A pre-algebra teacher at Willowcreek Middle School, the new coach turned out to be a woman with a record of having coached the 2A Manti softball team to seven region titles and a pair of state pennants.

Coincidentally, the second of those titles came in 1997, which was also the last year that Lehi won a state crown as a 3A school at the time.

“I was never an assistant softball coach,” Warr said. “I got made head coach right off when I taught at Manti.”

She did bring softball experience with her into the Templars’ program, where she coached from 1994-2001. Warr said, “I played softball for Oakley High up in Idaho many years ago. I played all three of the outfield positions.”

She said during her Oakley years, her team didn’t win any league or state titles. Warr received compensation for that missed chance years later in Manti.

The Templars’ accomplishments shouldn’t be regarded as merely amazing. Girls fastpitch softball is big in Sanpete County communities like Manti and Mount Pleasant. Warr recalled that during her Manti days, the Templars and Mount Pleasant-based North Sanpete would often play each other.

The Hawks were always one of the main rivals for the Pioneers during their 3A days.

In addition, Warr coached a highly-successful club team, the Central Utah Dynamites, from 1995-2003. She also coached basketball and volleyball at Manti and taught PE and business courses in addition to algebra.

Warr said that after she had stepped down as Manti’s coach, she returned to her home state to accept a position at Burley Junior High School, where she taught algebra and weights and coached seventh-grade girls basketball. She was also varsity softball coach for a year at Burley High School.

“I was there two years, and then I moved back to Utah,” the new head softball coach said. “I took a teaching position at Willowcreek. I have been teaching there ever since. This is my third year at the school.”

She graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor of science degree in 1992 and has also attended Southern Utah University and the University of idaho.

The Pioneer softball players were already familiar with Warr before she got hired to coach them. “When Kale Gillman was coach, I would come out to help him at practice,” Warr said. She was the sophomore coach this past spring.

Now that she has succeeded him, she said, “We want to pass on to the girls the philosophy that we want them to be winners on and off the field.”

She said she already has one assistant, Kim Sikander, who was an assistant under Gillman last season. Warr said, “We’re now looking for a sophomore coach. We want to have that position filled before we get to work on off-season preparations.”

Beky Beaton contributed to this report.