Full circle for Anthony Langhurst

WILLARD — Full circle. As young boys and next door neighbors, Anthony Langhurst and Joe Bedingfield had big plans growing up. Growing up in the early 1990s, the Willard natives were old enough to see the end of the remarkable coaching run of Bob Haas. "Joe and I would be playing basketball every day, talking about what we'd do when we got to put on the Willard uniform," Langhurst said. Both were members of a team that won a district championship at the school (1999-00) for the first time in eight years. But now as grown adults, the former neighbors have coached teams to league and district championships. Langhurst just finished his third season at Seneca East. Bedingfield just finished his seventh season as the head coach of the Crimson Flashes. Bedingfield led his alma mater to a district title in 2019. But the dream of cutting down a net to reach the "Sweet 16" round of the state tournament was almost too fantasy for how it played out for Langhurst. The 2000 Willard graduate led Seneca East to its first district title in program history on March 8 — and it came at home. With a family lineage that was already expansive in accomplishments in Willard history, Langhurst got to coach and win a district title game inside Robert L. Haas Gymnasium — a venue he's taken thousands of shots in his life. The Tigers defeated Northern 10 Athletic Conference rival Colonel Crawford, 44-38. "The nostalgic part for me came against Lucas in the district semifinals," Langhurst said. "We were the home team and in the same Willard locker room I grew up in. "Seeing those guys go through the door and processing that, and then seeing some of the faculty and staff at Willard that I knew or grew up with come over and say nice things … It meant a lot to me." Even seeing the "die-hard" basketball fans from Willard who attended the games struck a chord with Langhurst. A friendly nod or wave from across the way spoke volumes. However, when the Tigers (21-6) took the court to face Crawford for a third time, the homecoming for Langhurst wasn't even a thought. The stakes against Crawford — a regular to the district title round — were simply too high. "The intensity once you stepped on the floor was there," Langhurst said. "Once it started clicking for us, you could tell our kids didn't want our season to end. But just a surreal moment to cut down the nets at Willard. "I grew up in that gym watching games since I was old enough to go. To be part of it in a different way was a special moment." Langhurst actually didn't consider the district games were going to be in Willard. He and some of his players attended a Margaretha-Willard game on Jan. 4. The Tigers were 6-2 at the time and had just lost to the Polar Bears five days earlier. "My dad (Jay) said something to me, that if we played well enough, we could play there in the tournament," Langhurst said. "Once the seeding came out, it became realistic. But it wasn't something I thought would be a reality until we got closer to the tournament." Coaching journey After high school, Langhurst began his coaching odyssey in Otsego at the junior high level in 2002. He later coached junior high girls at Genoa, then was hired by Bedingfield at Seneca East, where he worked with both the grade school and high school players. After a couple seasons as an assistant coach at Monroeville, Langhurst found his way back to Seneca East as the freshman coach under another Willard grad, Chris Long, in 2019 and 2020. Langhurst coached at the junior high level under Mike Powers in 2021, then was hired as the head coach prior to the 2021-22 season. The Tigers were 8-16, then improved to 16-8 last season before breaking the glass ceiling with 21 wins, a league title and the program's first district title. Seniors Lucas Hicks, Aidan Hines and Blake Foos were joined the starting lineup by junior Lucas Bordner and sophomore Luke Mason. "This was my third year with this senior class, and they were always hard workers and coachable," Langhurst said. "But you could see over the summer that they were physically more mature. Then we added in two special underclassmen with Bordner and Mason — and that's what this group was missing from being special." Anthony said every coaching staff will talk to themselves about needing certain things to break their way during any season. "Every time that came up, things went our way," he said. "That was the theme of the entire year … everything just started clicking for us." The Northwest District Co-Coach of the Year in Division IV, Langhurst had always gravitated toward coaching. Like many in his family, he was never the biggest, strongest or fastest player at Willard. "I always found different ways to make an impact," he said. "Whether understanding where the ball is at or knowing my plays … I always gravitated toward that aspect of the game. "And obviously growing up in the Langhurst household, there weren't many dinners at the table. We were around the television watching basketball. That was just something I gravitated towards at an early age." Family historyIt's impossible to look through the Willard basketball records without frequently seeing the Langhurst name. Grandfather Jim Langhurst (343) graduated as the all-time points leader at the school in 1937. So did Anthony's uncle, Jim Langhurst (972) in 1961. Same for his father, Jay (974) in 1968. And of course, younger brother, Jimmy is the all-time points leader. The 2006 WHS graduate scored 2,199 points, the most at the school and in Huron County. That total still ranks among the top 35 in Ohio history. Uncle Jim Langhurst also scored the very first basket in Haas Gymnasium on Nov. 26, 1960. And though he may not have been a record-holder, Anthony left his mark as a starter on that 1999-00 team. Joined by the likes of Nick Dials, Derek Fey and Charlie Frye, the Crimson Flashes went 22-3 overall and 14-0 in the Northern Ohio League under second-year coach Greg Nossaman. Along with the first district title in eight years, it marked the first league title in seven years. "That was always a special thing to me, just from growing up and seeing the standard of Willard basketball before that," Anthony said. "Just being a kid in the stands in a hot, packed gym with intense games against Bellevue, Shelby and Tiffin. Those rivalry games are unforgettable." Anthony said he and his classmates were cognizant of Willard's gap in success after 1993. But a 106-65 win over rival Bellevue at home in the eighth game of their senior season was a spark that led to a huge year. Anthony averaged 10.5 points as a senior. "It was a feeling of pride, because that was the standard we grew up seeing and wanted to bring it back," he said. "We kick-started that second run with guys like Fey, Dials and Jimmy taking it to another level." More to come? Bedingfield was injured when the Crimson Flashes cut the net down after the district title in 2000. His Seneca East teams were 32-34 in three seasons from 2011-13. He landed back home at Willard in 2017-18. The next year, the Crimson Flashes won the district title. They finished this season with a fifth league title in the past six years in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division. Willard has also won five sectional championships in Bedingfield's seven seasons, so the coach is familiar with the steps up the ladder with a pair of scissors. But seeing his lifelong friend and former neighbor do the same at Willard was a different feeling. "I couldn't be happier for him," Bedingfield said. "I asked Anthony to be my assistant at Seneca East because he does an unbelievable job of relating to players, and he knows the game really well. "So to watch him come home and cut the nets down was special. Not only for the Seneca East community, but the Langhurst and Willard basketball families. Just a really cool moment for someone I know put a lot of time into it." That feeling was mutual after Langhurst closely followed the Flashes win 19 games behind star Max Dawson, who trails only Jimmy Langhurst and Dials in single-season and career points at the school. "They play the game the right way, and it's great to see the success Joe has had," Anthony said. "Everyone we grew up with is proud of him as well." Meanwhile, the Tigers will be in a strong position moving forward. Anthony loses six seniors total, but brings back Mason, a second team Northwest District selection, along with Bordner, who was honorable mention. Mason averaged 10.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while Bordner averaged 11.5 points per contest. "There was a buzz around the school and community after we won," Anthony said. "The great thing about this class was they did it the right way. People from other schools would compliment them on the way they played the game. "Hopefully that kind of sparks something for the next generation, so they see that they can accomplish these things, too." Anthony also said the 2023-24 Tigers set a tone for being coachable. "They accepted their roles and checked their egos," he said. "As coaches, we didn't have to worry about that. They just came to work every day and were fun to be around. "Like I said, everything just kind of lined up and happened for us this year."