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The past athletic year for Bolivar was, in a word: historic.
“We won seven district titles. The most we had won before that was five,” said 2020-2021 Activities Director Todd Schrader. “This was the most state trophies we had won ever, which was three.”
The Liberators made state trips in girls tennis in the fall, boys basketball in the winter, and boys tennis in the spring.
If you take a closer look at the team pictures, you notice one common thread – Assistant Coach, Royce Bryan.
“With his experience, we’re very fortunate. It’s like we have two head coaches for each of those sports,” Schrader said.
A former head coach at other stops, Bryan helped all three programs to the final four.
“I think they’re all pretty unique in some regards,” Bryan said. “There [are] different moments for different reasons. I don’t think I could pick one that’s greater than the others.”
From late August through the end of May, Coach Bryan went from one season to the next, to the next.
“The further you go into the postseason, there’s more energy, more excitement,” he said. “So that gives you a little more energy to transition from one sport to the next sport.”
Still, he’s looking forward to a break.
“It is tiring, though,” Bryan said with a laugh.
While he’s ready for some time off, Bryan says he is ready to make another run with all three of his squads.
“I mean we got two second places and a third so maybe we [can] go for the big dog,” Bryan said.
Still, he says the trophies are just the physical rewards for what’s really most meaningful.
“The moments you spend with those kids and the relationships you build, that’s the thing that lasts,” he said. “The trophies collect dust after a while, but those relationships will last for many, many, many years.”
And in those years, there may never be another like this one.
