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2026 OHSAA Tournament: Division VI State Final - #4 Lake Center Christian vs #2 Hiland

AKRON - Lake Cener Christian got its revenge and in the process denied Hiland of history with a 2-1 victory in the Division VI state championship game on Friday morning at 7 17 Credit Union Park.

Grant Coblentz blanked the Hawks for six innings before running into trouble in the seventh and needing relief help from Caleb Shelly, who retired two batters with the tying run on second base to give the Tigers their first state title.

"It means the world to us, I couldn't be happier for our players past, present and future along with our families and fellow coaches," LCC mentor Shane Byler said. "They deserve all the credit in the world."

With one out in the top of the seventh, Logan Yoder singled and came home on a double by Isaiah Wagler to pull the Hawks with in one. But a liner to Coblentz in left and a strikeout ended Hiland's attempt to become the first team in OHSAA history to win four consecutive state championships.

"We love playing Hiland," Byler said. "They play hard and they play the right way. They set the standard for our division. We love playing good ball teams.

"To have another cxrack at them after last year beating us on a walk-off, it's what we wanted. We took advantage of the opportunity and got it done today."

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Colton Smilek reached on a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, advance to third on a ground out and scored on an error.

An inning later, Aaron Zietlow went to first on a free pass and advanced on a wild pitch before going to third on a fly to right by Coblentz. Luke Heckert followed with a line drive run-scoring single to right for what proved to be the game-winning run.

"We talked about envisioning the end goal," Byler explained. "Our motto is burn the boats behind us. The end goal in sight. No turning back. No plan B. Get it done or don't, and we got it done."

Grady Monigold had a pair of singles to lead a seven-hit attack for Hiland, which has won four state titles and finished as runners-up four times.

Coblentz had a single and double for Lake Center Christian, which lost to Hiland 5-4 in the state title game a year ago.

"It wasn't talked about opening amongst the players, but it was a motivation," Coblentz said of a rematch with Hiland. "Through the offseason, the walk-off was painful. But it was a big motivation for me to keep working hard."

Shelly was happy to be able to close it all out for the fourth-ranked team in the state.

"I love the pressure," the junior right-hander said. "It was fun, the greatest feeling ever. You just have to have confidence every pitch."

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: .Seven Ks in 6.1 frames while giving up just one run and one walk was a great performance from Coblentz. "My goal was to get outs any way I can. Maybe my velocity wasn't exactly where it usually is, you just have to find ways to get outs. There are no easy outs on that team. They lost a lot of seniors from last year, but that system they have there, they're always going to give their best."

D-VI TOURNEY MVP: Coblentz had four hits and reached base five times while pitching in both games, earning a save in the semifnals and the win in the finals. The uncommitted junior finished with 10 strikeouts in his eight innings on the hill while walking just one.

WHAT'S NEXT?: The top three pktchers have graduated along with seven starters so it could be a rough 2027 for Hiland, right? If you believe that you don't know high school baseball. Chris Dages, who picked up his 200th coaching victory in the semifinals, never rebuilds with the Hawks, they only reload. Center fielder Christian Mullet and Jonah and Damon Troyer are three players to form next year's team around. ... A trio of seniors will be lost for LCC, including Heckert and Nathan Bryant who will be off to play in college, leaving holes to fill. However, Coblentz and Shelly alone will make the Tigers state contenders again. Add in five others that started at state and it's evident Byler has a good thing going after two consecutive trips to Akron.

LINESCORE

Hiland                          000  000 1  -  1  7  2
Lake Center Christian 000  110  x  -  2  4  0

Records: Lake Center Christian 25-4-1, Hiland 25-5.

Winning Pitcher: Grant Coblentz (6.1 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 7 strikeouts, 1 walk). Other: Caleb Shelly. 

Losing Pitcher: Andre Troyer (5 innings, 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks). Other: Damon Troyer.

Leading Hitters: (Hiland) - Gerut Monigold single; Grady Monigold 2 singles; Jonah Yoder single; Andre Yoder single; Logan Yoder single, run; Isaiah Wagler double, RBI. (Lake Center Christian) - Grant Coblentz single, double; Luke Heckert single, RBI; Colton Smilek run; Jacob Rainieri single, RBI; Aaron Zietlow run.

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