The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

November 25, 2009

East’s Karrs is coach of the year

By Dan Stillwell

Tom Karrs’ contributions to Greenbrier East High School’s boys soccer program haven’t been forgotten.

Karrs, who coached the Spartan girls this season, has been honored as the 2009 West Virginia boys coach of the year by the National Federation of High School Coaches Association.

The award actually covers the 2008 season.

“Any time you get an award for your school, it’s a good thing,” Karrs said. “It was nice.”

Karrs coached the East boys six years, compiling a 56-48-6 record while competing in the tough Mountain State Athletic Conference.

Beyond the record, however, Karrs and assistant coach Don Wise turned the Spartans into a program that could compete with the best teams in the state.

“You want the kids to have fun and get exercise, but you want to be competitive,” Karrs said. “Our teams were more competitive than they’d ever been.”

When the girls coaching job at East became open last summer, Karrs decided to take the position. His daughter Maggie was a sophomore defender for the team.

He left confident the boys program would be in good hands with Wise.

“If I’m the coach of the year, then Don should be the assistant coach of the year,” Karrs said. “We really co-coached.”

The Spartans girls had a five-game winning streak and earned draws against Woodrow Wilson and No. 3 Winfield along the way to a 11-7-3 campaign.

“We had a nice record and we could play a good match,” Karrs said. “But we were young and not real consistent.

“At any given time we could have six or seven ninth- and 10th-graders on the field.”

He expects bigger and better things in the future.

“We’re losing five seniors, but we should have at least 30 players out next year,” Karrs said. “We’re going to toughen up our schedule to make it challenging.”

— E-mail:

dstillwell@register-herald.com

Text Only
Sports
  • Woodrow holds off Huntington

     It took Woodrow Wilson’s boys basketball team nearly three quarters to figure out that the backside lob was open in Huntington High’s zone.

    January 10, 2012

  • MSU hosts Rio Grande

    For the first time since 1995, Mountain State stands a little past the half-way point at the season with five losses.

    January 10, 2012

  • OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - WVU to join Big 12 Conference

    The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012.  The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

    October 28, 2011

  • Friday update: Big East notified WVU leaving for Big 12

    The Big East says it has been notified that West Virginia is leaving the conference and joining the Big 12.

    October 28, 2011

  • Cardinals force Game 7 in World Series

    After one of the greatest games in baseball history, a 10-9, 11-inning victory over Texas in Game 6 in which the Cardinals were twice within one strike of elimination.

    October 28, 2011

  • Schiano sings WVU’s praises

    It hasn’t been the year that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano envisioned.
    Not close.

    December 1, 2010

  • BNI will usher in mat season

    This time around, the Beckley Newspapers Invitational will have a decidedly more local flavor.

    December 1, 2010

  • Huggs likes looks of young Noreen

    Perhaps it was the season. Whatever it was, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins went straight to the pie.
    Well, the figurative pie.
    Huggins had just watched his team beat Virginia Military Institute 82-66 in front of 12,367 fans at the Charleston Civic Center Saturday.

    December 1, 2010

  • Oak Hill places 3 on AA

    Whether it was opposing defenses or illness, nothing stopped Charleston Catholic’s Tom Trupo for long.

    December 1, 2010

  • Spartans open with victory

    Turnovers produce points and the Greenbrier East girls basketball team collected plenty of each en route to an 81-43 season-opening victory against Bluefield on Tuesday night.

    December 1, 2010