Ok, So This Time It Really Might Be Coach Bjerke’s Last Stand

With Dick Bjerke, a coaching career isn’t over until it’s over. And even then, it isn’t over.

“But now it’s over, this is it. I’ve got to get out,” the 67-year-old Clallam Bay assistant said Friday after fidgeting away a couple hours at coach Mike Jannausch’s side watching the Bruins bounce Reardan from the girls State B tournament.

As it turns out, the 59-51 win put Clallam Bay into the trophy round of eight teams and set up a showdown against Kittitas to determine fourth and seventh.

So Bjerke’s coaching career, which has spanned four decades, won’t be over until sometime today when he returns to his Olympic Peninsula home and takes another shot at retirement.

He failed miserably in his first attempt, letting Jannausch lure him out of his recliner five years ago to help with the Bruins program. Prior to that, Bjerke had coached 16 years at Juanita, where he won two girls State AAA championships.

After leaving Juanita, he moved to Newport and took his girls to the State AAA tournament three times in five seasons before deciding to give up coaching.

He and his wife bought a home near Clallam Bay and settled in. A short time later, Jannausch called.

“He asked me if I’d come back … as his assistant,” Bjerke said. “I knew all the girls … and really liked them. I thought it would be fun, so I said yes.”