Toppenish High School will bid farewell to one of its most loyal, most recognizable leaders this summer when Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Brett Stauffer retires after 21 years on the job.

But have no fear; he won’t be a stranger. He still plans to stop by from time to time to support the Wildcat sports programs he helped build and nurture over the past two decades.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Stauffer, a longtime Lower Valley resident who coached and taught in Naches for 14 years before joining the THS staff in 2002. “I have a lot of friends here, and I’m still going to come out and support the kids. But now I can come late and leave early with no responsibilities.”

Stauffer still has plenty of gas left in the tank, but at age 63, he’s ready to slow things down a bit. Being a high school athletic director — especially in today’s day and age — tends to take a toll on the brave souls who accept the rigors of the profession.

As if the AD responsibilities weren’t enough, Stauffer serves as a school administrator during the school day. He conceded that working those long hours 10 or 11 months a year is a young man’s game.

“I have my day job as assistant principal and then my night job as AD, setting up for events and being there until everyone leaves,” he said. “We work days, nights, weekends, and holiday breaks, and there’s a lot of stress that goes along with it. I love what I do, but this job is constant. If you want to be successful, you have to be a grinder.”

Anyone who has worked with Stauffer over the years knows that’s exactly what he is. Thanks to his commitment to excellence, Top-Hi has built competitive programs in almost every sport — especially over the past five years — sending numerous teams to the state tournament year after year.

Everyone knows about the wrestling program, which has won four state titles in the past six years, and most people are familiar with the Wildcat boys soccer team, which has reached the state semifinals twice since 2017. But the football and boys basketball programs have also grown into perennial contenders, while the girls basketball, soccer and volleyball teams are also on the rise. 

Even the baseball program, which hadn’t qualified for state in a quarter-century, finally broke through this spring.

“Some schools are known for only one sport, but I never wanted us to be a one-trick pony,” Stauffer said. “I wanted us to be good at everything, and I’m happy to see most of our programs are competitive now. That’s a credit to our coaches and the families who support these student-athletes. I really couldn’t ask for more.”

Stauffer tipped his cap to the Toppenish School District for always finding a way to fund the school’s athletic programs so that local kids — many who come from modest means — can have an opportunity to compete at the highest level.

He also pointed to longtime coaches like Pepe Segovia (wrestling), Jason Smith (football, track and field), Jojo Mesplie (boys basketball) and Uriel Gonzalez (boys and girls soccer) for their tireless dedication to building successful programs.

“It gives me a lot of pride seeing what we have built here, but I can’t take the credit,” he said. “It’s all about the coaches and the kids.”

Lifetime in Athletics

Stauffer is originally from California and moved to the Yakima Valley in the late 1980s with his wife, Marcia (Lot), who was born and raised in Toppenish.

He grew up a sports fan, playing basketball and baseball in high school and continuing to play recreationally at his alma mater, Brigham Young University. It only made sense that he would become a coach and, later, an athletic director.

“My dad was an athlete, so I grew up playing everything,” Stauffer said. “Sports has always been a part of my life, and so this has been the perfect career choice for me. It really is my passion.”

He started his teaching career in the Naches Valley School District in 1988, and it wasn’t long before he began coaching middle school baseball and basketball. He later coached the high school volleyball team for 10 years and the softball team for three years, while also serving as an assistant football coach.

But when the opportunity to become AD at Toppenish presented itself, Stauffer knew he had to take it.

“I was getting home late every night and I was missing out on my own kids’ games,” said Stauffer, who has two daughters and a son — and now, six grandkids. “I was getting ready to stop coaching in Naches when the AD job opened up here. The drive was wearing me out, so I was ready for a change.”

Working in the same building where his kids went to school allowed Stauffer to be present at nearly all of their events, which turned out to be a game-changer for him.

“It worked out really well from a family perspective,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for more.”

As much as Stauffer has enjoyed being an administrator for the past 21 years, he occasionally harkens back to his teaching days. He believes his true talent is working with young people and “being on the front lines.”

“I just love working with youths,” he said. “I love seeing them grown and achieve, and then move on to bigger and better things.”

Stauffer says what he will miss most are the relationships he developed with the student-athletes and his colleagues at the high school. He plans to show up to Wildcat Stadium for at least a couple football games, and he will likely be in the gym for some basketball and wrestling matches, too.

But as of next month, Stauffer’s day-to-day grind will come to an end. He will officially hand over the reins to Daniel Sanchez on June 30, though he won’t be gone for good.

“I’m going to be in and out so I can help show Daniel the ropes,” Stauffer said. “I’m kind of a social butterfly, so I’ll be around.”