CLOVERDALE —
Jack Butcher, Howard Sharpe and Bill Stearman.
All Indiana legends, those are the only names above Pat Rady on the state’s career victory list for boys high school basketball coaches, although Rady tries to avoid talking about passing them.
Beginning his 48th season as a head coach and eighth season at Cloverdale, the 70-year-old Rady prefers focusing on the present and future more than numbers he accumulated in the past at Bainbridge, Winchester, Southmont, Shelbyville, Terre Haute South and Cloverdale.
With 711 wins under his belt after the Clovers finished 11-11 last season, Rady needs three to tie and four to pass Stearman (714) for No. 3 on the list and 13 to tie and 14 to pass Sharpe (724) for No. 2. Butcher, who retired at Loogootee in 2002, sits on top at 806.
Getting ready to run practice Wednesday afternoon, Rady understood why I brought up the possibility of him climbing the ladder. But most of his comments concerned his current team, which includes seniors Mitch Williams, Joe Fidler and Chuck Strunk along with one junior and at least three promising sophomores.
The Clovers’ first game will be Tuesday at North Central.
“I’m excited about the team we’ve got this year,” Rady emphasized. “I always take pleasure in watching a player improve and watching a group come together as a team.
“Before the year’s over, I think we’ll be competitive, but we may have some tough times early on … We are going to be fun to watch.”
“Fun” is the key word here and that’s what keeps Rady going after all these years.
“I love the game and I always have,” he explained. “This [coaching] is still as much fun as when I first started.”
Although Rady doesn’t want to look beyond this season, he figures he’ll take it “year by year” when making decisions about whether to continue coaching or retire. Regardless of what he chooses, he knows he’ll have the support of his wife Margaret and sons Patrick and Michael, whom he appreciates for all the personal sacrifices they’ve made during his career.
Patrick Rady, who worked as a part-time sportswriter here at the Tribune-Star in the 1980s, is again serving as a varsity assistant to his father at Cloverdale this season. Another familiar name, former Indiana State player Greg Thomas, is the Clovers’ junior varsity coach.
Pat Rady, who still substitute teaches at the high school and middle school in Cloverdale when needed, doesn’t avoid the past so much that he discourages contact from his former players and former coaches. On the contrary, he enjoys reminiscing about his times at all of the above-mentioned high schools.
That includes South, where he left in 2004, enabling longtime assistant Mike Saylor to become head coach. Saylor stepped down after the 2010-11 season and Rady understands why Saylor would want to do that in his early 50s.
“It’s become so demanding,” Rady said of coaching at the high school level. “It’s such a year-round thing and it’s so hard to spend time with your family.”
Still a Terre Haute resident, Rady insists that he frequently checks the Tribune-Star for South scores on the days after its games.
Yes, he specifically mentioned the Tribune-Star. I knew there was a reason I always liked him (insert “wink” symbol here).
• Better late than never — This was announced by the IHSAA earlier this month, but it’s still worth reporting: Mike Stoffers of Terre Haute was recipient of the 2011 Interscholastic Athletic Officials Association Award for excellence in the sport of volleyball.
According to its website, the IHSAA — in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association — recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports each year.
During his career, Stoffers has worked 13 sectionals, 10 regionals, three semistates and two state finals.
Stoffers was selected for this honor by a committee representing the officials associations, according to the IHSAA announcement. In Indiana, there are 24 associations made up of men and women who assist in providing activities for the student-athletes in our state. There are more than 8,000 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.
A licensed referee for 16 years, Stoffers is a member of the Wabash Valley Officials Association, He also is a licensed football, track and basketball official.
Stoffers is a 1977 graduate of Terre Haute South High School (hey, so was I) and a 1979 graduate of Vincennes University, where he earned a degree in horticulture.
Good job, Mike.
David Hughes can be reached after 4 p.m. by phone at 1-800-783-8742, Option 4, or at (812) 231-4224; by e-mail at david.hughes@tribstar.com; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
High School
HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Former South coach Rady makes it look easy
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Northview's Taylor Carter to play in state all-star softball game
Recent Northview High School graduate Taylor Carter will compete Saturday in the annual North-South All-Star softball doubleheader at the Cherry Tree Complex at Carmel.
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Goatee, Bertoli ran away with Spring Athlete of the Year
When honoring athletes after a season of excellence, the phrase “what might have been” doesn’t usually come up.
But in the case of Terre Haute South’s Jackson Bertoli and Terre Haute North’s TaPring Goatee – the Tribune-Star’s Athletes of the Year for spring sports – there’s an air of unfinished business despite obvious recent successes.
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Post 346 opens tournament with two victories
Preston Tofaute got on base enough to score three runs, Cody Thornton smashed a two-run triple in the first inning and pitcher Pete Lannoo scattered four hits over a seven-inning complete game.
All of that helped Wayne Newton Post 346 down Lafayette Post 11 by a 7-2 score in the opener of the Terre Haute Inviatational tournament for American Legion baseball Thursday afternoon at Terre Haute North High School. -
North boys move up to 13th in golf state finals
Early Wednesday morning, Terre Haute North senior Ryan Baker and coach Abe Nasser headed out to the Legends of Indiana Golf Course for a range session.
Baker wasn’t happy with the 85 he shot in Tuesday’s first round of the IHSAA boys golf state finals.
“He was frustrated,” Nasser said.
Problem solved. Baker bounced back with a 2-over 74 Wednesday, helping the Patriots improve their team score by seven strokes.
The Patriots shot 304 as a team Wednesday, giving them a two-day score of 615, good for 13th place in the 15-team field. -
Big hill to climb for North golf
Terre Haute North boys golf is 21 strokes behind leaders at IHSAA boys golf tourney.
