The headline in this inaugural edition of the Flash for 2008 should not raise eyebrows. Like always, Jerry Dawson remains at the helm of the Chaparral baseball program. And, like always, he has his Firebirds positioned for a strong run at the Arizona Class 4A state championship. Another title, by the way, would be the eighth for the Firebirds, who also have finished second twice to go along with 21 region titles.

But some important help has arrived for Dawson, whose team going into today's Desert Sky Region home game against arch-rival Saguaro sits 11-4 against a brutal schedule and is ranked No. 1 in the state. Long-time assistant Mark Miller, the acknowledged hitting guru among Arizona high school coaches, returned last week after a year-and-a-half absence to deal with important family issues in Wisconsin. Now that he has returned, Dawson expects Chaparral hitting to improve enough to make the Firebirds very tough to beat the rest of the way.

"Mark is so important to our success. It is good to have him back," says Dawson. "He helps players make the mechanical adjustments, but, more importantly, he helps them think effectively as hitters and he instills confidence. It should not take long for him to produce results."

The second coaching addition probably is more important, at least for the long-term. Over the summer, Sam Messina left Millennium High School, where from scratch he had established and built one of the strongest programs in the state, to come to Chaparral, where he is on campus every day as a math teacher in addition to his duties as associate head baseball coach. The thinking in the community is that Dawson's successor is now in place and in the hands of a man who can maintain the excellence at Chaparral that has become a hallmark of the program over three decades.

"Sam is a great addition on our campus," says Dawson. "I hope that his presence guarantees the future stability of the program, which is something that is very important to me personally."

Messina, 42, grew up in Phoenix and was an outfielder first at Cortez High School and then at the University of Arizona. He began coaching in 1989 at Cortez, where he spent four years before moving to Agua Fria for another five years. In 2000, he was hired to start the program at Millennium. He made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament in just five seasons (where he lost to eventual state champion Chaparral) and finished 23-8 last year. It was difficult for him to leave the program he had created, but he is excited and happy to be at Chaparral.

"My experience here has been terrific, and the welcome from Coach Dawson, the other coaches and the kids could not have been better. And during the inevitable difficult times of transition, Coach Dawson has made things easier," says Messina who views himself as much an educator as a coach ("Coaching is the sweetener," he says). "The talent here is tremendous, and the rest of the season should be very rewarding and a lot of fun."

Messina's wife, Kimberly, is a fourth grade teacher in the Deer Valley District. His daughter, Ally, 14, is a freshman at Sandra Day O'Connor High School, and son, Samuel, 11, is a fifth-grader at Desert Sage Elementary School. The toughest part of the transition for the Messina family has been the move from Goodyear to North Phoenix.

Messina believes the Firebirds are a top contender for the state title and that three losses in the Horizon National Invitation Tournament against some of the best teams in the West will only serve to make Chaparral stronger when next tested. His point of view is supported by victories over highly regarded Brophy, Horizon, Cactus, Mountain Pointe and Catalina Foothills. Dawson, as usual, is more pessimistic and believes the team must work harder to achieve its goals. Thus far, pitcher Danny Coulombe has been outstanding and further established his reputation as among the best not only in Arizona, but in the entire nation. Coulombe has signed a letter of intent to play next year at the University of Southern California, which recruits only the most highly regarded players in the country. He is joined by four other teammates who have made Division I commitments: David Roney to Wofford, Royce Bollinger and Ernesto Ortiz to Gonzaga, transfer Matt Summers to the University of California-Irvine and Chase Brewer, who will follow brother Charles to UCLA. Brewer, who did not pitch often last season, has come on strong with a 4-1 record, including the tough victories over Catalina Foothills and Mountain Pointe.

Expect Cody Yount and Tommy White to make commitments before long. And expect those seven to lead the way today for the Firebirds. Chaparral 6, Saguaro 1.

NOTES - The Junior Varsity, under the direction of Ted Anderson, is off to a very strong start, going undefeated in seven games thus far, including victories at Catalina Foothills, Cactus and Notre Dame. The Freshmen, under the direction of Tom Abram, are 6-1 with the lone loss coming in the last inning Saturday at Saguaro.