Reese softball coach Andy Behmlander named Coach of the Year, selected for MHSCA Hall of Fame
Thanks to Bill Petzold for alerting me about this article of his.
By Bill Petzold | The
But when a coach spends 24 years building a small-town high school softball program into a state powerhouse, people are bound to notice.
Behmlander, who guided Reese to a 42-2 record and a state runner-up finish this spring, has two Michigan High School Coaches Association banquets to attend this offseason: One to accept the award for 2009 Coach of the Year and one for his induction into the MHSCA’s Hall of Fame.
“Coaches get the credit when things go well, and they get the blame when it goes bad,” Behmlander said. “I end up getting recognition, but it really comes down to the kids.”
Behmlander, a 1972 Bay City Central graduate, is nearing 600 wins coaching in a village with a population under 1,400.
Since the 2000 season, Behmlander’s teams have compiled a record of 307 wins to just 62 losses and two ties for an .827 winning percentage. During that time, the Rockets have celebrated six Greater Thumb West titles, seven district titles, two regional titles and last year’s state runner-up performance.
“When I started out, I had one goal and that was to make Reese a statewide program,” Behmlander said. “I think we’ve achieved that. And I think it’s evident that when we go to the coaching banquet, we pick who the top 10 teams in the state would be, and Reese always comes up, just because of our history. That’s what I wanted to accomplish.
“My goal was to have a program that was good every year. We pride ourselves on being consistent every year. Statewide, we have that recognition, that (teams know) if they schedule Reese, they’re going to get some good competition.”
Championship-caliber competition as it turns out. Last season the Rockets’ only two losses came against Division 4 state champion Unionville-Sebewaing in a doubleheader split and against Division 3 state champion Gladstone in the title game.
The doubleheader with the Patriots produced one of Behmlander’s career highlights. After dropping the first game, Reese trailed 1-0 heading into the final inning of Game 2. The Rockets rallied, and Amy Kaufman came around to score the winning run, securing a share of the Greater Thumb West title with a historically-loaded USA squad.
“I had tearsin my eyes ; I couldn’t even talk to the girls,” Behmlander said of the emotional victory. “Every year there’s something like that. We were down 1-0, weren’t really doing anything. The easiest thing would have been to give up, (but we hung in there) and things fell into place.”
Even the disappointing loss in the state championship game, while it stung at the time, couldn’t diminish what Behmlander’s team did together.
“It hurt a lot, but they all realized that they all did the best they could,” he said. “I told them after the game, ‘If this is the worst thing that has ever happened to you, you’ve lived a good life.’
“They put a plaque up in the gym, and I said ‘Someday you can bring your grandkids back here and it will still be here.’ I want that pride to be there for the girls.”
Behmlander said among the highlights of his career so far were the years he spent coaching his own daughters, Janelle, Stacey and Katy. His wife Nancy is a regular at Rockets games.
“She was probably happier about this than I was — not that I wasn’t happy, but because she knows how much time I put into it,” he said.
By Bill Petzold | The Bay City Times
October 16, 2009, 6:52PM
Reese softball coach Andy Behmlander didn’t get into coaching for personal accolades.But when a coach spends 24 years building a small-town high school softball program into a state powerhouse, people are bound to notice.
Behmlander, who guided Reese to a 42-2 record and a state runner-up finish this spring, has two Michigan High School Coaches Association banquets to attend this offseason: One to accept the award for 2009 Coach of the Year and one for his induction into the MHSCA’s Hall of Fame.
“Coaches get the credit when things go well, and they get the blame when it goes bad,” Behmlander said. “I end up getting recognition, but it really comes down to the kids.”
Behmlander, a 1972 Bay City Central graduate, is nearing 600 wins coaching in a village with a population under 1,400.
Since the 2000 season, Behmlander’s teams have compiled a record of 307 wins to just 62 losses and two ties for an .827 winning percentage. During that time, the Rockets have celebrated six Greater Thumb West titles, seven district titles, two regional titles and last year’s state runner-up performance.
“When I started out, I had one goal and that was to make Reese a statewide program,” Behmlander said. “I think we’ve achieved that. And I think it’s evident that when we go to the coaching banquet, we pick who the top 10 teams in the state would be, and Reese always comes up, just because of our history. That’s what I wanted to accomplish.
“My goal was to have a program that was good every year. We pride ourselves on being consistent every year. Statewide, we have that recognition, that (teams know) if they schedule Reese, they’re going to get some good competition.”
Championship-caliber competition as it turns out. Last season the Rockets’ only two losses came against Division 4 state champion Unionville-Sebewaing in a doubleheader split and against Division 3 state champion Gladstone in the title game.
The doubleheader with the Patriots produced one of Behmlander’s career highlights. After dropping the first game, Reese trailed 1-0 heading into the final inning of Game 2. The Rockets rallied, and Amy Kaufman came around to score the winning run, securing a share of the Greater Thumb West title with a historically-loaded USA squad.
“I had tears
Even the disappointing loss in the state championship game, while it stung at the time, couldn’t diminish what Behmlander’s team did together.
“It hurt a lot, but they all realized that they all did the best they could,” he said. “I told them after the game, ‘If this is the worst thing that has ever happened to you, you’ve lived a good life.’
“They put a plaque up in the gym, and I said ‘Someday you can bring your grandkids back here and it will still be here.’ I want that pride to be there for the girls.”
Behmlander said among the highlights of his career so far were the years he spent coaching his own daughters, Janelle, Stacey and Katy. His wife Nancy is a regular at Rockets games.
“She was probably happier about this than I was — not that I wasn’t happy, but because she knows how much time I put into it,” he said.
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