Garlock back as L-B head football coach

It's a return for Scott Garlock, even if in many ways he never left. The former Findlay High and University of Findlay quarterback coached Liberty-Benton's football team from 2002-2006, guiding the Eagles to a 47-12 overall record and four playoff appearances. He stepped down in '06 after leading L-B to the Division V state semifinals. On Thursday, Garlock was approved as Liberty-Benton's new head coach, replacing Tim Nichols, the man who replaced him 15 years ago. "I've had some meetings with coaches already, and some seniors, and being in the weight room… and the excitement seems to be right where we want it," Garlock said Friday. "We're heading in the right direction." Garlock, who also serves as the school's co-athletic director, never left the area, the sport, or –with the exception of four seasons more than a decade ago – the L-B football program. After stepping down as the Eagles head coach, Garlock was the quarterback coach for two years at the University of Findlay. "I kind of found out that it was so much time, I missed a lot of stuff that my kids were doing," Garlock said. "I loved coaching (with the Oilers), but I missed everything as my kids were growing up, and it just wasn't worth the time." But Garlock kept coaching, assisting then Findlay High coach Mark Ritzler for two seasons. In 2010, Garlock – after becoming the co-AD at Liberty-Benton – returned as an assistant on Nichols' staff. He's been doing that since. Through it all, Garlock continued to teach at L-B. But he never lost the itch to be a head coach. "I think over the last 10 years, after I stopped being a head coach, I've always … something was missing," Garlock said. "But my kids were so entrenched at Liberty-Benton, and coach Nichols was now the head coach, so the next-best thing was just to help him. I had some opportunities to maybe be a head coach at other places, but I just never could leave because my kids were entrenched." The chance to lead the Eagles came up in January, when Nichols resigned. "(When) this opportunity came up, I had to jump on it," Garlock said. It figures to be a smooth transition, since Garlock knows the program, players and staff so well. He said that some of the assistants who were on his staff in his first run remained under Nichols staff, and will return. "Liberty-Benton, under coach Nichols, has been successful. I just want to make sure we maintain that," Garlock said. "Maybe create a little more toughness, that's kind of a goal of ours. We have a young team coming back; I think we're replacing 15-16 starters for both sides of the ball, so, it's gonna be different." Garlock will also have the opportunity to coach his twin boys, who are now in high school. "It'll be nice to make a little run with your kids, and get them to experience some of the exciting times in the playoffs, and things like that," he said. Liberty-Benton went 8-1 last season, and went 17-3 in the last two seasons. Though it won its first postseason game last fall, that was in an expanded playoff. The Eagles haven't won a playoff game in the usual format since 2017. "It'd be nice to win some playoff games," Garlock said. "That's something we haven't done for a little while."