2003-04 Clovis High Year in review

Second in the state in boys cross country in the fall. Second in the state in girls basketball in the winter. Second in the state in baseball in the spring.

It was a bridesmaid kind of year for Clovis High athletic teams in 2003-04.

But the success of the Clovis athletic program is measured by more than wins and losses, administrators said.

“High expectations are OK,” Clovis Municipal Schools Superintendent Neil Nuttall said. “I always want the kids to expect to be competitive and in the hunt for the playoffs every year.

“But you have to blend that with the reality of injuries, the level of competition and the fact that sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way.”

First-year Clovis athletic director Dale Fullerton cited the boys soccer team as an example of a program that can’t be measured in wins and losses.

The Wildcats finished with a 2-16 this year under second-year coach Shaun Gill.

“To me that program is in a good shape,” Fullerton said. “You can see coach Gill has them doing the right things, but I don’t think their record last year reflects that.”

Fullerton said other criteria for success includes participation, conduct of players and coaches and academics.

“I want us to have good kids that are hard workers,” Fullerton said. “Kids that will make the school proud. I think our kids are that way.”

Fullerton said athletics are a valuable part of the education process.

“I think they go hand-and-hand,” Fullerton said. “We certainly stress academics over athletics, but we feel there’s life-long lessons you can learn from athletics.”

Clovis won six district titles in 16 girls and boys sports in 2003-04, with an individual or team qualifying for state in 12 of the 16 sports.

But can any season be considered successful without Clovis making a strong run at the state football title? The Wildcats went 8-2 during the regular season, but lost in a 2002 state quarterfinal game for the first time in 22 tries under veteran coach Eric Roanhaus.

Nuttall said given the standard of excellence Clovis has set — 13 state titles since 1960 — and the community’s passion for the game, it is impossible not to hold the football team to a higher standard.

“I think it would be a mistake to ignore the obvious,” Nuttall said.

Fullerton said he has no doubt the community puts more emphasis on high-profile sports. He said as an administrator, it wouldn’t be fair not to consider all the programs equal.

“I don’t think we put more emphasis on the football team than we do on any another sport,” he said. “Now I think if you ask Coach Roanhaus, anything less than a state championship would be considered unsuccessful.”

Considerably more money is spent of the football program than other sports, mostly due to the cost of equipment, he said.

While Clovis has always been competitive in sports such as football, basketball, track, and recently baseball, Fullerton said some of the other programs are lagging behind.

Softball is a particular concern, along with tennis and girls soccer.

“Softball is way off,” Fullerton said. “We have to get athletes and we’ve got to get more competitive.”

A lack of a feeder system has stunted the growth of the program, Fullerton said.

“We don’t have a fast-pitch program in Clovis” he said. “We’ve got to have a summer program up to increase the numbers and our competitiveness.”

He said he will start this week the search to replace third-year coach Larry Trower, who resigned at the end of the season for family reasons.One of the criteria Fullerton will look at is the new coach starting a summer program.

The tennis program is headed in the right direction under Billie Merritt, Fullerton said. But without a feeder program it too will be hard-pressed to be competitive at the state level.

Veteran coach Larry Jones also appears to be making strides with the girls soccer program based on spring tryout numbers.

By reaching the Class 5A state title, the Clovis baseball team went farther than any in the program’s long history. The team also set a school record for wins with 23 while making its third straight state playoff appearance under head coach Shane Shallenberger.

The Lady Wildcats also set a school record for wins in basketball, but fell in the state title contest to Mayfield while the runner-up finish in cross country by the Clovis boys was the school’s best in that sport.

There were several other highlights in 2003-04, including junior Travis Reid winning the boys state golf title and as many as nine Clovis seniors have earned or will earn college scholarships.