Best of 2012: Buena Male Athlete, Female Athlete and Coach of the year

Buena head football coach, Ryan Scherling, center, is our pick for top coach of 2012, and is flanked by male athlete of the year, Buena junior running back Dominique Drake to his right, and Arizona State University thrower Ashley Weber, our female athlete of the year. (Beatrice Richardson?Herald/Review)

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SIERRA VISTA ? Ryan Scherling would have been an easy choice for Herald/Review Coach of the Year for 2012 for no other reason than in his first year, the 27-year-old from Kansas City led the Buena High School football team to its first state playoff appearance in 19?years.

It would have been almost as easy to make his case based on the sheer marketing determination, confidence and know-how he used to bring back community and commercial?enthusiasm.

But perhaps the best argument for Scherling as Coach of the Year, was his commitment to making it all work his?way.?

Upon arriving in April, Scherling promised to implement a wide-open offense he dubbed ?Spread Coast.? At the time, he really had no idea whether he had the horses to make a formation with four, and sometimes five receivers coming back from a senior-laden team a year earlier that won just three games with a simpler?offense.

?It?s kind of a cool offense that can do a lot of different things and I think we showed that,? Scherling?said.?

?It was going to have to adapt to our personnel, but I knew this place had athletic personnel, and I?m looking for even better things last?year.?

The Colts went 8-3 on the season, riding a six-game winning streak to reach state after starting?2-2.

?The high point of the season for me was making the playoffs,? Scherling?said.?

?Once we beat Sunnyside and we knew we were in ? it was a night you?ll never?forget.?

Along the way, Scherling?s offense smashed most of the school?s single-season?records.?

Junior quarterback Rafael Adames set records in passing yardage and touchdown passes that had stood for more than 25 years, but the biggest numbers were put up by junior running back Dominique
?Drake.?

Drake rushed for 2,105 yards and 28 touchdowns ? both school records ? doing it all with just five interior linemen and no blocking back in front of?him.

Drake arrived at Buena from Maryland in late July, and if he hadn?t shown up, it?s doubtful Scherling?s debut season as a head coach would have been nearly as
?successful.

?It was pretty amazing that I broke the record,? said Drake, our runaway choice for 2012 Herald/Review Male Athlete of the?Year.?

?I want to just come out next year and break that?record.?

Drake said that when he first showed up at Buena, he couldn?t have imagined the kind of personal and team success he?d?have.

?When I first came out here, everybody was playing around and not very focused,? Drake?said.?

?But by the end of the year, we were pretty?tough.?

2013 figures to be even more promising for the Colts, who return virtually all of their skill players on offense, and get the benefit of moving down from Division I to Division II, meaning they?ll no longer have to compete in state against teams like Mesa Red Mountain, which delivered the Colts a 45-6 loss in the first round of state. ?I think we have a good team coming back; our goal is to compete for a championship,? Scherling
?said.?

?I want even more excitement. I want our numbers to increase at all levels, and with success, I think those numbers will go up. Success breeds competition within our?program.?

Ashley?Weber

Our choice for Female Athlete of the Year is once again a repeat winner. Buena?s Bora Leonard took our top spot in 2009 and 2010, and for the second straight year, Buena thrower Ashley Weber is our pick for No. 1 after closing out her high school career with dual state championships in the shot put and the?discus.

In May, Weber won the Division I state title at Mesa Community College in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 9 1/2 inches, and followed that up by taking gold in the discus with a heave of 133 feet, 3 inches. In July, Weber nearly defended her national title in the hammer throw, finishing second at 159 feet at Junior Nationals in Maryland, and finishing fourth in the shot put at 45 feet, 2 1/2?inches.

She signed with Arizona State University and is currently a redshirt freshman on the Sun Devils??squad.

?I?m learning a lot, working on things and getting stronger,? Weber said. ?I?m kind of a hammer specialist now. I?m practicing weights and shots for the indoor season, but it?s nice this season to not have a lot of pressure, and taking time to learn as much as I?can.?

In the hammer, the Sun Devils currently feature fifth-year senior Chelsea Cassulo, leaving the door open for Weber to take the top spot next?season.

?I might be the primary hammer thrower. There?s a walk-on who?s showing a lot of talent, too, so it will be fun to see how it all works out,? Weber said. ?I?m spending this season getting stronger and learning things, next year we?ll see how things wind up, and by my fifth year, who?knows??

Source: http://www.svherald.com/content/sports/2012/12/30/344151

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