On Monday, March 7, a large group of appreciative players, parents and fans of Hiland coach Dave Schlabach presented him with a pair of memorable mementos for his two decades of service to the Hiland girls basketball program. A beautiful quilt made of T-shirts the team has donned over the years and a scrapbook full of memories were given to Schlabach, who said he was humbled by the surprise act.

“I was really touched,” said Schlabach. “It was pretty amazing and it meant a lot to me. I know it’s only T-shirts, but each one of those represents a lot of desire and dedication from the kids, and they serve as a reminder of what each team has gone through and the sacrifices they have made.”

In addition, Schlabach also received a scrapbook jam-packed with countless letters of thanks, well wishes and appreciation from former players. Much of their thanks was directed at the work ethic, team concept and above all, relationships, which the players have experienced.

“I think it meant a lot to Coach and it meant a lot to us to be able to present it to him,” said Beth Beechy, whose daughter Krista played for Schlabach’s championship team in 2005, and daughter Emily plays for Schlabach today. “There’s a lot of really meaningful seasons and times from those years, and plenty of memorable moments for all of us. It’s pretty noteworthy that he has given so much to build this program to what it is after two decades.”

Schlabach said that aside from the obvious championship seasons, there were plenty of other memories, both good, bad, goofy and tearful. He said that early on in his career, he wasn’t sure that the program would ever get past District finals foe Zanesville Rosecrans, which beat the Lady Hawks around for a few years before Schlabach began getting the best of the Lady Bishops.

Four State titles, a string of Inter-Valley Conference titles that seemingly date back to the days of Moses, a host of All-Ohioans, 440 wins, several D-IV Coach of the Year honors... the list of accomplishments goes on and on. Yet it won’t be all of the numbers and achievements that Schlabach said he will remember the most when the time comes when, as he put it, his coaching days are long gone and he is in a nursing home, curled up in a rocking chair with his new Lady Hawks quilt.

“I think what I will remember the most is all of the relationships I have built with the players, the coaches, the parents and the fans,” said Schlabach, who has no plans on stopping his coaching tenure quite yet. “People will talk about the wins and the titles, but I won’t remember those things as much as I will all of the relationships.”

Schlabach said he continually gets former players stopping in and chatting, keeping in touch with their former coach, who many still deem as coach. They are also not opposed to putting on the practice uniform and going out and banging with the current crop of Lady Hawks, just to help out the program.

Still enjoying himself immensely after two decades, Schlabach is more than ready to continue the tradition of the program he has built. Who knows, maybe in the year 2031, a brand new crop of Lady Hawks will be presenting their coach with his 40th anniversary quilt, filled with all new T-shirts and all new memories, their mothers the very Lady Hawks Schlabach has coached over so many years.