Clay Tarter has achieved many accolades over the course of his coaching career both on the local and state level, but this week he is being honored on the national scene.
Tarter is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the National High School Athletics Coaches Association and is a finalist for the Coach of the Year in Boys Cross Country. Tarter is among 10 finalist and the National Coach of the Year will be named Wednesday evening.
This past season Tarter led the Guthrie boys cross country team to an undefeated season including the Class 5A State Championship. In addition to the cross country title, Tarter also help lead the Jays track and field team to back-to-back state title’s.
Tarter was instrumental in starting the program at Guthrie High School when he took his idea to then administrator Earl Sykes and the rest is what they say history.
Tarter has lead six Guthrie boys teams to the cross country gold trophy, one girls state title, 14 combine state runner-up finishes, and five individual state champions.
He was inducted into the Guthrie High School Hall of Fame as one of the easiest selections there has been.
View the Guthrie Cross Country page.
Here are the 10 finialist:
| Darrell | Anderson | Bismarck HS | Bismarck | ND |
| Gary | Droze | Maclay School | Tallahassee | FL |
| James | Hetrick | Central Community HS | DeWitt | IA |
| Adam | Kedge | Albuquerque Academy | Albuquerque | NM |
| Ron | Kline | Campbell County HS | Gillette | WY |
| Robert | Orgovan | Amity Regional HS | Ansonia | CT |
| Donald | Sleeman | Pioneer HS | Ann Arbor | MI |
| Clay | Tarter | Guthrie HS | Guthrie | OK |
Publisher Note: Donald Sleeman was chosen as the 2010 National Coach of the Year.
A most impressive and deserving nomination of “The Legend.”