“I wasn’t thinking that way and really had no inkling that anything like that would happen,” Lakes said. “I certainly am flattered. I do appreciate it.”
The Vikings finished 15-7 in a major turnaround season, finishing second behind Clark Montessori in the Miami Valley Conference Gray Division and losing to Felicity-Franklin 42-36 in the first round of the sectional.
New Miami didn’t have enough players to field a team in 2011-12. The Vikings were (in order) 2-16, 6-15 and 8-15 prior to this year.
Lakes, in his third season as head coach, was named All-Southwest District Coach of the Year. He will share the All-Ohio coaching honor with Willoughby Cornerstone Christian Academy’s Lisa Stopp.
“My family’s happy and I’ve heard from some people in the village and I’ve heard from the superintendent,” said Lakes, who was selected as district coach of the year once when he coached New Miami’s boys team. “I think it’s good for our community and our school and certainly good for our players. They’re the ones that get you into this situation.”
Lakes, a 1978 NMHS graduate, teaches social studies at the junior high. He’s also stepping in to finish the school year as New Miami’s athletic director — that became official last Friday.
“I’ll take this for a couple months, but going forward, they need to find somebody else,” said Lakes, noting that former AD Lindsay Cash is on sick leave. “I’m willing to help. It’s just not a job that I want to do long term.”
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