Highland’s Mike Gibbons inducted into Lake Catholic Hall of Fame

By the time he was almost 17, Mike Gibbons had never heard of Highland. A couple of months into his junior year of high school, he wished he never had.

Gibbons was a junior in the fall of 2000 when his Mentor Lake Catholic team faced Highland in the first round of the state playoffs — and it did not go well for the Cougars. In a wild back-and-forth game that went into overtime, Highland scored first, then went for a two-point conversion after Lake Catholic matched their touchdown. Running a sweep toward the left pylon, Highland’s Adam Snook barely crossed the goal line, sealing a 29-28 Hornets victory.

“I was playing outside linebacker at the time,” Gibbons said. “They ran it my way, and I kind of got pinned inside. We went into that offseason definitely motivated.”

That motivation paid off — Lake Catholic won the 2001 state championship. Still, Gibbons said the team’s losses to Cleveland Benedictine and Mr. Ohio Football winners Ray Williams and Tony Franklin “always sting.”

Gibbons, now Highland’s head coach, grew up surrounded by football. His brother-in-law and predecessor at Highland, Tom Lombardo, coached him in high school, and his father, John, and brother, Marty, both coached at Lake Catholic and St. Edward.

The 2002 Lake Catholic graduate was inducted into his school’s Hall of Fame two weeks ago. The class included track standout Matt Ludwig, volleyball star Abby Detering, track athlete Je’rica Sanders, and multisport player Evan Bush, now with the Columbus Crew. The 1989 state champion wrestling team was also honored.

“It’s an incredible honor when you think about all the other people that were up there,” Gibbons said. “It’s a big list of big-time names. So, yeah, it’s a big-time honor.”

Though he also wrestled, Gibbons said it was football that earned him the recognition.

“I wasn’t going in for wrestling,” he said with a laugh. “But wrestling helped me so much with football. The physical and mental toughness, all of that carried over.”

With more than 100 career victories — 90 of them at Highland — Gibbons is among Medina County’s winningest coaches. Since arriving at Highland in 2015, he has built the Hornets into one of the state’s top programs, following in the footsteps of Lombardo and Tim Snook.

Living in the district with his wife, Rachael, and their four children, Gibbons has fully embraced the community. A reserved man off the field, he lights up when talking football and takes pride in how far Highland has come.

This year’s Hornets are again a state title contender in Division II, though a playoff path through powerhouses like Avon, Massillon and Hoban won’t be easy.

Part of a state title team his senior year — after an overtime loss the year before — Gibbons knows the grind of November football in Ohio and how quickly the years pass.

“When you go back, it all comes back to you pretty quick,” he said of his Hall of Fame induction. “Then you realize you’ve been away for over 20 years now. Back then, I only knew Medina County, but I had never heard of Highland, let alone thought about living out here. It’s worked out well.”

By the numbers 

Gibbons is 101-41 overall in 13 seasons and 90-30 at Highland. He is Highland’s all-time leader in coaching victories, surpassing Lombardo early in 2023 with win No. 62. He’s already added nearly 30 more, putting him on pace to reach the high 90s this season — about halfway to Black River’s Al Young (198 wins) and not far behind Buckeye’s Greg Dennison, the county’s all-time leader with nearly 220.

No matter where he finishes, Gibbons appears destined for the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame.