KELSEYVILLE >> Forgive Jeff Bour if he steps out on top after a brilliant 2017 softball season at Kelseyville High School.
Bour, who watched the Knights win 17 of their 21 games, including 13 of 14 in league play to secure the school’s first league championship since 1998, turned around one of Kelseyville’s more underachieving sports teams in the matter of just three seasons. With the majority of the team’s starting players returning in 2018, there is every opportunity for the Knights to continue down the successful path carved out by Bour and a cast of talented Kelseyville players.
They’ll just have to do it without their former coach.
Bour stepped down following the team’s 10-0 loss to Del Norte of Crescent City in the semifinal round of the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. That aside, Bour is the Lake County Record-Bee Coach of the Year for girls sports in 2016-17.
While Bour excelled at teaching players how to get it done on the field, there were other parts of coaching he didn’t enjoy nearly as much and that’s one reason why he’ll step back and watch daughter Paige, a freshman on the 2017 team, finish her career under another coach. He’ll also be able to dedicate more time to his business, Bour Painting, which suffered somewhat because of his full-time coaching responsibilities.
Bour said he wasn’t surprised with the team’s sudden rise to the top of the standings in 2017.
“I felt like we were the best team on paper at the beginning of the season,” Bour said. “The league was down a little bit and there were a lot of freshmen pitchers (including Kelseyville’s Allison Bryant). I knew we could play defense, I knew we could hit the ball. It was a matter of if we could throw strikes.”
In terms of roster experience, the Knights had plenty with eight juniors and three seniors.
“The girls believed they could do it,” Bour said.
A fast start in league play only boosted the Knights’ confidence as they beat title contender Lower Lake 7-2 at Lower Lake in their league debut and then came home to knock off defending league champion Clear Lake 10-4.
“Beating Lower Lake and Clear Lake right off the bat really helped,” Bour said. “I hadn’t beaten either one of those teams before.”
Team chemistry – with the exception of one chaotic week during league play – also worked to the Knights’ advantage.
“We started the season with 18 players and finished with 16,” he said. “Everybody got along great.”
