Fallout forces Page softball coach to resign

WINDOW ROCK

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from its original version.

The Page softball team will be without its head coach for the remainder of the season.

On Tuesday, sixth-year coach Sunni Crank resigned from her position after a fallout from an incident on April 13 during an afternoon practice session.

In an email sent to Nancy Warner, the director of talent management (human resource) for the Page Unified School District, Page High softball parent Judy Etsitty states that the varsity players were ridiculed and heckled by PHS employee Justin Burnham, that Crank had invited to partake in last Thursday’s practice.

“(She) allowed this man to blatantly disrespect, degrade, taunt our varsity softball players while they practiced,” the letter states. “He made derogatory remarks to break the girls’ spirit, confidence, pride, emotions by saying hurtful things with harassing, hazing, and bullying intentions!

“It’s unbelievable that he is employed by PUSD. How can a teacher have this type of behavior or demeanor towards young athletes/students?”

Another PHS parent, Valerie June, said Crank encouraged Burnham to keep making comments to the softball girls while they were working on batting practice.

“Mr. Burnham shouted vulgar obscenities to the girls who were hitting,” June said in a statement. “Head coach Sunni Crank allowed and gave Justin Burnham permission to observe and heckle the varsity softball players.”

Patricia Miller said the comments made by Burnham made her daughter, Calena Miller, really upset, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it by asking in a team group text about why he was allowed there.

“My daughter was the first one to react, and she posted on the group text asking why Sunni let that guy come in and ‘talk s*** to us,’” Miller said. “With him saying that didn’t help because my daughter’s self-confidence got down.”

Attempts to reach PUSD Superintendent Bruce Anderson and PHS Principal Leigh Guenther were unsuccessful.

PUSD Public Relations Coordinator Steven Law said the school district might release a statement regarding the incident later.

Etsitty said there are no excuses for what unfolded that day, and she is asking the school district to reprimand Crank and Burnham.

“It’s beyond absurd; it’s beyond disbelief with what happened,” Etsitty said on Tuesday. “It’s totally wrong, and it’s uncalled for. They shouldn’t be employed by the school, and it’s just disgusting with what unfolded that day.”

Etsitty said the parents filed a complaint with the school’s administrators after that incident. On Monday, most of the players and their parents took a stand and refused to get on the bus for a scheduled game with Monument Valley.

“Sunni got on the bus, and we told the principal that our girls are not going on that bus if that coach is going,” Etsitty said. “We pulled our girls out.”

By her estimates, 10 players refused to get on the bus until Crank removed herself as the team posted a 10-0 shutout win over the Lady Mustangs and finished the 3A North Region with a 12-0 record.

“We didn’t want our girls to go,” Miller said. “We held the bus back for an hour, and by noontime, the girls finally left for Kayenta.”

Over the weekend, the Lady Sand Devils traveled to Window Rock for a doubleheader, and Crank was absent.

Page will close out the regular season with a freedom game with Northland Prep today, and on Friday, the Sand Devils are hosting the seven-team regional tournament.

Page is the favorite to win the regional tournament, having run-ruled every league team.

In the latest Arizona Interscholastic Association statewide poll, Page is ranked No. 3, and the Sand Devils are expected to get a first-round bye for the 3A state playoffs.

---