Four influential Scotts Valley High coaches make up the first class of inductees into the new Scotts Valley High School Falcon Hall of Fame.
Retired wrestling coach Greg Stevens, current football coach Louie Walters, girls soccer coach Art Munoz and football assistant coach Mike Smith will be presented with plaques at a hall of fame dinner during homecoming weekend on Oct. 17.
“Scotts Valley High is due for creating the hall of fame,” Falcon Club secretary Stuart Brager said. “We have a history of 10 years and seven graduating classes, and we’re very proud of our sports accomplishments in such a short history.”
Student athletes, coaches and members of the Scotts Valley community can be nominated for the hall of fame by people associated with Scotts Valley High. Falcon Club members and former Falcon club presidents are the voting members, and nominees must receive 75 percent approval to be selected.
Student athletes are eligible for the honor five years after they graduate.
“We see student-athletes becoming a big part of the hall of fame in the future,” Brager said.
Stevens built the high school and middle school wrestling programs from the ground-up.
He led the Falcons to their first league title in 2008 and directed the Coast Classic tournament, one of the top tournaments in Northern California.
Stevens coached numerous Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League titlists and Central Coast Section champions including Dustin Black, Dane Stevens, Bassel Lutfi and Haylee Childs.
In addition, Stevens donated all his coaching stipends to the wrestling program.
He retired in 2008.
Walters was the first coach hired at the high school. He is the current athletic director and football coach.
“He has built a program worthy of emulation for such a small school,” Brager said.
Walters has led his team to three consecutive SCCAL championships and has received two Coach of the Year awards in the league. Walters has coached four league MVPs and has led the team to the postseason four times. Munoz is the only girls soccer coach in the school’s history. Munoz has led the Falcons to the CCS playoffs in six of seven years and four CCS finals and his team won the 2008 CCS championship.
He was named SCCAL coach of the year in 2005 and CCS girls soccer coach of the year in 2004. Munoz is the CCS representative for the league and has coached local competitive soccer outside the high school for 20 years.
Smith is a pioneer for the Falcon football team. Smith is the team’s videographer and serves as a “quasi” assistant coach.
Smith was a school board member for eight years while the high school was built and as a member of the Kiwanis, he makes tents and the portable stage available for school events.
In addition, when the gymnasium flooded in the winter of 2007, Smith organized pumps and assisted with the cleanup.
Smith has filmed Falcon football games since 1999 and provides game tape to competing schools when requested. He also donates his time and materials to helping players create highlight reels for college exposure.
