A small-town man at heart, 30-year-old Sedona Red Rock High School tennis Head Coach Duane Edwards has adjusted well to life in Sedona.
Originally from Sedalia, Mo., Edwards graduated from Northwest High School in 1998. The Hughesville, Mo., school was too small for a tennis team according to Edwards, but he did manage to play a little basketball and baseball.
“I was fortunate enough to start in both basketball and baseball my junior and senior year,” Edwards said with a keen smile, hinting through his words that he wasn’t the greatest player in his chosen sports. “If I was in Sedona at the time, I might not have made it.”
Although basketball and baseball filled his need for competition as a young lad, tennis was his real interest.
Edwards picked up his first racket at age 11, and hasn’t put it down since. He described weekend outings with his parents on the tennis courts, and practicing during the week when he could, hitting a tennis ball off the chicken house in rural Missouri.
After graduation, Edwards got into radio for three years before eventually deciding he wasn’t into the Midwest life any more.
“My friend Justin Nelson and I basically took out a map, and eliminated a few states before just pointing to a place and deciding to go. That place was Lake Havasu City in Arizona,” Edwards said.
Although his friend didn’t make the trip, Edwards wound up coming to Arizona with another friend, Steve Blake. The two packed everything they could bring and headed out west like settlers from the early 19th century.
Eventually, life in Lake Havasu City wasn’t enough for Edwards who was working long nights at Blockbuster while courting his current wife of four years, Brooke.
“I did get a wife out of the place,” Edwards joked again.
Edwards wound up at Northern Arizona University and by 2007, he held a degree in political science after being motivated by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
“I really wanted to know why something like this would, or could happen. It motivated me and I was interested in politics, I couldn’t get enough,” Edwards said.
Edwards decided to stay in school at NAU and earned his master’s degree in education in 2010. He was hired by SRRHS to teach and eventually took the job, educating young minds in U.S. history and literature, along with government economics.
As for his newfound coaching career, after two months on the job serving as the Scorpions new tennis coach, Edwards had plenty to say.
“These kids are fantastic. The kids are involved and want to learn, and they are terrific to be around. They behave themselves and it’s more rewarding than expected,” Edwards said.
He went on to say that coaching tennis isn’t all what he expected, stating that he didn’t realize how much preparation and teaching is involved.
“When I played sports, I just did what the coach asked. I ran the drills, and did what I needed to do. That was easy. This is a little different. I didn’t realize how much of a teacher mentality I needed. It’s like a fourth class,” Edwards said.
“I never really thought about what went into it. It’s a challenging profession. I didn’t expect and really didn’t appreciate what my high school coaches went through.”
Edwards also talked about his wife, Brooke, being very supportive and said he couldn’t do it without her. The two have a 2-year-old girl named Denson.
In his spare time, Edwards likes to read The New York Times and other publications along with several books.
Edwards is also a big sports fan, claiming cheer rights for the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish football team and the Chicago White Sox.
“I don’t like the NFL much. I mean I’ll watch it, but it’s not something I’ll lose sleep over,” Edwards laughed.
In the end, Edwards is enjoying his time in Sedona while teaching, working with the tennis team and raising a child with his wife, and he’s beginning to take to our small town.
“This is the life I like; I like what we have here and we couldn’t be more happy,” Edwards said.
