Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Sorters Takes Over As Prairie Grove Athletic Director
SORTERS TAKES OVER AS PRAIRIE GROVE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
PRAIRIE GROVE — Joey Sorters applied for the job of Prairie Grove athletic director in the spring of 2015, but in hindsight is thankful he wasn’t selected then.
Sorters was hired as Prairie Grove athletic director during a June 19 school board meeting. He replaces Tommy Roy, who resigned because of health issues.
“That’s God’s timing,” Sorters said, explaining he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the job during his son Jarren’s battle with childhood cancer. “I was gone so much there would have been no way. It goes back to Psalm 139:16. Things work out for a reason.”
Sorters was interviewed in the spring of 2015 about the same time Jarren experienced pain in his foot, which had been broken in November 2013. After several tests and medical evaluations, Jarren was diagnosed Aug. 19, 2015, with sarcoma, a form of childhood cancer. This turn of events sent the Sorters family on a year-long battle that concluded with Jarren passing peacefully in his sleep at home — nearly a year ago on Aug. 11, 2016.
Sorters and his wife, Donna, have one son, Jackson, 14, at home. The family leaned heavily on their faith throughout the ordeal and beyond.
“I like the verse in Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. A lady told me this two years ago that God’s got your plan mapped out. He knows the number of your days before any of them come to be.”
Even though he doesn’t understand everything about why his son passed at an early age, Sorters continues to trust in God. Another one of his favorite Bible verses is Mark 10:27 - Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Sorters serves as assistant principal at Prairie Grove High School, a position he’s held since 2008. He envisions a smooth transition as he assumes the duties of athletic director.
“I want to be a good go-between coaches and parents,” Sorters said. “I think I can see the big picture from different points of view. I’ve coached, I’ve been a parent. I think it will be a good fit. People know me. People know who I am and what I’m all about. They’ve known things that have happened in my life. I want to be a resource for our coaches and athletes.”
Sorters thinks the transition moving to athletic director will be smooth because of his familiarity with Prairie Grove athletics and personnel. Sorters and the entire administrative staff shared duties an athletic director would normally perform after the passing of longtime Prairie Grove athletic director Mike Green on Aug. 31, 2014. Out of respect for Coach Green the position remained vacant until the next spring.
“We all just kind of stepped up, our whole administrative staff,” Sorters said. “It wasn’t really defined roles. We all knew what had to be done and we did it.”
Roy was hired May 18, 2015, but by August of 2016 began experiencing health issues.
“The day I came back after the service (Jarren’s funeral) was the day that he went down,” Sorters said.
Roy was out for an extended period and Sorters again helped fill the void — freely giving of his time in a community where he had
freely received.
“We’ve got so many great kids and the parents are great,” Sorters said. “The community support is unreal in this town for athletics and for people going through things in their lives. It’s almost like brothers, you may disagree on things, but when trouble comes everybody just unites and comes together. We saw that when we first moved here.”
Sorters earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Henderson State in 1996, and a Master’s of Education from Harding University in 2007. He is originally from Glenwood in the Hot Springs area.
Sorters has a vast array of coaching experience. He was head boys basketball coach at Des Arc, 1996-1999; head girls track and field coach at Des Arc, 1996-1999; assistant football coach at Des Arc, 1996-1999; head boys basketball coach at Magnet Cove, 1999-2006; head softball coach at Magnet Cove, 1999-2006; head golf coach at Magnet Cove, 1999-2006; head track and field coach at Magnet Cove, 1999-2006; and assistant football coach at Magnet Cove, 1999-2006.
“I’ve been everything except volleyball,” Sorters said. “There was only three of us (coaches on staff) at Des Arc, we went to everything. I kept the books at baseball games from 19961999.”
Sorters priorities are basic objectives: “I want to come in and be a resource, to take things off our coaches’ plate. I want to promote more of a school spirit.”