletes.

And let’s not even get started with the paperwork side of the business, which can be overwhelming. Then, of course, one has to figure in the juggling of egos, which also can extend to the parents of the athletes, too.

All in all, being a coach is not an easy job. It also can be rather thankless, and extend well into the early morning hours during many days.

Kentwood High boys and girls soccer coach Aaron Radford won out this season. He led the girls team to the Class 4A state title, and guided the boys team to a third-place trophy at state. Impressive feats on both counts. Yet, what might impress me more about Radford is the fact that, like many coaches, his motor was always running. Seldom did this guy ever get a break nor did he ask for one.

Radford, however, is hardly the only coach I’d like to honor today. Below is a look at all the coaches (in no particular order) who were in the running for our final honor of the year:

1. Steve Roche, Kentwood track: In six years at the helm of the Kentwood program, Roche has guided the Conquerors to a rapid ascension in both the South Puget Sound League North Division and state ranks. With a bounty of talented athletes, Roche helped the Kentwood girls reach the pinnacle this spring, when they brought home the state title. It was the third crown in as many weeks for the Conquerors, who also grabbed first-place finishes at the league and district meets. How far has Roche’s team come? When he took over the program six years ago, only 13 athletes turned out for the girls team. Look out in 2012, too, as Kentwood returns most of the girls who won the state title this year.

2. Ernie Ammons, Kent-Meridian track: Ammons finally reached the top of the heap. A true ambassador of the sport, he guided the Kent-Meridian boys track team to its second straight unbeaten regular season (5-0) and added a district crown as well. Yet, the Ammons-led Royals were hardly done, winning the program’s first-ever Class 4A state title.

3. Brian Lockhart, Kent-Meridian boys basketball: Few coaches put in as impressive of a performance as K-M’s Lockhart, who guided the Royals to an 8-8 regular season, which helped them finish in fourth place and qualify for the SPSL North playoffs. How big of turnaround did Lockhart engineer? In what is viewed as the toughest league in the state, Kent-Meridian was coming off of a 2-14 regular season, and returned many of the same players. Entering the winter season, Kent-Meridian had posted a 7-71 league mark since the 2005-2006 campaign. That said, this was as strong of turnaround as any I’ve seen.

4. Rex Norris, Kentwood football: Norris has become a staple on this list. And for good reason. The guy can coach. Norris has a way of getting all of his players — and with Kentwood football, that often means more than 100 — going in the same direction and pulling for a common goal. Last fall, Norris guided the Conquerors to the SPSL North title with a perfect 8-0 record, and their first state berth since 2008. In addition, Kentwood also ended Auburn’s 27-game North Division winning streak.

5. Greg Kaas, Kentlake fastpitch: There’s a saying on the Kentlake fastpitch diamond that “tradition doesn’t graduate.” Though that tradition began a few years before Kaas arrived at Kentlake in 2002, it hasn’t missed a beat. If anything, the Falcons have continued to push forward since Kaas took over. This spring, the Kaas-led Falcons continued that trend, qualifying for the state tournament for the seventh time in eight years, a berth that was preceded by both league and district titles. Kaas brings a level of energy and enthusiasm to the field that his players clearly have emulated through the years.

6. Dave Jamison, Kentridge boys basketball: When it comes to breaking down opponents, few are better than Jamison, a mastermind with a clipboard whose dry sense of humor can cut through any tense moment. The tell-it-like-it-is Charger coach guided Kentridge to an SPSL North title and a fourth state berth in five years. Once there, the Chargers torched the hoop, establishing a new state record for 3-pointers made in the tournament. Jamison’s Chargers finished with a sixth-place trophy.

7. Brian Davis, Kentwood boys basketball: Talk about pressure. In his first year at the helm of the Kentwood program, Davis took over a team that graduated its two top players (Joshua Smith and Tre Tyler) and won the Class 4A state title a year earlier. Many believed the Conquerors would be on the outside looking in when the postseason began. Davis, confident throughout, would have none of that, and proceeded to guide Kentwood to a state berth by getting something out of everyone on the roster.

8. Chris Paulson, Kentlake football: Kentlake entered the season having missed the playoffs by a single win in each of the last two years. Paulson, who came over from Mount Rainier last summer, quickly helped the Falcons get over the hump as they won their first five games and promptly moved into the state rankings for the first time in years. By season’s end, the Paulson-led Falcons had qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2003. Kentlake might have the deepest senior class of any in the area, and likely will challenge for an SPSL North title in the fall.

9. Bob Armstrong, Kentridge boys tennis: Armstrong’s tennis team has emulated the Energizer bunny the last several years. The Chargers just keep goin’ and goin’. This year was no different as Kentridge won its fifth straight regular-season title. For good measure, the Chargers added a district championship, too. The Armstrong-led Chargers will enter next fall on a 52-match SPSL North winning streak, a run that dates back to 2006.

10. Glenn Walrond, Kentridge boys soccer: This past spring, Walrond made me a believer. During a late April conversation with Walrond, which came just days after the Chargers tied Kentlake to drop to 2-6-4 for the season, the Kentridge coach informed me that his club would make the playoffs. I admit, I didn’t believe Walrond. The tie dropped the Chargers into eighth place in the SPSL North standings, and a playoff berth, though mathematically possible, was unlikely at best. Walrond and the Chargers proved me wrong, winning four in a row to end the regular season and earn a playoff berth. Yet, Kentridge, which went with a youth movement this season, wasn’t done as it went on to beat Rogers 2-1 in the first round of the district tournament. Though the Chargers finished a game shy of state, Walrond made me believe. Well done.

11. Bil Caillier, Kentwood volleyball: Caillier’s volleyball program at Kentwood has seemed to mirror the fastpitch team at Kentlake the last several years. That is, the Conquerors just keep winning. This year was no different as Caillier guided Kentwood to its eighth state berth in the last nine years. A classy guy with a tremendous sense of humor, Caillier stepped down in April to accept a volunteer coaching position at Seattle University. In nine years at Kentwood, Caillier led the Conquerors to two district titles, four SPSL North crowns and the eight state berths. He wrapped up his prep coaching days with a staggering 217-71 overall record.

12. Jon Aarstad, Kentwood baseball: In every sense of the word, Aarstad is a baseball guy. A former college player himself, Aarstad can break down pitching and swinging mechanics like nobody else. This spring, a year after guiding the Conquerors to a Class 4A state title, Aarstad had Kentwood back at state for the seventh time in the last eight years. Impressively, he did it with an almost entirely new roster as the Conquerors graduated 11 players from that championship team. In addition, Kentwood ace Avery Kain suffered a knee injury in March, and was lost for the year. Aarstad made all the necessary moves, and finished the year with a district title along with that state berth.