The Great Respect

Last Friday night was the last scheduled home game and senior night for the LRS Broncos. It has been a difficult year of rebuilding and battling injuries for the Broncos. I’m sure that a lot of folks had hopes that the excitement of the last four or five years would continue. It is difficult for any program to do what the Broncos have done.

There are several freshmen starting this year because of injuries and the fact that these youngsters worked hard and came to play. You can say that maybe they aren’t ready at this age but these kids are giving their all and that is something that will stay with them and they will continue to grow and mature.

There was a very special presentation before the game as two coaching legends were introduced as honorary captains. They are Coach Mike Lynch who retired as the Bronco head coach after winning a state championship in 2004 after 31 years of coaching. He is now an assistant coach for LRS.

The other coaching legend was former Reardan head man Gene Smith.

After serving as Frank Teverbaugh’s assistant Smith took over the Reardan football and basketball program when Teverbaugh went to Richland to coach the Bomber basketball team. Smith’s first year as the Readan head coach was the fall of 1969, my senior year.

The Broncos would win the Bi-County and Smith’s club would finish third. The next year the Indians would go undefeated and be voted as B football champions by the AP poll. Smith had success as a basketball coach as well winning four B championships.

When the playoffs started in 1973, Smith guided the first Bi-County football team to play in the championship game but the Indians would lose to Willapa Valley in 1978.

Two years later, Coach Lynch led the Ritzville Broncos to the state championship becoming the first Bi-County team to win it all on the gridiron. That game was played in the Kingdome.

In their football coaching careers Smith took three teams to the championship game winning one and placing second twice. Lynch took five teams to the championship as both Ritzville and Lind-Ritzville. His Bronco teams were state champs twice and runner ups twice.

I was lucky enough to be an assistant for Coach Lynch in the fall of 1988. Much like this year the 1988 team was also in a rebuilding mode. But that team defeated the Liberty Lancers in the last game of the season which was also Coach Lynch’s 100th victory as a head coach all accomplished as the RHS Bronco coach.

Coach Lynch and Smith are well-respected throughout the state. Smith’s teams’ were always prepared and disciplined and win or lose had great sportsmanship. There are several players on those teams that I butted heads with on the gridiron and the basketball court that I consider friends to this day.

If you talk with people from other communities the thing most will say is that Lynch’s teams will beat you up but Lynch will never run the score up even though he could. He understands the importance of having respect for your foe whether in victory or defeat.

Both Lynch and Smith recognize players from opposing teams and they’re sincere in their praise for them.

I knew several coaches from the teams we played but only Coach Smith went out of his way to say hi to me and ask how I was doing. It was easy for me to realize that this guy cared about young people whether he coached them or coached against them.

I saw Coach Smith on Friday night and had a nice visit. I told him how great that history lesson at mid-field recognizing two Washington State High School Hall of Fame coaches really was.

Smith told me, “The thing I really liked about Mike Lynch is if his team wasn’t in the playoffs he would help the Bi-County teams with scouting reports and do anything to help a league member succeed in the playoffs. That doesn’t always happen.”

That great respect between two legendary coaches was a special moment and I’m glad I was there to witness it. I hope that if you were there you can understand how great that moment really was.