Shadle Park Hires Coach

Mark Hester, a stranger to Spokane high school sports fans but no stranger to Spokane, was approved as the Shadle Park football coach Wednesday night.

Hester, head coach at Liberty High School in Issaquah the past five years, replaces longtime Highlanders coach Bob Haney.

Hester’s father, Gerald, was District 81 superintendent for 13 years before retiring in June of 1993.

“It’s a chance to coach in the GSL. It’s a very competitive football league and Shadle Park has a fine tradition,” Hester said. “At Liberty we have 900 kids; they have 1,700 (including freshmen) at Shadle Park. Their staff is a lot bigger because they have more teachers, and the coaching staff is in-building. At Liberty I didn’t have any coaches in the building three out of the five years.

“Those are just a few of the reasons. Spokane is a nice place to live. I visited quite a bit over there. It’s a great place to golf and be outdoors.”

His record at Liberty was 23-22, including 4-5 last year. His best year was 1993, when the Patriots were 7-2, third in the Class AA Seamount League.

Hester, 40, graduated from Auburn High School in 1972 and from Washington State.

Haney, who retired after going 1-6-1 last season, was the Shadle Park coach for 18 years, winning or tying for four GSL titles. In a 24-year career, Haney had a 107-93-4 record.

Before moving to Issaquah, Hester was at Sedro-Wooley for 11 years, the last seven as the head coach. The Cubs were 46-23 under Hester and made the State AA playoffs three times.

Hester, a science teacher, also coached at Mercer Island and Fort Vancouver. His career record is 69-45.

He will be in Spokane on Friday to meet his assistants and players.

Hester said his offense and defense would depend on the players.However, he said he has used a double tight end, full-house T formation on offense in the past.