ONTARIO, Ohio — Ontario officials may want to consider renaming the high school gym.
Maybe the O-Rena should be called the Joe-Rena — or perhaps the House that Balogh Built.
Joe Balogh became just the 46th coach in state history to reach 500 career victories as the Warriors rolled to a 65-29 Northern Ohio League win over Bellevue on Saturday.
In 31 seasons, all spent at Ontario, Balogh is a remarkable 500-186. His lifetime winning percentage of .729 ranks 14th among the 46 members of the 500-win club.
In predictable Balogh fashion, the unassuming mentor downplayed the milestone.
“I didn’t want the focus to be on 500 wins,” Balogh said as friends and fans offered their congratulations after the game. “The focus should be on what these guys are trying to accomplish this year.
“In reality, I’ve never won one of those 500 games. It’s about the guys that we have and the guys that we’ve had.”
Over Early: The Warriors (4-1, 1-1) raced out to a 33-13 halftime lead and never looked back. All 12 players scored as Balogh substituted freely in the second half.
“What they do really well, and we talked about it all week, is their transition game,” said Bellevue coach Ed Rich, who returned to his alma mater after coaching at Galion last season. “Their press is sneaky good. I told our guys, ‘It doesn’t look like they are going to press you hard, but they are going to force you into turnover.’ They played fantastic.”
Andrew Rathburn and Corey Thomas led the Warriors with 11 points apiece. Griffin Niss added eight, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“We came out strong and took control early,” Rathburn said. “We were able to get a lead and we kept adding on.”
Bellevue (2-2, 1-1) was led by senior center Seth Linder, who scored 14 points. Owen Hartley was next with four.
“It’s great for Joe to get to 500. It is an amazing accomplishment, but I wish it hadn’t been like that,” Rich said. “We got waxed. That’s tough to swallow.”
Part of History: Rathburn is one of five seniors on the Ontario roster. The 6-foot-5 forward said he was honored to be a part of the historic evening.
“I’ve been with him for four years and he is just a great coach,” Rathburn said. “He is a great teacher.”
Niss agreed.
“He’s intense, but he’s also a players’ coach,” Niss said. “We all respect him.”
Ringside Seat: Tim Henige has been on Balogh’s coaching staff for more than two decades. The longtime junior varsity coach is still blown away by Balogh’s dedication.
“In the 22 years I’ve been here I don’t think we’ve ever gone into a game unprepared,” Henige said. “Just this week he was out scouting three nights. You can get all that information on the internet now, but he likes to go out and see it for himself.
“In all the year’s he’s been coaching, he’s never lost his edge. That is one of the things that impresses me most.”
