After more than two decades as head volleyball coach of Sedona Red Rock High School, John Parks admits he has lost count of how many Coach of the Year honors he has accumulated.
“I think it’s 12,” Parks said. “It might be more. I have to go count in the gym.”
The SRRHS athletic director had the honor bestowed upon him for the 14th time after winning Section IV with one loss before losing the Division IV state championship in five memorable, marathon games.
“It’s not really about me,” Parks said. “I’ve always had a good feeder program from the middle schools and good freshman and JV coaches doing a lot of work down there making Sedona volleyball special.
“That’s allowed me to inherit, over the years, some really strong players. Most of the time, nowadays, I’m working on tactics and strategies, since they’ve already got all the other stuff down.”
Outside hitter DeVonne Ryter, divisional leader in kills and hitting percentage, was named sectional Player of the Year as well. Ryter chose to graduate from SRRHS in December to attend the University of Idaho on a volleyball scholarship.
Juniors Annie Parrella and Lauren Stevenson were also named first team all-division, but Parks was disappointed in the honorable mention for senior outside hitter Shamina Thodé.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Jan. 14, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
