Advertisement

Phil Rayfield's son leads team vs. Wi-Hi in Governor's Challenge game rich with history

alec branch, salisbury daily times
·4 min read

When the Governor's Challenge was founded in 1981, there were two basketball squads representing the Eastern Shore out of the original four teams, Wicomico and Crisfield. And when it comes to the long history of high school basketball at Crisfield and Wi-Hi, the names of two legendary local basketball coaches always stand out, Butch Waller and Phil Rayfield.

Waller, who founded the tournament decades ago, faced off against Rayfield's Crisfield squads many times while Rayfield coached the boys team from 1990-2010. And during this year's Governor's Challenge, another Rayfield faced off against a Waller-led squad on Day 2.

Amrit Rayfield, son of Phil Rayfield, brought his Elkins Tigers squad from West Virginia back to familiar territory for him this week, as they competed against Wi-Hi on Tuesday in the first of two games they will play at the Governor's Challenge. Along with being a competitive game between two good teams, the matchup between Rayfield's Elkins squad and Wi-Hi was also an opportunity to honor both Waller and the elder Rayfield, who died in 2014, as two legends in Maryland's Eastern Shore basketball lore.

Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield (left), Governor's Challenge Director James Simmons (middle), and Wicomico head coach Butch Waller (right) were honored before the final game of Day 2. Rayfield is the son of longtime Crisfield head coach Phil Rayfield.
Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield (left), Governor's Challenge Director James Simmons (middle), and Wicomico head coach Butch Waller (right) were honored before the final game of Day 2. Rayfield is the son of longtime Crisfield head coach Phil Rayfield.

"I'd definitely say there were a lot of emotions before the game," the younger Rayfield said after the game, which Wi-Hi won, 71-61. "Before the game, I was just trying to stay focused and not make it about me. We wanted to come down here and compete. Wi-Hi is a very good basketball team, very well-coached for a very long time. The respect that I have for Coach Waller is extremely high. And it was an honor to be able to come back as a former player who got to compete against him and the son of a former coach to be able to come and coach against a legend like Coach Waller."

Amrit Rayfield, who also played basketball for Crisfield under his father, previously coached at St. Maria Goretti in Hagerstown, Md., where he was honored as the Baltimore Catholic League Coach of the Year in 2013. After a four-year hiatus from coaching, Rayfield became head coach at Elkins in 2018, and the Tigers came to Salisbury this week on the heels of a 21-4 season last year, their best yet under Rayfield.

WiHi head coach Butch Waller and Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield shake hands after WiHi's 71-61 win in Game 2 of the Governor's Challenge.
WiHi head coach Butch Waller and Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield shake hands after WiHi's 71-61 win in Game 2 of the Governor's Challenge.

The game between Elkins and Wi-Hi was originally scheduled for last year's tournament, before it was canceled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But when it came time to get the tournament back up and running and set up matchups for it's 40th year anniversary, a game with so much shared history was put back on the table for this year.

"This was scheduled for last year. James Simmons said what do you think about a matchup with Wi-Hi and I said sure, absolutely," Rayfield said after the game. "To be able to compete against a quality opponent, coming over here and bringing our guys into this atmosphere."

More:'We've got to make this happen:' Governor's Challenge bounces back for 40th year

More:Governor's Challenge: Epic showdowns, stars and storylines for Eastern Shore squads

Phil Rayfield coached boys basketball at Crisfield for 20 years, winning 300 games, three Bayside titles (1991, 1998 and 2000) and bringing a Class 1A state championship back to Crisfield in 2000. And for the younger Rayfield, his father was also his coach and mentor in the game of basketball that has been a central part of their family.

"My father was my mentor. We talked every day, about basketball, about life," Rayfield said, who got emotional while talking about his father. "So to be able to come back and represent him, an Eastern Shore legend, never thought I would have that opportunity. I miss him, I miss having the opportunity to talk basketball, to talk life, and am just happy to have this opportunity."

Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield in the huddle with his team during their game against WiHi on Day 2 of the Governor's Challenge.
Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield in the huddle with his team during their game against WiHi on Day 2 of the Governor's Challenge.

Rayfield's Elkins squad plays one more game in the Governor's Challenge, where they will face off against his dad's old squad and his alma mater, Crisfield, on Wednesday night at UMES. For Rayfield, it will be another special homecoming.

"It's going to be like this. Some emotions but at the same time, just trying to stay focused and keep our guys focused," Rayfield said. "Didn't think I would be able to come back and coach against my alma mater. That's going to be interesting, but we've got to bounce back and play better than we did today, that's what we need to keep our focus on."

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Son of Crisfield coach Phil Rayfield has team at Governor's Challenge