Genoa finishes season with great memories, high hopes for future

        
It wasn’t quite the ending to the season it wanted, but the Genoa boys basketball team has every reason to be confident that they’re on a path to greatness.
       
Jon Sandwisch’s Comets fell 67-54 to Margaretta in a Division V district final last week, a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
       
But there are some great memories the players and coaches can take, like a second straight sectional title, a 63-57 overtime win over Liberty-Benton in a district semifinal, and a sweep of two rivals in Eastwood and Oak Harbor.     
       
Genoa, which won 19 games, nearly won a Northern Buckeye Conference title for the second consecutive year, but lost, 55-51, to Otsego in the season finale on Feb.15, and the Knights claimed the league championship.
       
“This season, there were so many great things we accomplished,” Sandwisch said. “There were some things we left on the table. It’s not often you leave some things on the table and return the entire team (next year). We did accomplish quite a bit, won 19 games, played in a lot of really awesome environments. We won a sectional title and lost to No. 4 Margaretta and were one possession down in the fourth quarter.
       
“As a coach, you’re always kind of looking and prepping for the next phase. I’m already preparing for the summer. For the kids, after the Margaretta game, it was an odd locker room (because) there were no seniors; no one had played their last game. There were guys that were not sad, more angry. I told them, ‘I hope this game hurts you, I hope you feel this in your stomach. What are you going to do about it?’ Knowing our guys and how much they work and care about basketball, I’m excited to see their growth over the next few months.”
       
It starts with Walter Plantz, a 6-8 forward who serves as the presence in the post. Rising senior point guard Ryan Routson, who is just 5-6, leads the offense.
       
The three starting wings are Myles Mollenhauer (6-2), Ty Asman (6-3) and Jake Woollard (6-2).
       
Jaxon Magnone, a 6-5 forward, is one of the first guys off the bench, as are two guards, Logan Routson (5-6) and Gavin Goodman (5-10).
       
That win over the Eagles will likely live on for years for Comet fans. In the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 27, L-B won, 63-40, but some key players from Genoa did not play.
       
But the Eagles, seeded second in the district, came into the game with a 21-2 record, and appeared to be destined for a great run.
       
The Comets had other plans.
       
“The Liberty-Benton game was a fantastic game,” Sandwisch said. “They were ranked 11th in state. For the most part, I thought we outplayed them the entire game, I thought we played well.
       
“I’m really, really excited. I have already started to shift towards next year.”
       
Genoa, after getting the ball with 50 seconds following a layup by L-B guard Jake Gerken that tied the score at 49, ran down the clock, using three timeouts in the process, but failed to score.
       
With the score tied at 51, Woollard scored to give Genoa the lead for good. After the Eagles failed to score, Asman made two free throws, and another empty possession for L-B was followed up by a basket by Plantz to push the lead to 57-51.
       
Gerken made two 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 60-57 with 23 seconds left, but the Comets were able to hold on for the win.
       
“These guys are the ultimate competitors,” Sandwisch said. “I think they were angry it went to overtime. There wasn’t a motivational quote, it was just like, ‘hey, let’s go get this,’ That was a really, really fun game. It was great to watch our guys play really well against an elite opponent.”
       
Asman and Ryan Routson scored 16 points apiece while Plantz had 15 points and nine rebounds.
       
The loss to Otsego is something the Comets will remember because of the implications and the close outcome, but Genoa has the satisfaction of knowing it got to have the experience of playing in a great atmosphere.
       
“It definitely was a great environment,” Sandwisch said. “We have played in these environments before. Last year, in the district finals, that was packed – a lot of those guys were on the team last year. We played a lot of really big games in the regular season against Fostoria and Otsego. We beat Otsego at home last year when we won the NBC title. Both Fostoria games in my first year were packed gyms.”
       
Sandwisch credited his varsity assistants — Matt Routson and Chris Matthews; Josiah Hanson, who coaches the JV team; Derek Parker, the freshman coach and Andrew Pennington, the JV and freshman assistant coach.
       
“I have five dedicated coaches,” Sandwisch said. “If you look at the great teams in our area, they always have a lot of guys around our program. That’s invaluable in high school basketball.”
       
Sandwisch played quarterback in high school at Woodmore and was also the quarterback in college at Heidelberg.
       
“I only started one year at Heidelberg. I tell my kids quite a bit about that, about how I understand if they’re not playing a lot, or their role isn’t exactly what they want it to be, I know what they’re feeling, what they’re going through,” Sandwisch said. “I tell them to excel in their role. As coaches, it’s important for us to clarify someone’s role. My Heidelberg coach said, ‘Don’t count your reps, make your reps count.' Every time you’re on the court, show us what you can do.”
       
Sandwisch has a career record of 53-21 (.716).
       
“I’m very proud of where the program is, but that says more about our kids and our coaches and our community than anything,” he said. “We have a great support system, and our school, the community really cares about athletics, and our student-athletes. Our assistant coaches put in hours and hours into basketball and pour it into our kids. Our kids have a vision. I don’t want Genoa to have good teams — I want Genoa to have a great program. Like Liberty-Benton, they have good-to-great teams every year; they have a great program. That was my pitch when I took the job. I hope we can keep this rolling.”
       
Matt Routson, who is also the athletic director at the school, hired Sandwisch for the job and talked about what impressed him.
       
“I think the big thing was he had a good plan to lead the whole program, and to build the culture of the program,” he said. “Not just basketball but building a positive culture with our kids and the program. I could tell he was going to be all-in and motivated.
       
“He’s done a great job. We’ve been happy with the success, but also the positivity of the program, what he does other than Xs and Os for the kids. He’s a great role model, a positive leader. From top to bottom, he’s built relationships with kids and really has done a great job with being the leader of the program — youth, middle school, high school. He gets buy-in from the kids, and they trust him.”