MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the second year in a row and fifth time ever in 18 years, Donald Godfrey will be heading to Charleston to lead his Hawks (27-6) to a potential state title.
Through his long tenure, however, Godfrey has never made it past the first round.
“My goal as a coach is to win at least one game in the state tournament before I retire,” Godfrey said. “I know that doesn’t sound lofty, probably pretty low, but we’ve never won one so maybe if we get one we can win the tournament.”
This year, his team has a solid chance of picking up a win in the first round, even going up against the mammoth George Washington (55-2-2), which was voted into the No. 2 seed. Even with the loss of key seniors, the Hawks have managed to play consistently as the regular season progressed with a line of clutch hitters.
“When someone has a bad day, someone else will pick them up,” he said. “Mallory Napolillo and Ashten Boggs have been leaders all year, but there’s also been Olivia Kaddar and Anna Voris in our back row. Anna is our go-to person to get things going with a good pass up so [the others] can get good sets and hits. It’s been a good combination team [that was highlighted] against Morgantown [in regionals].”
When it comes to the tough draw UHS was voted into — a new system delivered this year by coaches whose teams made it to regionals — Godfrey isn’t too happy. Believing the Hawks were seeded too low, he credits it to Region I not “getting much respect.”
“Nobody has ever won the state tournament from Region I,” he continued. “I told the girls the other day, ‘We have nothing to lose. Just go out and play hard, have fun and see what happens.’ You never know, if we play well we have a chance of winning [even though] they play tournaments every weekend and have [55 wins].”
The Hawks have managed a moderate success rate through tournament play this year, winning out in the Parkersburg South tournament in October, as well as sectionals and regionals. The team was knocked out of the Greenbrier tournament, as well as at a tri-tournament against Hampshire and Phillip Barbour — the latter being the only true slump Godfrey has witnessed in his team. Every other loss has been competitive, he noted.
Going in, Godfrey wants his team to manage a cool mindset and take to heart they have nothing to lose.
“All the pressure is going to be on GW. They’re the No. 2 seed. No one’s expecting us to win,” he said.
Godfrey’s legacy of winning
On Oct. 1, the Hawks defeated the regional giant Wheeling Park 3-2, and although it was a great upset to spur UHS through the rest of the regular season, it was also a milestone in Godfrey’s career: His 400th win.
He now holds an all-time 418-195 record. As his legacy continues with the red and gold, he manages to remain humble.
“Do I think I’m the greatest coach in the world? No, I’ve just had a lot of great players. Through the years we’ve been consistent, I’ve only had one losing season,” he said. “I credit that to those great players.”
Godfrey didn’t discuss any thoughts on retirement.
