'We believe now': Hiland overcomes the odds to make it state for third straight year

BERLIN — A year ago, Sam Wengerd was Hiland's junior varsity point guard. Friday, he'll step onto the floor at UD Arena as the Hawks' starting center.

That's just one example of Hiland's strange trip back to state.

Hiland will play in its third straight Division IV state semifinal Friday at 10:45 a.m. against Lima Central Catholic in Dayton, arriving at Ohio high school basketball's most coveted destination against all odds.

"We've had guys play out of position and they've just accepted it, no questions asked," Hiland coach Mark Schlabach said. "It's an unselfish way of playing basketball. That's been the biggest key for us the last three years. We've just had really unselfish kids. They play for each other and that's really why we're still playing."

'That was toughness': Hiland rallies against South Webster to make it back to state

The Hawks overcame unlikely circumstances to make it to state the previous two years.

In 2022, Hiland and its unorthodox group of seniors got the job done, needing overtime to win three of its playoff games — from the sectional final to regional semifinal — on its way to Dayton. Last season, Hiland had a losing record heading into February before reeling off 11 straight wins to make it to state, including four in a row by single digits in the district and regional rounds.

Both of those groups weren't typical Hiland state teams. And Berlin has seen its fair share —13 of them prior to this season.

This year, they had all the makings of a great team led by three seniors — a true two-way star in Sammy Detweiler, a game-changing big man in the middle in 6-foot-7 Alex Yoder, a gritty defensive-first leader in Connor Beachy. Add in versatile scorer Nick Wigton and promising sophomore point guard Alex Miller and Hiland had its most talented team in several years.

But only one of the seniors made it to playoff time healthy.

Yoder and Beachy both suffered major injuries during the second half of the regular season, leaving them sidelined for the part of the year that matters most. Partnered with a season-ending injury to Ashton Schrock — who would have been a major part of rotation — before the year even began, and Hiland was without three of its best players. Another state run seemed more unlikely than ever.

"We've had about four or five different teams we've played with this year," Miller said. "It's been chaotic from week to week."

That's when Wengerd and Hiland's group of scrappy role players stepped up in a major way, helping the Hawks to close wins over Shadyside in the district semifinals, Monroe Central in the district finals and a near-miraculous comeback over South Webster in the regional finals.

Wengerd has taken on the task of the playing the five with ferocity, using every bit of his 6-foot frame to frustrate much bigger opponents.

"Sam is just a competitor," said Yoder, who has become an extension of the coaching staff during practice and games while injured. "He's guarded some of the biggest and best players we've gone through in this tournament run. Just being a hard-nosed guy, he's not going to let anyone push him around. Having that will to compete really goes a long way for him."

Wengerd's attention to detail has also played a major role in helping Hiland's defense stay strong through the losses of Beachy and Yoder.

"The thing I think he's done really, really well is he's taken our scouting reports, worked hard in practice doing what he needs to do against each opponent since (Yoder) got hurt and he's been applying it in games," Schlabach said. "He's just been phenomenal with the mental side of the game."

Like Wengerd, Logan Hershberger was a bench player earlier in the season, when he wasn't out due to an injury of his own. He's stepped into the starting lineup, providing some of that energy and defense Beachy left behind when he went down. Players like Caleb Mishler, Zeke Bodiker and CJ Yoder weren't expected to contribute on the varsity level this year. They've all made significant contributions during Hiland's tournament run, growing up by necessity.

So how were Hiland's players so ready for the big moments?

"I don't think any other team practices the way we do," Beachy said. "Two hours. Every day. Hard practices. Our practices are harder than our games. That's what makes us better during the season. That's why we can win the regional final year in and year out."

The mental grind of practicing "the Hiland way" toughens the Hawks up as much as anything.

"Big win Friday night, we're not taking the day off Saturday," Detweiler said. "We're coming back into practice, knowing every day you've got to get better. ... We have energy every single day. That's one of the most important things. That's what gets us through all these practices. These practices are tough. Especially once you get to about practice 90, it's tiring."

Schlabach is the first to say he and the Hiland coaching staff got after the young players this year, challenging them during those tough practices.

"Our young kids will tell you we've been hard on them;" Schlabach said. "Some days they haven't been very good and we let them know about that. As coaches, you know you're always going to need somebody to step up. For us, we've needed a few more guys than usual. Obviously, we're not as good right now as we would be if we had Connor, Alex and Ashton, but I think we've made the most of what we can be potential-wise with the group that we have right now."

Now, the potential has become real, with Hiland stepping onto the floor in Dayton for a third year in a row.

"At first when we went down, there was a lower vibe around the team," Beachy said. "But we won a couple games and we were like, 'We're fine. We can win games. We just have to play the Hiland way.'

"On our locker room floor, it says, 'Tough players win.' We've just played as tough as possible, grinding out wins. We believe now."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Boys Hoops: Hiland's trip back to OHSAA state tourney far from easy