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Top of her game
There are a lot of surprising facts about blossoming volleyball prodigy Caitlyn Newton, including that shape-shifting thing she can apparently do, but maybe one of them stands out the most. She may only be scratching the surface.
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Camp, Howe win, then lose in state tennis tourney
Miranda Camp and Nicole Howe of Terre Haute South won their first match of high school tennis Friday at the state individual doubles finals, then won the first set against a powerful Park Tudor team before falling in three sets.
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Terre Haute North heading back to state finals in boys golf
Terre Haute North is going back to the state finals in boys high school golf for the first time in more than 10 years. The Patriots qualified for a trip to The Legends Course next week by tying for third in the Washington Regional at Country Oaks Golf Club and advancing with the better fifth score.
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North, South, Sullivan to compete at golf regional
Boys high school golf teams from the Wabash Valley will compete in the Washington Regional on Thursday, seeking a spot in the state finals to be played next week.
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Terre Haute North falls 6-1 to Brownsburg in opening game of Class 4A Regional
Terre Haute North coach Shawn Turner told the Patriots to raise their heads. He wanted to see their eyes at the close of their 24-7 high school baseball season.
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Terre Haute North girls shine on dreary day at track state finals
Led by a record setting 3,200-meter relay team and Keirra Porter’s long jump, Terre Haute North turned in its best finish ever in the 40th annual IHSAA Girls Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Indiana University in Bloomington.
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Valley teams will have to wait until Monday for baseball regionals
Rain and the threat of more rain caused postponements of high school baseball regionals involving Terre Haute North, West Vigo and Shakamak on Saturday.
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Rockville's season ends at Lafayette Central Catholic
Lafayette Central Catholic ended Rockville’s tourney run in high school baseball Saturday, defeating the Rox 8-0 in the first game of the LCC Class A Regional.
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IHSAA boys state track finals: Standing alone
It hadn’t been a particularly good day for Wabash Valley track and field Friday, and it wasn’t looking like a good one for Jackson Bertoli either.
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Terre Haute North, West Vigo return to baseball regionals
Terre Haute North’s baseball team hasn’t participated in an IHSAA regional since 2006. West Vigo’s wait hasn’t been as long, but it was 2010 when the Vikings last advanced from a sectional.
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Patriots girls take aim at state track title
Terre Haute North’s girls have several potential state champions today at Indiana University.
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South, North track athletes looking for big performances at state finals
Terre Haute South’s distance trio of Jackson Bertoli, Logan Hambrock and Riley Stohler appear to be the favorites to crack all-state status among Wabash Valley competitors today in the IHSAA boys track and field state finals at Indiana University.
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Internet site keeps area prep teams on airwaves
- PREP ROUNDUP: Locals to take part in Hoosiers All-Star Game
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South Vermillion softball can't overcome errors, Tri-West
Uncharacteristic errors led to eight unearned runs and hard-luck hitting made that impossible to overcome for South Vermillion, which fell 8-0 to Tri-West in Class 3A regional play.
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Clay City softball comes up short against Lutheran
Clay City closed its high school softball season Tuesday night with the best record ever for the program at 21-9.
The Eels wanted to add another win, the school’s first regional title, but they came up short.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Rockville wins baseball sectional
Rockville won its own Class A sectional in high school baseball Tuesday, defeating Covington 10-4 in the rain-delayed championship game.
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Class 4A Terre Haute South Sectional:The wait is over
Three minutes into an interview with various media members, Terre Haute North baseball coach Shawn Turner couldn’t react fast enough to avoid a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head from behind by his giddy players. The soaking-wet Turner could shake it off with a smile, however, because his Patriots had just won the IHSAA Class 4A Terre Haute South Sectional championship with a 13-3 six-inning triumph over Plainfield on Monday evening.
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Class 4A Terre Haute South Sectional: TH North, Plainfield win squeakers
The high school baseball teams of Terre Haute North and Plainfield proved Monday that what a batter does early in the game is not necessarily indicative of what he will do in the late innings.
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Class 2A Linton Sectional: Eastern rains on Sullivan parade
Mother Nature put Sullivan’s quest for a high school baseball sectional championship on hold Monday night at Linton-Stockton High School. Sullivan (14-15) and Eastern Greene (16-7) will resume play in the Class 2A Sectional 47 championship game at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Linton’s Roy Herndon Field.
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Opening Day: Terre Haute Rex host Quincy
In his first season at the helm, first-year Terre Haute Rex manager Ronnie Prettyman is going to be surrounded by men he knows and trusts.
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Class A Shakamak Sectional: Stout pitching leads Union, Shakamak to final
Trey Bedwell and Patrick Green made sure their respective high school baseball teams would meet for the championship of the Class A Shakamak Sectional by pitching shutouts in semifinal contests Monday afternoon.
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Class A Rockville Sectional: Covington, Rockville title game postponed
Rockville and Covington won semifinal high school baseball games Monday to advance to the championship game of the Rockville Class A Sectional. Due to rain, the championship game was postponed. A decision was expected this morning whether the game will be played today or Wednesday.
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South Vermillion, Linton, Clay City look to stay alive in softball
There might have been as many reasons to think they wouldn’t be winning sectionals this spring as evidence to show they would, but high school softball teams from South Vermillion, Linton and Clay City will be playing one-game regionals Tuesday with the chance to keep defying the odds.
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West Vigo back on top of Class 3A baseball sectional
West Vigo won its sectional with a 6-4 victory over South Vermillion on a rainy night at Dick Ballinger Field.
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