The Marietta boys and Shenandoah girls basketball teams came together to honor assistant coach Ron Warner between games at Sutton Gym on Jan. 17. Warner received the Legacy of Leadership Award after retiring from a 37-year teaching career. (Photo Provided)

MARIETTA — On the night of March 4, as the Marietta High boys basketball team was cutting down nets following a district final win over New Philadelphia, Ron Warner received a text.

“It was from my sister,” the Tigers assistant coach recalled.

When Warner read the text, he learned that the Shenandoah girls basketball team had defeated Federal Hocking to advance to the regional finals for the first time in program history.

Why is that relevant? Well, because Warner was also an assistant for the Zeps.

That’s right — Warner was on the coaching staff for two programs who had historic seasons.

“It was a magical winter,” Warner said. “Both of those teams jelled and worked together in such a great way. They gained confidence, they practiced hard, they were selfless — that’s the reason they were both so successful.”

The Marietta boys and Shenandoah girls combined for 45 wins this season, and Warner did not miss a game for either team until March 4, when both played at the same time.

“He did not miss anything for us,” said Marietta head coach Austin Gardner. “Sometimes, once in a while, he’d have to dip out early from a shootaround or something like that. If he had a girls game to get to, he would ask me and I’d say ‘Go help the kids.’ He made the time. He made the commitment. It’s amazing how he was able to prioritize and manage everything.”

Warner, who coached at Marietta as an assistant from 1992 to 2000 and then became head coach from 2000 to 2006, came back to MHS when Gardner was hired in 2022. A shared vision for the sport, and for life, drew Warner to the staff.

“I hadn’t planned on coming back, but when I heard Austin speak in his interview, I remember getting in my vehicle,” Warner said. “I said if he got the job, I would be willing to help. I felt his philosophies were very similar to mine. When he asked me to be an assistant, I said ‘I’m going to do it.'”

For Gardner, it was a no-brainer.

“Coach (Ben) Howlett, coach (Jon) VanderWal and (former Marietta athletic director) Cody Venderlic all said I needed coach Warner on my staff,” Gardner said. “That told me all I needed to know. I needed someone familiar with the school, the area and someone who had head coaching experience — he checked all those boxes.

“He knows the kids, knows the families. He has background knowledge about the community and the community members — all those things play a huge role in having a successful basketball program. Ron’s been around for a long time and his expertise is exactly what I needed. He is my right-hand man.”

Behind a battle-tested eight-man senior class, Marietta put together a strong, 18-win regular season before grinding out a pair of tournament wins to get to the district finals, where the Tigers put together one of their best all-around performances of the season against the Quakers. The result was the program’s first district championship since 1977.

“This was an established team with a lot of seniors,” Warner said.

Things were a little different at Shenandoah. The Zeps had just one senior on this year’s team — second team All-Ohioan Brenna Leach.

“When your lone senior takes in the younger players with open arms and everyone buys in, that’s what leads to a special year,” said Warner, a Shenandoah High alum.

“Shenandoah has always supported me well and I really wanted to give back to them. (SHS head coach) Roman (Thompson) and (assistant coach) Lauren (Thompson) are my second cousins. It’s such a good community. There were times I caught myself looking up in the stands and seeing some of the same people that were up there when I played.”

For Warner, family factors into everything. His mother taught in the Noble Local School District for 40 years. His first cousin, Don Johnson, is a Shenandoah superfan. Johnson and Leach would pose for pictures after every game this year.

“It’s hard to put in words what that really meant,” Warner said. “I feel like I definitely gained more than what I gave at Shenandoah.”

Roman Thompson might argue against that. The Zeps boss, who grew up picking Warner’s brain at family reunions, felt Warner was a major contributor to Shenandoah’s success.

“He’s been there and he’s done it,” said Thompson, who was a first-year head coach this winter.

“He’s so invaluable. What Ronnie does so well is defining what we’re not doing well and putting a plan in action to improve that area. He has a way of getting his point across and getting kids to understand. And more important than basketball, he’s just a man of great character.”

Warner retired from a 37-year teaching career in May. On Jan. 17, he received the Legacy of Leadership Award between the Marietta-Shenandoah girls game and the Marietta-Athens boys game at Sutton Gym.

“I was very humbled,” Warner said. “That meant a lot to me. My emotions were pretty extreme that day.”

What people may not know about Warner is that, in addition to his basketball duties at two different schools, he also had a major responsibility in his personal life.

“My dad has dementia,” said Warner, whose grandmother recently passed away at 103 years old. “I had to coordinate when I was going to work three different schedules — when would I be with my dad as well as what practices I could do. There were times where I could do both practices between Marietta and Shenandoah, and there were times I could do parts of one and all of another. It was a whirlwind, but there were so many blessings. Knowing my purpose and impact, my wife, Suzan, made many sacrifices. My sister, Rhonda, and brother-in-law, John, added responsibilities during the season. Austin provided flexibility during practices.

“There was so much joy in seeing such a high level of development with both the players and coaching staffs. Both groups were selfless. It was truly a special year.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.