New coaches plan to strengthen Prosper’s athletic program

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Ana Arredondo, Reporter

The school’s population grew by more than 2,000 new students, and as the 2018-2019 school year marks the school’s jump from the University Interscholastic League’s Division 5A to 6A, the coaching staff had to grow, as well. 

While competing in a higher division may pose challenges for all athletic teams, more than 20 new coaches came to the program this year. Among them is assistant volleyball coach, Angel Mauterer. She will coach track in the spring and also teach US history to juniors.

“It’s been a great change for me,” Mauterer said. “I’m really enjoying the kids, the atmosphere, the expectations of the campus and the support that we get from the upper administration and beyond.”

Senior and varsity volleyball player Taylor Burrell said all the coaches do a “phenomenal” job in creating a cohesive game plan that every player can follow.

“They hold us to a high standard,” Burrell said. “Giving our coaches hard work and focus during practice and games is a given. Coach Mauterer will pull one player aside and coach them one-on-one during a timeout or switching between sets. It makes that person individually better, thus making the team more successful as a whole.”

Mauterer played volleyball throughout high school and started coaching in college.

“I feel like I’m growing more as an assistant than I did for years as a head coach,” Mauterer said. “Seeing the development in kids, and seeing them from inexperienced to doing the things you taught them and seeing them start to love the game and want to share it with others is one of my favorite things.”

Senior and varsity volleyball player Kayla Martin said she and other players look to their coaches for inspiration and guidance.

“This season, like every other season, we look to our coaches to believe in us and our abilities,” Martin said. “When times get tough or when things might not be going our way, they are our biggest motivators and that is what keeps us going as players. She (Mauterer) is such an amazing addition to the Prosper volleyball coaching staff. Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to new coaches because of the way they teach, but it’s not like that with Coach M at all. She’s been a part of the family since day one.”

Along with new additions to the coaching staff, some have also shifted positions. Former assistant coach Mark Rainwater was promoted to head coach of the varsity girls softball program.

“I feel like there is a lot of the same responsibilities that we had last year,” Rainwater said. “The excitement and the drive to win is the same as a varsity assistant or a head coach.”

Rainwater said he recalls being nervous when athletic director Valerie Little brought him in front of the varsity softball team and introduced him as their new head coach, but was relieved after the players cheered and clapped.

“I knew it was going to be a great season because Coach Rainwater already knows all of us and our individual game,” junior Lexie Bell said. “He will know how to work with each of us to improve our team as a whole, but one person at a time. In these past few years, we have had a good team bond and family atmosphere, and that will continue to really help us a lot.”

Rainwater said he thinks there is a reward that comes from coaching young athletes and shaping their work ethic on and off the field.

“Us coaches take pride in what we do,” Rainwater said. “I think the biggest reward for me is to see the players reach their full potential. I have found that coaching a girls’ sport, they are hungry to work. They expect to be held to high standards and they are very competitive. To watch these girls compete, give their best, come together as a family, support each other, and realize that we all have one dream, one goal, and one mission is really rewarding. We are a family. If one person on our team has success, then we feel like we’re part of that success.”