OKANOGAN - Mike Gariano, architect of one of the strongest volleyball programs in North Central Washington, has coached his last volleyball game for Okanogan High School.
"This happened last Thursday," Gariano said, referring to his resignation submitted to Okanogan athletic director Steve Chamberlin. "I sat down with my girls and talked about it."
Gariano, who will remain on staff at the district's Malott Elementary, wouldn't discuss his reasons for resigning from the volleyball job. Marcy Boesel (formerly Tollefson), 23, who played for Gariano in the late 1980s and became an Okanogan volunteer assistant coach this season, will replace Gariano.
"It's a shock to us," Chamberlin said. "Obviously Mike's record speaks of his success, both in the Caribou and the state. ... We're hoping Marcy will continue our program and that we can complete the season."
As to Gariano's decision and timing, Chamberlin could only guess. "There's so much pressure on coaches," he said. "I know with myself, the time I put into coaching, the amount of time coaches are expected to put into their programs, and the expectations ... this is just a decision that Mike made. He had his reasons."
Gariano was in his ninth season at Okanogan. He coached the Bulldogs to the state championship in 1991 and they made their fourth straight appearance at the state tournament last season, when they lost in the title game to defending champion Castle Rock. Okanogan has won three straight district crowns and, until losing last week to Chelan, had won 15 consecutive Caribou Trail League matches.
"(The resignation) was basically a surprise to me," said Boesel, who played collegiate volleyball at BYU-Hawaii and finished with two years at Eastern Washington University, where she also played tennis. She's married to former Brewster standout Mike Boesel. "We had a real good time working together since I did get a chance to play for him. He's just real dedicated and had built up a strong program - it makes it real easy to step into.
"Obviously, it's a big loss for Okanogan. He's done so much for the program, the school and the girls."
Gariano submitted his resignation after school on Thursday. School was closed Friday for a teachers' work day.