Lady Mohawk volleyball coach Melissa Williams (center) and members of her elementery camp watch as her older players workout.

Times Sports Staff

There are very few relationships in a school career that are as special as those that athletes have with their coaches. Bonds forged in the heat of battle are always stronger, and the former athlete in most coaches allows them to appreciate their players in a way many cannot comprehend. You may call it a "foxhole" mentality, but all I know is that it builds strong relationships that last well beyond the school years.

These facts were evident at the recent All-Sports Assembly for the athletes of PHS, and are best illustrated by the three fall sports at the school. That might also have something to do with the fact that the three sports, volleyball, football and tennis have turned out some of the school's top athletes of recent years.

Coach Melissa Williams has a special bond with her players, junior and senior, that has allowed her to cultivate state tournament teams year-in-and-year-out. You can't coach height, speed or jumping ability but you can sure get the most out of the kids you have. And Coach Williams has been the model of that idea, squeezing the most from "good" players and putting teams on the floor that compete at a high level. The result has been repeated trips to Harrison for the state tournaments, and one of the most successful sports programs in the school's history.

When Dave Hendrix, a graduate of Rector, left Corning to come and coach the Piggott Mohawks there were some skeptics. But in the past three years Hendrix has come to love and respect the athletes here at Piggott, and the hard work of he and his assistants have resulted in a turnaround for the program. That admiration was very evident at the assembly, as he talked about the special feelings he has for "his guys" here in the Piggott district. With the help of former Mohawk Michael Harrell, Shawn Hearn and Alan Rabjohn things look bright for the future of Piggott football. Hendrix also echoed the sentiments of this column during his short speech, thanking both God and his high school coach Paul Temerian, for helping him get to where he is today.

Last, but surely not least, is Mohawk tennis coach Paul Seegraves who has served as a coach in the Piggott district in one capacity or another since the fall of 1991. Seegraves, who has coached the Mohawk tennis teams into one of the top programs in the state, is in my opinion the most successful of all the current coaches with just a slight edge over the volleyball program in district titles and state appearances.

Prior to honoring his outstanding tennis teams, which were both highly ranked in the state last year, Seegraves took a moment to honor the seventh grade and junior boy's basketball teams he coached. The seventh grade squad, and the junior team, were made up primarily of this year's seniors and were a couple of outstanding teams. The seventh grade was undefeated on their season, while the junior team went 19-3 and were conference champs.

Noting how special any conference championship is, Seegraves gave each of the players from those teams a special note in recognition. Written from the heart, and maybe a bit sentimental, it is a perfect example of the special relationships that coaches form with their kids.

If you've never experienced that feeling as either a coach or an athlete I can't explain it, but those who have know how special it really is. I'm just glad that we have a number of good coaches at Piggott, and coaches that care.