‘The Man in the Arena’: Verdugo Hills’ Will Reinhart reflects on 27 years of coaching boys volleyball

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NORTHRIDGE — Will Reinhart is a proven winner.

He’s tallied more than 500 wins as the Verdugo Hills girls volleyball coach, highlighted by six City Section titles. Reinhart has built an impressive resume on the boys side, too, where he’s also tallied more than 500 wins to give him more than 1,000 career wins coaching varsity volleyball.

Despite the multitude of victories, a boys City title has eluded Reinhart quite a few times, including Saturday afternoon’s City Division II final at Cal State Northridge, as the Verdugo Hills boys fell to South Gate in four sets (15-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-20).

It was Reinhart’s fifth trip to a City boys volleyball final in the last 12 years, and it will be his last. Reinhart, who’s been at the helm for 27 years, announced his retirement while holding a runner-up plaque for the fifth time in his career.

Despite not getting his hands on a City title in almost 30 years of trying, Reinhart is proud of what he’s accomplished at Verdugo Hills. And somehow, he was able to encapsulate his lifetime of coaching into a history lesson, citing Teddy Roosevelt.

“Roosevelt talked about the man in the arena,” Reinhart said. “The gist of it was talking about how the man in the arena takes all the risk, while others watch and comment from the sidelines. Sometimes you fall on your face and that’s life, but at the end of the day, you put yourself out there.”

“I’ve done that,” he added. “That’s what I think people respect.”

Reinhart will continue to coach the girls volleyball program and teach at the school, but his days barking orders from the sidelines to the boys are over.

“I’ve won a lot and we’ve had success,” Reinhart said. “It would’ve been nice to have the cherry on top, but I’ve built a lot more than that. I had a former player that I haven’t seen in 10 years drive down from Fresno to be here and support me. That’s what it’s about.”

“He told me that I made an impact in his life,” Reinhart added. “He’s a teacher now, and coaches volleyball in the Central Valley. I’m honored.”