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Whittell skipper Amaral resigns
May 6, 2008
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Architect of Whittell's second state baseball title leaves after nine seasons with the program
By Steve Yingling
Tribune sports editor
After managing 278 games at Whittell High School, Don Amaral said it was time for a change. Amaral resigned after the completion of his ninth season as the Warriors' baseball manager on Friday.
"It was much harder to retire from my $2,100-a-year salary than it was as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company making an enormous salary, because of my love of baseball and teaching kids," Amaral said. "Parents have been trying to twist my arm, but after nine years, I just need a break."
In the late 1990s, the WHS baseball position was something he became interested in after seeing the team lose a doubleheader to Manogue by a combined score of 65-2.
Not long after he assumed command, the Warriors became one of the major players in both the Nevada 3A and 2A classifications. They made the 3A state tournament in his first season in 2000. A year later, the Warriors were 2A state champions for only the second time in school history.
"I'll never forget that first year when the kids beat Yerington to go to state. I remember the dog pile and all of the kids being so excited," Amaral said. "One of the Manogue kids asked why we were so excited to make state and his coach said, 'Going to state was like winning state for them.'"
Under Amaral's direction, the Warriors made the state tournament five times, finishing first, second and third (three times). His teams also brought home two regional championships.
"Don has brought stability to Whittell's baseball program and has been a great asset to our school," said Steve Maltase, Whittell's athletic director. "It's going to be extremely difficult to replace someone of his stature. It's tough to find coaches, let alone ones who stay that long."
The past two years have been difficult for Amaral as a lack of seasoned veterans contributed to the end of the school's run of seven straight regional tournament appearances.
"We had good youth. We just had one senior contributing this year and last year," Amaral said.
While the program has slid back to the general vicinity of how it fared before he took charge, Amaral said the next Warrior manager is set up for an exciting future because of a talented freshman class.
Although Amaral is leaving the program, he won't stray very far from the game. He'll continue to hold clinics for Little League players, serve as umpire chief for the Babe Ruth league and become a fan of his son Carter as he pursues a walk-on position at Penn State University.
Amaral may even get back into coaching sooner than anyone thinks, perhaps at the college level. In the meantime, he'll have plenty of memories to get him through to his next coaching assignment.
"I'll miss having the kids over, the campouts, the team barbecues, the team building," Amaral said. "I met some great families, and I'm going to miss them."
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