Shawna McConnell, in a shirt honoring her 2025 senior players on Senior Night, decided to step away from the MHS softball program after being head coach for 17 years. Photo by Tony Ahern

Madras High School sports will be welcoming at least four new varsity coaches into the ranks next school year.

MHS Athletic Director Walt Stahl headed into mid-June needing to fill the softball, track and field, and both the boys and girls soccer positions.

Softball coach Shawna McConnell and track coach Mike Dove both notified Stahl that they were leaving their positions following the spring seasons. Scott Jividen, the boys soccer coach, resigned due to a family health matter and the school is changing girls soccer head coach after Shawn Darrow had been there for nine seasons.

McConnell headed up the White Buffalo softball program for 17 years, and has coached softball for 23 total.

“My fondest memories have all been focused around the girls I’ve coached. From our fun team days, and team dinners and all of the other team bonding events. We’ve had so many amazing seasons, regardless of the record,” said McConnell. “But there are some standout years … a few walk-off home runs to either put us in the playoffs, or further us in the state tourney, post-season road trips.”

McConnell added the back-to-back league championships in 2011 and 2012, and a co-championship in 2019. Two league pitchers of the year (Maycee Abendschein in 2011 and Lizzie Steuart in 2019), and one player of the year in JoElla Smith.

“It’s been a honor to coach all of my girls. Truly a blessing and something I will cherish,” said McConnell.

And I’ve been blessed with awesome assistant coaches over the years. In which none of our success would have been possible without them… Lori Markell, Dan Quinn, Stan Miller, Brad “Kia” Donahue, Frank Reese, Vangie Young, the one and only Donnie Bagley, and this season with Bailey Daniels and Lizzie (Steuart) Krueger.

Dove had built a strong track and field program bettered only recently in the Tri-Valley by Crook County, which is moving to 5A this next year. His final meet as head coach with the state championships in May, which were highlighted by a surprise 1,500-meter win by Emily Picard and the boys 4×100 team setting a school record in taking second place. Madras also had built arguably the deepest long and triple jumping squad in the 4A division.

“Mike Dove is one of the best guys I know,” said Stahl. “The culture he built in the program was just awesome. The results he had speak for themselves.”

When he was hired to replace successful boys soccer coach Clark Jones last year, longtime assistant Scott Jividen said it was his “dream job.” He had to walk away from it, though, to address health concerns with his daughter.

“I was going to have to be away potentially two months during the season, and I just couldn’t do that to the team,” said Jividen.

Jividen’s team finished third in the tough Tri-Valley Conference last fall. Madras then beat Baker 7-1 in a play-in game before going on the road to win an opening round game at Ontario 3-2. His squad then fell to North Marion 1-0 in the next round of the playoffs to end the season.

Stahl praised Darrow, who coached the girls program for nine years. The last two seasons the Buffalo girls program went winless and tied just one game.

“Shawn put a lot of effort into the program and dedicated nine years to it,” said Stahl.

Stahl has already hired both head soccer coaches. Jose Romero, an MHS graduate and former standout player, is the new boys coach. He has been working with the program since 2019. Cesario Alonso will take over the girls program. He has been involved with the MHS soccer program, coaching both boys and girls, for 10 seasons.

Stahl said he expects to fill the softball and track jobs likely in August before school starts.