Those who know of Ed Whiting in South Dakota high school football circles — and most do — are not the least bit surprised he led Sioux Falls Jefferson to the Class AA state softball title on Sunday.

A veteran defensive coordinator who has worked under state championship offensive minds like Steve Kueter (O'Gorman), Kim Nelson (Roosevelt), and Vince Benedetto (Jefferson), Whiting has coached each of the Cavs' three softball seasons since the sport became sanctioned. Before that, he coached his daughters' teams at the youth level for over a decade.

That the Wyoming native and O'Gorman/Augustana alumnus went from sharing head softball coaching duties with his wife — a former South Dakota State and University of Sioux Falls player — to taking the role solo is a master class story in successful marriage. How the Cavs finally got past two-time defending state champion Sioux Falls Lincoln in the state semifinals and took down Sioux Falls Washington in the final is a reflection of one of his favorite football coaching tenets.

An aspiring young coach could learn a lot from Whiting's stories and philosophies. Plus, we learn why Whiting decided to stay at JHS after being passed over for the head job this past offseason following the departure of Benedetto to SDSU. And, we go inside the ropes of the recruitment of his son Eddie, who committed to Michigan State after a cavalcade of Power Four schools came calling and visiting this past January.