West hired as CCA softball coach

TIFFIN -- In the "tough-act-to-follow" category, this ranks toward the top.Rachel West has been hired as softball coach at tradition-rich Clear Creek Amana High School."She has a passion for softball," said CCA athletics director Kurt Ronnfeldt. "She has a tremendous background in the sport."She's been around success, and she comes to a program that expects success."That's for sure. The previous coach, Jim White, led the Clippers 18 seasons, leading them to six state championships.White stepped down in October to take the job at Solon.Ironically, West had spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Solon under Ben Sorden.West played at Danville High School, then was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Iowa. She serves as a peri-educator at North Bend Elementery, in the CCA school system."This was a time-consuming process," Ronnfeldt acknowledged. "I think we have found the right fit."Ronnfeldt also said that CCA will have co-football coaches next fall -- former Iowa linebacker Matt Hughes, along with his father, Ronnie Hughes.Matt Hughes has served as an assistant at Woodbury Central, Solon and Iowa City West.