For the first time in 15 years, the Crete softball dugout will be without Shawn Carr this fall.
He is stepping down as coach to take a sixth-grade teaching position in Seward, where Carr resides.
But after putting Cardinal softball on the map, Carr has no plans to put behind him the memories and bonds he and his family made in the Crete community.
"I'm looking forward to the days, regardless of where my journey goes from here, where I can go back and connect with those kids or walk into the Crete gym and just relive every one of those moments," Carr said Thursday.
The moments? There were a lot of them.
Under Carr's watch, the Cardinals built themselves into one of the top programs in Class B. They reached their first state tournament in 2017 and made a memorable run to the state championship. Two more state tournament appearances followed, and the team has several key players set to return.
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That didn't make the decision to leave any easier for its head coach. Breaking the news to the players, especially over the phone or computer because of the current health restrictions, was even tougher.
"Crete for 15 years has blessed me with the best of the best," said Carr, who started out as an assistant softball coach before serving as head coach for 10-plus seasons. "It took me from a young adult that thought he had a lot of answers but not very many experiences, but gave me tons of experiences that have led to a lot of questions that I've had about what kind of leader and coach I wanted to be.
"It's all because of the people (in Crete)."
When Carr took over the Crete softball program, he wanted to build more interest in the sport from the ground level. So he organized a youth camp, sending out flyers and getting the word out to schools.
"I think we had five kids," Carr said.
Some perks were added. Free hitting lessons in the mornings. Free shirts for the campers. The camps got larger, and some of the community's top athletes started to take an interest in softball. The next year, there were 10-15 kids at camp. Then around 20. Around 60-70 kids have been attending the youth camps in recent years.
Carr credits parents, school leaders and other coaches, including assistant Alan Moore, in helping make Crete softball stronger.
"You surround yourself with good people, people who want to do the right thing and want to work hard, you're going to be successful, and that's exactly what happened there," said Carr, who graduated from Seward. "The kids were there, we just had to get them interested and pointed in the right direction, and once it did, I just kind of held on to go along for the ride, which has been a sweet ride for sure."
Carr said he is excited about creating similar bonds teaching in Seward, and yes, he plans to attend some Crete softball games to watch the players who affected his family, including his three young children.
"It's going to be a great (decision) for Crete," Carr said. "Our program, we always pride ourselves on that we're not a team that relies on one person. It's going to be the whole team. Even though I'm not going to be there, they're not going to slow down. They're going to be fine, they're going to really good. I just know it in my heart of hearts."