Stability key in West Lauderdale's success

By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Aug. 3, 2004
West Lauderdale had the top athletic program in Class 3A last year, and much of the credit for that goes to one thing stability.
Especially in the major sports, all of West's head coaches have been at the Collinsville school for quite a while.
With 10 state championships in baseball and seven in slow-pitch softball, Boatner might have broken the school district had that change been made back in the early 1990s.
Boatner and Hurst run the slow-pitch softball program, which gets its season under way on Friday at Union in a battle of defending state champions. West won slow-pitch state championships in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2003.
McCain brings a 36-32 record into his seventh year with the football program, including a 9-3 mark last fall.
Clark led the boys basketball squad to the state tournament last year, while Hurst carried the Lady Knights to the Big House the previous two years.
Boatner will be returning to the baseball diamond for his 32nd year at Collinsville and the 37th year overall. His teams won state championships in 1978, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001.
West will have a new man running the soccer programs as Frankie Herrington replaces Bud Brown. Both the Knights and Lady Knights were state runners-up last year.
Glen Sanders is back as fast-pitch softball head coach after leading the Lady Knights to a Class 3A playoff berth in just their second year of competition last spring.
Clark and Cathy Theall handle the boys' and girls' cross country teams, while Hurst is the head golf coach. The Knights won the 3A state title on the links at Forest Country Club during the spring.