Shamrocks' Petersen has put up some astounding numbers
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
Columbus Scotus’ John Petersen is the Journal Star Girls Prep Coach of the Year.
But the longtime Shamrock volleyball coach could be “Coach of the Decade.” Or even “Coach of the Last Two Decades.’’
The numbers are staggering since Petersen was named the Journal Star coach of the year for the first time in 1994. Scotus has won 10 Class C-1 state volleyball titles and finished second at state three times since then. In those 13 seasons, the Shamrocks have amassed an astounding 359-14 record, including a state-record 115-match winning streak from 2001-04.
- 1977: Tom Sheppard, York
- 1978: John Binning, Scottsbluff
- 1979: Ed Bills, Grand Island
- 1980: Bill Paar, Ashland
- 1981: Linda Carlson, North Platte
- 1982: Bill Willburn, Sidney
- 1983: Myron Oehlerking, Lincoln East
- 1984: Dave Wegner, Shickley
- 1985: Sandi Genrich, Lincoln Northeast
- 1986: John Larsen, Lincoln Southeast
- 1987: Bob Schnitzler, Battle Creek
- 1988: Phyllis Rice, Centennial
- 1989: Sharon Zavala, G.I. Central Catholic, and Vince Zavala, G.I. Northwest
- 1990: Alan VanCura, Hastings St. Cecilia
- 1991: Dan Sorge, Shickley
- 1992: Don Kelley, Lincoln Pius X
- 1993: Joanne Kappas, Bellevue West
- 1994: John Petersen, Columbus Scotus
- 1995: John Larsen, Lincoln Southeast, and Bob Tomlin, Cambridge
- 1996: Kelly Flynn, South Sioux City
- 1997: Russ Ninemire, Sandy Creek
- 1998: Jake Moore, Lincoln Pius X
- 1999: Allen Cerny, Ogallala
- 2000: Jim Miller, Omaha Marian
- 2001: Steve Morgan, Ogallala
- 2002: Gwen Egbert and Mike Govig,
Papillion-La Vista - 2003: Carol Moravec, Lincoln Southeast
- 2004: Todd Mitmesser, Lincoln East
- 2005: Rich Olson, Lincoln Northeast, and Sue Ziegler, Lincoln Lutheran
- 2006: Scott Jensen, Bellevue East
- 2007: John Petersen, Columbus Scotus
That winning streak was snapped by Lincoln Lutheran in the 2004 Class C-1 state finals. The loss to Lutheran, however, was just a blip on the radar screen, as Scotus rebounded to win the last two C-1 state titles, finishing with 26-3 records in each of the last two seasons.
Despite so much emphasis on club volleyball in Nebraska during the past 15 years, Petersen has done it without coaching a single point of club ball nor pressuring his players to play during the offseason.
In 1994, Petersen was both the head volleyball and head girls basketball coach at Scotus. Petersen guided Scotus to three girls state basketball titles and a runner-up finish in his last five seasons before giving up the position after the 1998-99 season.
Petersen stayed out of basketball for a year before returning as the freshman girls coach. He’s now the varsity assistant to Sean Wickham.
Throw the post-1994 record on top of what Petersen’s volleyball teams accomplished before that, and the statistics are even more eye-opening. A 693-104 career coaching record, 12 state championships, a state-record 59 state tournament matches and 49 wins (also a state record), a state-record 14 straight state tournament finals and 18 overall championship match appearances, another state record.
Needless to say, the trophy case at Columbus Scotus has grown considerably during the 56-year-old Petersen’s 30 years at the school as a coach and a math teacher.
“Twenty years ago, who would have ever thought any of this would happen?” Petersen said. “When I first started coaching, the question was ‘Would we even get one (state championship)?’ or ‘Would we even get to the state tournament.’”
It’s been a perfect recipe that’s cooked up so much success. The Shamrocks have been blessed on two counts. First, they’ve had talented, competitive athletes who’ve been willing to work hard, buy into Petersen’s system and possessed a deep desire to carry on Scotus’ volleyball tradition. Second, those athletes have worked with a knowledgeable coaching staff that’s been together at Scotus probably longer than any staff in the state.
Petersen’s top assistant and junior varsity coach — Janet Tooley — has been at Scotus since 1987. Her daughter, Jamie, was an all-stater for the Shamrocks as a senior in 2005 and now plays for Nebraska-Omaha. The freshman coach, Julie Blaser, started working at Scotus in 1991.
Both Tooley and Blaser played college volleyball before going into coaching.
The seventh-grade coach, Jane Dusel-Misfeldt, arrived at the school in 1992.
“This (coach of the year) is a collective award for the whole staff,’’ Petersen said. “To be successful, you have to have kids with some athleticism who love to compete, and we’ve had an incredible staff to work with them at every level. They’ve had opportunities to coach other places, but they’ve stayed. And it’s just not about longevity, they’re good coaches who are always trying to learn, tweaking things to make us even better.”
Tooley said the coaches “have a fun time’’ working in the program. Besides the long hours at practices, matches and tournaments, there’s also time to kick back and enjoy coaching camaraderie as their families socialize on numerous occasions.
She said Petersen uses an inclusive style of coaching, asking for input from the assistants and incorporating their ideas into the game plan.
“The lines of communications are always open with John,” Tooley said. “He’s always receptive to what we have to say and he’s willing to share his success with others. We’re all extremely competitive people and there’s that rare occasion when tempers flare. When it happens, we look at each other, laugh and ask ‘What was that all about?’ and we move on.’’
Although Tooley said Petersen adjusts strategy each season to fit the talent the team has, the head coach does not compromise on precise execution and air-tight defense that never allows the ball to hit the floor. When execution or defense breaks down too often in a practice or a match, the perfectionist in Petersen begins to show and his assistants have to intervene.
“They have to remind me that these are 15-, 16- and 17-year-old girls, that they’re not always going to do everything perfectly and that it has to be fun for them, too,’’ Petersen said. “One of my faults is I sometimes expect too much out of them. But our demand for perfection has also made us as good as we’ve been through the years.”
Although every state championship team holds a special place for Petersen, he was particularly proud of the 2006 squad. Led by all-state setter Liz Hadland, last year’s team avenged two previous losses to Grand Island Central Catholic and knocked off the Crusaders in the Class A C-1 state finals. GICC returned almost its entire team intact from its 2005 Class C-2 state championship squad.
“We struggled last summer at team camps and summer league, then we played up-and-down during the season,’’ Petersen said. “To make it to the state tournament and play like we did was pleasantly surprising. That last match (against Grand Island Central Catholic) was the best we played all season. That was exciting to see as a coach.’’
Petersen has no plans to retire from coaching anytime soon, although he and wife Marilyn now have two grandchildren “and there are things we’d like to do, but we can’t because I’m coaching,” he said.
“What determines when I get out is when I don’t enjoy practices anymore,’’ Petersen said. “So far, I still do.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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