Behind the scenes: Larry McKay and Harry Merrifield

Thursday, April 6, 2000 | 7:54 a.m.

LARRY MCKAY / Clark County School District Director of Athletics

Contribution to prep sports: For the past three years, McKay has been at the helm of Southern Nevada's prep sports scene while serving as the vice president of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. His duties include handling all eligibility issues, arranging all travel schedules and hotel accommodations for state tournament trips, working with all officials associations and serving as a liason for the local media. Despite those responsibilities, McKay calls his current position "the most enjoyable job I've ever had." Now in his 27th year with the school district, McKay has served as a coach and athletic administrator at Rancho and Durango since his days as a high school baseball and basketball player in Tacoma, Wash. "Athletics was always a big part of my life, so it was a natural gravitation toward that when I started teaching," he said. McKay also serves as the executive director for the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic and the co-tournament director for the Adidas Big Time Tournament. "Being involved in high school athletics is the most rewarding athletic level there is," he said. "It's still pretty pure at that level."

HARRY MERRIFIELD / Green Valley Baseball Booster Club President

Contribution to prep sports: Merrifield is in his third year as the president for the Gators baseball program's booster club, raising money for the team's travel expenses -- primarily the team's annual trip to the Lion's Club Easter Tournament in San Diego -- as well as for field maintenance and equipment. The booster club hosts golf tournaments, offers signs along the outfield wall and advertisements in the program and sells concessions at home games. "We're also their number one fans, so we're there to support the team," Merrifield said. Merrifield got involved with the booster club while his oldest son, Matt, was playing for two of the school's six state championship squads. Matt's brother Mark, is currently a junior on the Gators' varsity team. "I started as a parent volunteer, and they asked me if I'd be president," said Merrifield, a science teacher at an area middle school. "It's a lot of work, but it's fun. It's nice to be this involved."