City High finds right man at right time

IOWA CITY - Iowa City High athletics director Terry Coleman had precious little time to hire a new girls' soccer coach when Edgar Arceo resigned last December before coaching one game.

But it appears Coleman may have found not just a guy but the right guy in hiring Michael Prunty.

'He actually did apply for the position when we interviewed last summer when Sara (Bleeker) had left,” Coleman said. 'He was a really strong candidate then. But with his background and the things I've seen so far and the comments I've gotten from players, from parents, it has really gone quite well. He is a consummate professional.”

'In working with youth soccer with the Iowa Soccer Club, I was able to get a good feel for the school district in general and the quality of the education and the passion that they have for high school and high-school athletics,” Prunty said.

He knew a few of the players from club and was comfortable coming into what could have been an awkward situation.

While the school itself has a storied sports history, the girls' soccer program has, in recent years, been plagued with instability and results to match. Some coaching turnover is natural in a college town and in an era when free time seems fleeting.

But Prunty is the fifth girls' soccer coach since 2009 when former City and University of Iowa star Teesa Price Vitense resigned to raise her young family.

'You always want longevity. No matter who is in the position I think that lends to long-term success,” Coleman said. 'My sense of Michael is he is someone who wants to establish a program and have something that has his stamp upon it. We'll do everything we can do to make that a reality on our end.”

'I think that as far as support from the athletic department, the support from the school, everything is there for someone to put down some roots and grow the program and not have just a year-to-year team,” Prunty said. 'Our goal is to build a program with traditions, a specific style of play.”

Prunty played soccer at ADM (Adel) and Simpson College. He's coached at the college, high school and club levels.

One of the continuing challenges at City High is building a soccer program at a school in which track is a priority.

'It was something we were very explicit about,” Coleman said. 'We have six girls who are doing both track and soccer this year. There's a very strong crossover between our soccer girls and our track girls. There are only so many kids to go around.”

Prunty has accepted the school's sharing philosophy, which requires a lot of planning and communication.

The Little Hawks are 4-2 this season and were competitive with defending champion Kennedy and Xavier in their only losses.

'The girls have shown a real dedication taking on my philosophy or style,” Prunty said. 'They've really had the mentality to learn at practice.”

He sees the high school level as a continuation of club in the sense that skills, techniques and strategies can still be taught even though you have players with different personal goals for the sport.

'We want to be effective, but we also want to be teaching and learning the game,” he said. 'Their goals haven't changed even though the coaches have changed.”