Bayfield High School has a pair of new educators.
In the classroom and on the court and track, too.
BHS hired Randy Stephens to fill the Wolverines’ boys basketball coaching spot and Joshua Walton to take over both boys and girls cross country. Athletic director Dave Preszler said both earned their jobs with their in-building teaching chops – a characteristic Preszler said was a key consideration in the hiring search.
“Both of them are really excellent instructors,” Preszler said. “They’re great teachers, and they’re going to fit in our building very well.”
Plus: “Both of them have a major passion for sports.”
Stephens, who will teach high school social studies, said good teaching ability also is key to success in athletics.
“I feel the better the teacher, you’re going to do a good job in the classroom and a good job on the court,” he said. “If you don’t do a good job teaching, that’s going to catch up to you in the classroom and on the court.”
Stephens has 33 years of coaching experience, with stints at high schools in both Colorado and his native Montana, where he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana and a master’s degree from Montana State.
Among his biggest successes was leading Gilcrest’s Valley High School to a third-place finish in Colorado’s 2004 state tournament.
A Bayfield turnaround is next on his list.
The Wolverines posted a 3-19 record last season, 0-9 in the Intermountain League before former head coach Bill Hesford resigned in March.
Stephens said he’s gotten to see a number of his players at open gyms in the last couple of weeks. He’s been impressed with what he’s seen: young talent, desire and a willingness to learn.
“I’ve thrown out some ideas, and they’re more than receptive, and that’s 99 percent of the battle,” Stephens said.
To turn that win-loss column around, though, Stephens said the Wolverines will have to focus on and correct some of their fundamentals.
“At some point, the kids have to realize you have to play good defense, you have to rebound, you have to take care of the ball,” he said.
The first on that list – defense – is Stephens’ favorite.
Although the best coaches adapt their system to the athletes with whom they’re working, Stephens said his teams trend toward an up-tempo brand.
Quick-scoring offenses and a smothering defense keeps the pressure on opposing teams, and that’s how Stephens approaches the game.
“At some point, my philosophy for high school sports is you’re going to find a time where you’re going to make them crack,” Stephens said.
“Defensively, I like to get after people. Like I tell the kids, the best thing about scoring on offense is afterward you get to play defense.”
Walton, meanwhile, will put his emphasis on teaching science, running and life skills.
The Mancos native has spent “pretty much my whole life” in the Four Corners region, playing high school sports in Mancos before getting his bachelor’s in environmental biology at Fort Lewis College.
After a couple of years of field work studying birds and wolves, Walton returned to FLC to get his teaching license and did his student teaching at Bayfield Middle School, where he also served as an assistant track coach.
Five years ago, Walton took a job at Cortez where he’s coached both basketball and track as an assistant, overseeing the throwers and coaching four different girls to state, two of them into the top nine three different years.
“I had a lot of experience working with the runners, too,” Walton said.
Walton said he’s excited to teach athletes how to run through challenges and how to work through life challenges, while trying to grow the BHS program.
“I see cross country intersecting with life skills as far as there’s going to be times that you may have challenges in cross country just like you may have challenges in life,” he said. “And overcoming some of those obstacles in cross country I think will help my athletes approaching different obstacles in life as well.
“I’m just super excited to take on this challenge.”
jsojourner@durangoherald.com
