Walters interim girls basketball coach at CV

Judy Walters, who has coached at Central Valley longer than her predecessor, has been named interim head girls basketball for the Bears.

“The more I thought about it, the more excited I got,” said Walters, who started coaching sophomores at CV in 1984.

Walters replaces Dale Poffenroth, who became the head coach in 1987 but resigned last month to become the head coach at Coeur d’Alene.

“Hopefully the transition is smooth,” Walters said. “No matter who comes in, it will not be like Dale. I have the same philosophies but there will be a few differences. The girls are going to have to look at me in a different light. There will be a transition period, I hope everybody understands that.”

With Walters as his assistant, Poffenroth went 384-103 and made five appearances in the state title game, winning three.

Walters, who teaches driver’s education, always said she would quit coaching when Poffenroth left.

“That’s what I thought,” she said. “Then it seemed like the girls got the rug pulled out from under them. The program needed to be stabilized. They were heartbroken and I thought I could help.”

The Bears only graduated one starter from last year’s state-placing team.

Walters was the head coach at Kamiakin for eight years, guiding the Braves as the Big Nine was formed. Then she moved to Spokane and taught at Lewis and Clark without coaching before moving to CV.

Coach goes to Eastmont

Doug McGill, for seven years the head football coach at Deer Park, has resigned to take a similar position at Eastmont in Wenatchee.

He compiled a 28-26 record through six years with the Stags. Last year’s young team went 1-8.

“I knew we were young and green, but still felt it was a good experience,” he said. “I’m not so sure we didn’t do as good a job as we’ve ever done.”

However, his wife, Debra is from the Wenatchee area and her whole family, said McGill, still lives there, making it an attractive move.

Both will have teaching jobs and their two boys, he said, are young enough at ages 10 and 6 to adapt to the move.

The years at Deer Park, he said, were a good run that went by quickly.

“But it’s just the challenge of being in what I feel is one of the best league in state,” said McGill, that interested him.

Lakeside changes

Matt Sullivan is giving up his position as head cross country coach at Lakeside (Wash.) to concentrate on his duties as head baseball coach.

Since taking the job in 1993, Sullivan’s boys teams logged 37 individual state placings and his girls teams had 14. The boys were league champions three times.

The new head coach is Steve Olson, a science teacher, who served as distance coach with the track team this season. Olson was a State A champion and national junior country championships qualifier.

Staff writers Dave Trimmer and Mike Vlahovich contributed to this report.

self end