Hancock Sports Hall of Fame welcomes new class this weekend

Athletes who followed standout prep careers with stellar play at the next level and one of the elite football teams in Findlay High School history headline the program for the 2026 Hancock Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held April 25 at the Hancock Hotel.Individuals slated for induction this year are former Findlay High standout and Liberty-Benton coach Scott Garlock, Findlay High and Bowling Green State University soccer star Kristy Coppes, Liberty-Benton all-Ohioan and University of Findlay all-American Nathan Hyde, Findlay High all-Ohioan Ted Hipsher who went on to play for Eastern Michigan, Vanlue grad and prep basketball coach Mike Lee, and University of Findlay NAIA basketball all-American and McComb coach Aaron Roth.Also to be recognized will be the 2002 Findlay High football team that went 12-2 and reached the Division I state semifinals. During his three seasons on the Findlay High varsity basketball team, Hipsher helped the Trojans go 53-11 overall, win back-to-back Buckeye Conference championships, and make the school's first regional appearance (1973) in 22 years. The 6-foot-4 guard tied what was then the school single-game record when he scored 43 points against Fremont Ross. He averaged 19.9 points his senior season when he was first-team all-state and the Associated Press Northwest District Class AAA Player of the Year. Hipsher went on to average 5.8 points a game during his career at Eastern Michigan. Hyde followed an all-Ohio career at Liberty-Benton with an all-American career at the University of Findlay. Hyde scored 1,750 points during a standout career at L-B, then scored 1,538 points as a four-year starter for UF. He was a starter on UF's NCAA Division II national championship team of 2009, and a State Farm Division II all-American in 2011. Hyde's 90.1 percent career free throw accuracy is third best inNCAA Division II history; his 248 career 3-pointers are second-most on the UF record books. Roth starred for UF's successful basketball program as well, starting 114 of 115 games and scoring 1,823 career points for Oilers' team that went 88-27. An honorable mention NAIA all-American and three-time all-district selection, Roth was the NAIA District 22 Player of the Year for the 1988-89 season and owns the school record for assists in a game (15). Roth later served as boys basketball coach at McComb, compiling a 224-161 record in 17 years with the Panthers. Roth guided McComb to the Blanchard Valley Conference championship in 2010-11, the same year Panthers were 24-1 with their lone loss a 37-34 thriller to Continental in the Division IV regional final at Bowling Green State University. Coppes followed a record-setting career at Findlay High with a record-setting career at BGSU. A 2000 FHS graduate, Coppes owns the state record for goals in a game (13) and school records for goals in a game, season (75) and career (114). She did the same at BG with six goals in a game, 18 in a season and 52 in a career. Coppes was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2001, a three-time all-MAC selection and the Falcons top player on their 2004 MAC championship team. In 2020, Coppes was inducted into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the first women's soccer player so honored by the school. A 1990 graduate of Findlay High, Garlock starred in football and basketball for the Trojans, then threw for 1,255 yards and 14 touchdowns in quarterbacking the University of Findlay to an 8-3 season and the second round of the 1993 NAIA playoffs. Garlock later compiled a 106-25 record in two stints as Liberty-Benton's head football coach, including 12-win seasons in 2006 (12-2), 2007 (12-1) and 2025 (12-1). All told, Garlock guided the Eagles to six Blanchard Valley Conference championships and nine playoff appearances, highlighted by a trip to the Division V state semifinals in 2006. Lee has compiled an impressive coaching legacy as well, and last season surpassed the 400-win career milestone. A Vanlue grad, Lee began his coaching career at Continental, moved on to an assistant position at Anna, and got his first head coaching job at Minster, where he piled up 315 wins and won 12 sectional, six district and one regional championship in 23 seasons. After a short stint as an assistant at Van Buren, Lee took over the boys program at Pandora-Gilboa where he not only achieved his 400th career win but also guided the Rockets to two Putnam County League and two Blanchard Valley Conference titles. In Cliff Hite's seventh season as head coach, Findlay fielded a team that would shatter school records and put more wins in the books than any team before or since.Triggering a potent offense was senior quarterback Kyle Johann, a three-year starter who that season would throw for 3,767 yards and 28 touchdowns. Blessed with a fleet corps of receivers and operating behind a stout offensive line, Findlay averaged 43 points a game during a 9-1 regular season. The Trojans got it done defensively as well, outscoring their league opponents 251-41 in going unbeaten (5-0) in the Great Lakes League standings.Findlay continued to roll in the playoffs, beating Mansfield Senior 37-14, Hudson 41-20 and Springfield South 31-28. In terms of total wins (12) and offensive production (570 points), the most successful season in school history ended with a 34-31 loss to Cincinnati Elder, the eventual state champion, in the Division I state semifinals at Columbus Crew Stadium. This year, the Hancock Sports Hall of Fame will also recognize Findlay High grad Cassidy Mullins with its Bill Slack Fan In The Stands award.Mullins played several sports – most notably soccer – during his prep career at FHS, then attended Ohio State University where he studied Zoology and earned a Masters degree in Pathology. During his days at OSU, Mullins was one of three students selected to be the Brutus Buckeye mascot for Ohio State teams. Mullins served in that capacity from 2002 to 2005, representing the university at several events, including the 2002 BCS National Championship football game, which was held at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ari.Mullins was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2012 and passed away in 2015. In his honor, Ohio State issues an annual award recognizing the Most Outstanding Former Brutus Buckeye.