Bartow High School strikes again.
As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, Bright House Sports Network is currently doing a countdown of the top 20 coaches in the Tampa Bay area across all high school sports. It’s a cool list, and they are considering more than just wins and losses (character, community impact, etc., are also considered).
Bartow boys basketball coach Terrence McGriff was the only Polk coach who had been listed as of Monday, coming in at No. 13. Now he has company.
Bartow softball coach Glenn Rutenbar was selected as the No. 6 overall coach, with the news being released on Tuesday morning. That makes Bartow the only school to have two coaches in the top 20 so far.
Rutenbar was a no-brainer for me, having won seven state championships that included five in a row last decade. Bartow has basically become the standard by which other programs in the county for sure measure themselves, and by which many in the state do as well. The Yellow Jackets made it to the FHSAA Finals this past season but couldn’t come away with the title.
Honestly, I think he could be ranked No. 1 overall.
Glenn is a great guy and incredibly focused on his job. He’s produced some dominant pitchers, from Melissa Parsons to Lindsey Littlejohn to Courtney Putnam to now Lauren West. His teams have also given Bartow a ton of pride.
So congrats to Glenn and the Bartow softball program on an honor well-deserved.
Polk Perspectives 
He could be #1, but so could many others including Castle. I was surprised that Joe Kinnan was only #10. He is one of the finest coaches, athletic directors, and builders of young men and has one hell of a program over at Bradenton Manatee.
With only 1-5 left, I know Castle and Weiner will be in there. I wonder who else
Rutenbar definitely deserves to be ranked higher. However, if you look behind the man you will see that Richard Green and daughter Christy Green are the producers of his incredible pitchers (ie Christy Green, Julianne Coleman, Ericka Jenkins, Melissa Parsons, Lindsey Littlejohn, Candace Howell, Courtney Putnam, and Lauren West). They have produced all the pitchers that have pitched in every State Tournament. Dating back and beginning with Christy Green. Both of which should be ranked with Rutenbar.