‘Since I’ve made the decision, I’m sleeping really well.’ Another MCC football coach steps down

Eric Hisaw knew it was time.

With one son getting ready to run with the school’s cross country team, and the other coming up next fall to play freshman football, Hisaw knew he had to step down as Walla Walla High School’s varsity football coach after eight years on the job.

“When you’re trying to be a good dad and husband, you think it’s about time,” said Hisaw on Thursday night. “But (the decision) wasn’t really finalized until after the season was over. Next year, I’d either miss the back end of my youngest son’s freshman football games or the first part of the varsity game.”

Hisaw didn’t want to be the dad who would come back four years later and realized what he had missed.

He becomes the second Mid-Columbia Conference varsity football coach this month to resign.

Kennewick’s Bill Templeton stepped down earlier this month.

Hisaw didn’t have a great record at Wa-Hi in his eight years — 26-53.

His best season was 2013, when the Blue Devils went 6-4.

But rarely could you ever find a more upbeat and positive coach who helped mold young men’s lives.

Hisaw said he’ll miss the start of spring football, when players finish their spring sport and start something new.

“I’ll miss that first Friday night, when you don’t know what you really have until you start playing,” he said. “I’ll miss the locker room and the bus rides. Practice can be such a grind. But in the locker room and on bus rides, that’s when you get to know kids and you talk about life.

“You try to make them better men, and sometimes they’ll come back years later and talk to you.”

A varsity head football coaching position is not an easy job. It’s year-round anymore.

Templeton said there were very few days during the past few years where he didn’t think about the Kennewick program.

“But it’s a heck of a job,” Hisaw said.

By resigning now, Hisaw gives Dirk Hansen, the school district’s athletic director, ample time to find a replacement and ensure off-season work would not be interrupted.

Hisaw said he’s not going anywhere.

He’s that rare bird who coached two sports — track and field being the other. He’s staying put there and will keep teaching at Wa-Hi.

But for now, football is out.

“I don’t know (about coming back eventually to coach again),” he said. “I’m not going to close that door right now. There is never a good time to do this. But I need to be a dad.

“And since I’ve made the decision, I’m sleeping really well.”

Prep roundup

Watched Richland boys beat Southridge 95-39 in a rare MCC season opener Tuesday.

The Bombers, who finished fifth at last season’s 4A state tournament, looked in mid-season form with their ball movement and rebounding. Three starters from last season — Cole Northrup, Cody Sanderson and Garrett Streufert — scored in double figures.

But Dhaunye Guice, with his constant movement and passing, as well as his defense and shooting, caught a lot of eyes.

Richland will be without senior Nathan Mitchell this season. Mitchell was the first guy off the bench last season, and Bombers coach Earl Streufert was excited for a monster season for Mitchell after the senior dominated in summer tournaments.

Streufert severely injured his knee in football season, missing most of it, and isn’t ready to play basketball this season.



Other notes: I liked the way 6-5 junior Sam Lopia played for Southridge in the loss. He has a nice touch from the 3-point line, but he also unveiled quick little hook shots from either hand about 5 to 10 feet out. …

Chiawana’s boys came out and dominated their season opener Tuesday, beating visiting Davis 71-48. The Riverhawks out rebounded the Pirates 54-25, and Matthew Kroner had a double-double for Chiawana of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Kobe Young just missed a double-double, with 13 points and 9 rebounds. …

Stephen Westermeyer scored 19 points and the visiting Kamiakin boys held off Lewis & Clark 66-63 for the win Tuesday. That’s an impressive win, considering LC is pegged to be a top-10 team in Class 4A this season. …

People will be keeping an eye on Kittitas guard Brock Ravet this season. The senior who committed to Gonzaga University scored 36 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished off 15 assists Tuesday as Kittitas beat Yakama Tribal 102-68 in its opener. …

Hermiston quarterback Andrew James got his first college football offer this week, this one from Eastern Oregon University. …

The Pasco girls basketball team got the season off to a great start with a 67-40 win over Wenatchee on Thursday. Aaron Barcot’s Bulldogs forced 27 Wenatchee turnovers and turned them into 29 points. Mya Groce had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, while teammate Taija Mackey scored 6 points but had 16 rebounds (8 of them offensive boards). …

Javon Handcox scored 24 points to lead the Walla Walla boys basketball to a 63-49 road win over Sunnyside on Thursday. …

Hanford’s boys beat Eisenhower 59-50 on the road Tuesday. Connor Woodward led the Falcons with 19 points, while teammate Dan Izquierdo added 11. …

Olivia Davis scored a team-high 14 points on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough as the visiting Hanford girls lost at Eisenhower 49-37. The win snapped Ike’s 37-game losing streak. …

Connell’s basketball teams opened their season Tuesday, with the boys beating Granger 65-51. Silas Chase led the Eagles with 26 points, while Ridge Pauley added 16. The Connell girls fell to Granger 42-38 despite Madison Smith’s 13 points. …

Yesenia Nunez rolled a game-high 197 to lead Pasco over Kennewick 4-0 in girls bowling play on Thursday afternoon. That makes Pasco 6-0 in MCC play, while Kennewick falls to 6-1.

Wrestling roundup: Southridge rallied in the upper weights Thursday to hand visiting Hermiston a 42-35 season-opening dual meet loss.

Michael Failor led the Suns with a quick pin at 170 pounds, while Hunter Dyer at 120 pounds had a quick pin for Hermiston. …

Pasco is already out to a 2-0 MCC record, beating Kamiakin 48-21 on Tuesday, then stopping Kennewick 72-6 on Thursday. …

Hanford rolled over Walla Walla 71-6 on Thursday.



Coaches: Please don’t hesitate to send me your team’s results at either sports@tricityherald.com or mrsported@aol.com.

This story was originally published November 30, 2018 at 6:32 PM.