Eleven returners from a Camp Verde High School softball team that finished the regular season ranked second in Division III can look to the ongoing Section IV Coach of the Year for guidance.
“I got Coach of the Year? Cool,” was head coach Henry Smith’s first response when hearing he had been honored for the second straight season. “I’m beyond grateful. For me, the game is about the school and it’s about teaching the young ladies respect and hard work.”
Smith, coaching local girls 14 years old and under at an American Softball Association tournament Saturday, July 11, in Kingman, would not comment further on his second straight sectional honor in his two seasons leading the Cowboys varsity.
But after her third year working with Smith and fourth overall in the CVHS program, assistant coach Toni Harris refused to be so modest.
“He’s not just a great coach; he’s just an all-around great person,” she said. “That really comes through on the field. Even in the athletes’ life outside of softball, he has a really positive influence on that.”
Despite a loss to Morenci Junior/Senior High School in the first round of the state tournament, Smith has won 75 percent of his games as a head coach of the Cowboys.
“As coaches we’ve gotten together and talked about looking at some minor differences for next season, trying to see if [they’ll] help,” said Harris, whose daughter, Caitlin, made it to the 2014 state quarterfinals as a senior before losing to Payson High School. “Obviously, something is happening when we get to upper-level games. We’re not as successful as we should be.”
Still, the Cowboys have never lost a sectional game since Smith took over two years ago — a streak that will be tested next season against a realigned section schedule that includes Chinle, Hopi, Monument Valley, Round Valley, St. Johns and Tuba City high schools.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, July 15, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
