Tom Succow is one of the all-time greats.
No matter how you define it, he is at the top of the list.
When Desert Vista lost to Brophy on Tuesday in the Division I state playoff, it was a chance to see Succow coach once again against another Arizona legend in Desert Vista coach Stan Luketich.
Succow came out on top in this one, but there have been plenty of battles over the years.
“I’ve been coaching against Stan Luketich (Desert Vista coach) for about 30 years, even when he was at (Phoenix) Moon Valley,’’ Succow said. “His teams play really hard and they always go down fighting.’’
It proved that way again as Brophy jumped out to a 11-0 lead, but the Thunder staved off the 10-run rule with a four-run fifth before eventually losing 13-7.
The win was the 641st of his career at Brophy (641-328) and I am going to assume(with apologies to Luketich or someone like Horizon’s Eric Kibler if I am wrong) he is second all-time in Arizona to Chaparral’s Jerry Dawson, who retired after the 2010 season with a mark of 773-304-9.
Anyway, spending time with coaches like Succow and Luketich is so treasured. They are makers of men and have seen the game from so many angles and changes.
Here’s hoping they face each other for many years to come.
Contact writer: (480) 272-2449 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSkodaAFN.
