Garritano has big shoes to fill at Green Valley

     By W.G. Ramirez
     View staff writer
      In the fall of 1994, nothing beat a blustery day at Rebel Park on the UNLV campus.
      At the time, the Rebels were in the midst of turning in a championship season that included a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl, and Nick Garritano thrived on windy days during practice, where 60-yard field goals were a dime a dozen.
      It was a year when "believing" was the biggest factor in the Rebels' successful campaign.
      Now, 4 1/2 years later, Garritano will try to bring the same philosophy into Green Valley's baseball program, where his dream of becoming a high school coach has become a reality.
      "That year plays over and over in my mind ... magic moments," Garritano said of the Rebels' 1994 season. "We overcame adversity. ... I'll think about that year a lot during the season."
      It's not as if Green Valley's success rate is as low as UNLV's football program -- heck, the Gators are the six-time defending state champions.
      Still, Garritano is facing adversity.
      At 25 and less than four years removed from receiving his degree, Garritano takes over the most high-profile baseball position in the Southern Conference by replacing legendary coach Rodger Fairless.
      "I think the challenge is to find coaches who can carry the tradition," said Lee Koellicker, athletic administrator at Green Valley. "It's a task in itself to replace Rodger Fairless, but I think Nick will do a fine job."
      If nothing else, he knows how to win.
      Garritano attended Chaparral from 1987-'91, during which time he starred for both the football and baseball teams.
      As a sophomore, Garritano and the Cowboys ran through the competition until meeting eventual-state champion Rancho in the Southern Conference final, where Chaparral lost in the final minutes. In his junior season, the Cowboys again respectfully battled in the Sunset Division, but fell short in the playoffs.
      As a senior, however, Garritano finally got the chance to play for the title, as the Cowboys faced McQueen for the 1990 state championship. Although Chaparral couldn't pull off the victory, "the fact we battled through and won zone was big for us," he said.
      Redemption came for him in the spring, though, as Garritano helped lead Chaparral's baseball team to the state championship.
      "That was nice," Garritano said. "It was something you always think about doing, sort of a swan song right before graduation. It definitely capped a great four years for me."
      Heading into college, Garritano knew what his goal was, one he made as a freshman.
      "I always respected my coaches and teachers," he said. "I love sports and I thought going the (physical education) route would be a good thing because I've always enjoyed sports and kids. I knew it would be a good way to continue the competitive edge through the coaching route."
      Using football as a vehicle to gain his education, Garritano served as the UNLV football team's kicker from 1991-'94.
      The 6-foot, 270-pounder finished his senior campaign with the best numbers for a kicker in Big West Conference history. He ended up tied for third in the nation with 1.9 field goals per game and was the country's 18th leading scorer with 7.91 points per game.
      He was named first-team All-Big West and also was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which honors the nation's best place-kicker.
      More than anything, though, Garritano learned about believing in himself and how to overcome hurdles.
      "(Former UNLV coach Jeff) Horton came in and changed us group of seniors," he said. "He did a lot that people look past. The biggest thing I liked with Coach Horton was he expected us to win. We had a bunch of guys who didn't know what that was like. But he drilled it in our minds."
      After graduation in 1995 and a failed tryout with the San Francisco 49ers that summer, Garritano returned to the valley and began student-teaching at Chaparral, where he also became the Cowboys' interim baseball coach for the 1996 season.
      He began full-time teaching at Chaparral for the 1996-'97 school year, and has spent the last two years at Green Valley, where he assisted Fairless for one season and was the team's American Legion coach last summer.
      "He knows all the basic drills Coach Fairless did," said senior Kyle Reed.
      "Now that he has the head job, it's time to go to work and get the job done; it's time to bring home No. 7," fellow-senior John Slack said. "It's just a matter of him getting the experience of a head coach."
      In charge of a program that finished last season ranked third in the nation by USA Today, Garritano said he's well ahead of the career path he planned for himself.
      "I never thought I'd have a head job at this age; this comes sooner than expected," he said. "I set goals for myself and I thought by the time I was 30 I'd have a chance at a head job. ... This coaching job will make a man out of me real quick."
      If his hiring didn't already do that, his season-opener should, as the Gators travel to Sunset Division power Cimarron-Memorial on March 11.
      Garritano is sure comparisons to Fairless will be made throughout the season, which he said isn't fair.
      "To take his spot is an honor and a privilege," Garritano said. "To get a job like this, it feels like a huge compliment. I'm just hoping we play good, hard-nosed, fundamentally sound baseball."
      Said Koellicker: "We have confidence he will keep the program at a level it's always been. Obviously his knowledge is not as great, but he is willing to put in the time to get the knowledge."