• Varsity Head Coaches:

  • New Head Coaches 2024-2025

    Head Coach - Boys Track and Field

    Perry High School is pleased to announce that Mr. James Smith will be named as the head boys track and field coach for the 24-25 season. 

    Coach Smith comes to Perry from Westwood High School where he served as the head coach for the past 14 years. While there, he successfully enhanced the athletic performance of the entire program. Under his leadership, athletes have placed in the top 4 at the State Championships every year, had two World Youth finalists, two USA Olympic Trials qualifiers, and achieved many D1 college scholarships. Coach Smith is most proud of the College Days Program that he implemented to bring college coaches from various divisions and aspiring athletes together to have open discussion about college requirements and how they can best set themselves up to compete at the collegiate level. 

    Coach Smith has been the meet director for Phoenix Invitational, one of the largest youth track meets in the country, with more than 2,000 athletes competing each year.  In addition, Coach Smith has faithfully served as the meet director for the Hohokam Invitational for the past 14 years. In the Valley, local colleges, community colleges and high schools utilize him as a head starter / official for many championship meets, including the JUCO National Championship, AIA State Championships, Sun Angel Classic, Chandler Rotary, and Junior Olympic State / Regional / National Championship meets.

    Outside of school events, Coach Smith successfully founded and manages the Arizona Flames Track Club. This all-ages club is nationally known and celebrates 20 years of service this year. The AZ Flames have had 350+ All-Americans at national championships with 43 National Champions, 167 Top 3 medalists, and 338 athletes achieving All-American status. He was the past Branch Board President for the Mesa Boys and Girls Club. James is a two-time winner of the Bill Sullivan Award for volunteerism by USATF Arizona and he’s also been named the USATF West Zone Youth Coach of the Year.

    Coach Smith spent 20 years at Motorola / Freescale Semiconductor in Planning and Global Logistics before leaving to own and operate two franchises. Coach Smith lives in South Chandler and has been married to Felissa for 29 years. They have two children. His daughter Jalissa is a thrift store owner and was a 2-time Western Athletic Conference finalist, competing in high jump for Grand Canyon University, where she received her degree. James II recently turned pro in track and field after competing for the University of Arizona and finishing his collegiate career by competing and graduating from Texas A&M. In his specialty, the 400-meter hurdles, he is the University of Arizona school record holder, #4 all time at TAMU, a 4-time NCAA 1st team All-American, a Pan Am Games finalist, and a USA Olympic Trials finalist.

    "I am thankful and honored for this new opportunity to lead the boys track program at Perry. I look forward to building on the strong foundation of youth excellence,” Coach Smith said. “Let’s go Pumas!!!”

    Coach Smith can be reached at Smith.James@cusd80.com

    Head Coach - Girls Volleyball

    Perry High School is pleased to announce Andrew Yamashiro as the head women’s volleyball coach for the 2024-25 season, pending board approval. Coach Yamashiro comes to Perry with 14 years of coaching experience. He has coached at the high school, collegiate and club level.

    Coach Yamashiro was most recently the head coach of Crismon High School where in his first 2 seasons he started the program from scratch going 7-0 as a JV in their inaugural season and 12-5 in his first varsity year. Prior to Crismon, Andrew worked at Hamilton under Coach Sharon Vanis where they won a state championship in 6A. Andrew was also the head coach of Mountain Pointe High and before that spent 4 years as their assistant coach helping the Pride get to the finals and a final 4 in back-to-back years. On the boys’ side, he spent 5 years as a Hamilton assistant coach (2010-2015) and 5 years at Higley as the head coach (2016-2020). At both schools he won a state championship (2015, 2018).

    Andrew also has coached collegiately at the NJCAA and NAIA level for six years. In his time with Chandler Gilbert Community College, he has helped the Coyotes to postseason appearances in all three seasons. While at Benedictine, he helped guide the RedHawks to their first and only NAIA Championship. For both teams they produced three All-Americans and maintained a national ranking every season, getting as high as #1 in the country at Benedictine. 

    He has had success at the club level, coaching for Aspire Volleyball Club for the last 10 years. During those seasons he’s helped teams get bids in the Open, National, USA and American levels. He has been a part of four teams that have finished in the top 5 of nationals. 

    Coach Yamashiro can be reached at Yamashiro.andrew@cusd80.com. 

    Awards:
    Region Coach of the Year x3 (2016-2018)
    AZ Republic COTY Finalist 2018
    AVCA Thirty Under 30 2019
    AVCA Team Academic Award 2018-2021