A good high school baseball team might win 25 games in a season.
Las Vegas High coach Sam Thomas has over 500 wins to his credit.
The 26th-year coach crossed the coveted 500-win threshold March 17 with an 18-1 tournament win over Rancho. Though the coach knew the milestone was approaching, he had hoped to minimize any fanfare.
But Zoey Thomas, his daughter and a counselor at Las Vegas High, had other plans.
“I had no idea, but my daughter had a banner made and all the players signed it,” Sam Thomas said. “It was great, but my players get credit for the wins. Everyone contributes, and it’s not just me.”
Thomas, who played high school ball with Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux at Valley High School in the early 1980s, also credited legendary coach Rodger Fairless for his success. Fairless coached Thomas in high school and later brought him on as an assistant at Green Valley.
That’s where Thomas learned the coaching side of the game.
“I had a tremendous mentor,” Thomas said. “I was fortunate enough to learn from the best.”
Fairless finished his career with 12 state titles, while Thomas has none. But Las Vegas High seniors Gage McCown and Joseph Ponticello said their coach still is a champion.
“He keeps us motivated and wants the team to run the team,” Ponticello said. “He teaches us leadership.”
McCown said that leadership is multifaceted.
“He motivates us to get better,” said McCown, who has committed to play at Cal State Northridge next year. “He pushes us hard both physically and mentally.”
Thomas, who coached MLB standouts Bryce Harper and Erick Fedde among other noteworthy players, said he intends to continue coaching for the foreseeable future.
“I have a wife who allows me to do this, and I have had good communication with administration,” said Thomas, whose favorite season was 2019 when his team won the regional tournament. “I can’t put a number on it, but I still enjoy coaching.”
And win or lose, he will one day look back at his career as a success.
“I’m happy as long as my players become good citizens and good parents,” said Thomas, who took over the program in 1998. “I am proud of them. There have been so many.”
And he is likely to do so with modesty.
“When we gave him that (500-win) banner, we could tell he was happy but didn’t want to show it,” Ponticello said. “He deserved it.”
The Wildcats (11-3, 2-0 5A South Desert League) head into the heart of the season Tuesday at Arbor View.
Boys basketball
Mojave senior CJ Shaw was named the Gatorade Nevada Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 21.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game last season and led the Rattlers (19-10) to a runner-up finish in the Class 5A state championship tournament.
Girls basketball
Centennial’s Nation Williams was named the Gatorade Nevada Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday. The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward averaged 17.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game last season and led the Bulldogs (23-2) to the 5A state title.
Flag football
Junior quarterback Akemi Higa (Desert Oasis), junior wide receiver Akiko Higa (Desert Oasis) and freshman wide receiver/linebacker Trishelle Tucay (Liberty) were named to the U.S. Junior National flag football team.
Akemi Higa had 5,848 passing yards and 97 touchdowns last season, while Akiko Higa had 2,336 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns. Tucay had 128 receptions for 1,807 yards and 25 touchdowns.
All three are viewed as potential Olympians for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, where flag football will be introduced as a new Olympic sport.
Track & field
Faith Lutheran’s Brady Anderson set a Nevada state record Friday by completing the 1600 meters in 4 minutes, 7.51 seconds at the Chandler Rotary Invitational at Chandler, Ariz.
Anderson finished second in the Men’s Elite division behind Corbin Coombs (4:06.84) of Organ Mountain (N.M.).
Contact Jeff Wollard at [email protected].
