Photo Provided St. Clairsville’s Darrin Wilson, presented with the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) 2024 Fred Dafler Career Girls Track State Coach of the Year Award last weekend during the OATCCC Hall of Fame Banquet inside the Hilton Columbus Easton.

COLUMBUS — A St. Clairsville High School coach recently received one of the most prestigious awards in his sport.

Darrin Wilson was presented with the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches 2024 Fred Dafler Career Girls Track State Coach of the Year Award last weekend during the OATCCC Hall of Fame Banquet inside the Hilton Columbus Easton.

The event was held in conjunction with the OATCCC Clinic, but, according to Wilson, he had not planned on attending the banquet.

“A couple of weeks prior I found out that I had been selected just so I could make plans to be there,” Wilson said. “Actually, I wasn’t even planning on going because I attended the National Pole Vault Summit the weekend before in Reno, Nev., so I didn’t want to be gone from home on back-to-back weekends, but it was worth going to.”

He said there are four coaches selected for the award, one each in boy’s and girls’ track and boy’s and girl’s cross country.

“They look more at your career achievements and accomplishments,” he explained. “I was nominated for the award, and I knew that. Based on my career portfolio that I had submitted, I was chosen in girl’s track and field.

“The program that we created at Buckeye Trail and the program that we’ve created here at St. Clairsville is what won me the award,” he admitted. “At the end of the day, it’s the athletes that are just as responsible. Without them, this award would have never been possible.”

Wilson has coached two state champions and is a three-time Eastern District Coach of the Year.

He actually started his coaching career at his alma mater — Union Local — before going west to Buckeye Trail for 10 seasons. He has been at St. Clairsville since 2019.

“Personally, when I was putting together my portfolio for this award I started thinking back on what this award really meant to me,” Wilson, a Muskingum University graduate, recalled. “I started coaching in 2009. This was a chance for me to stop for just a moment and think about all of the things my teams have accomplished in my tenure. From the state qualifiers to the regional qualifiers and all the team trophies that we’ve won, it just gave me a moment to stop and reflect.

“I don’t get to do that much because I’m always planning the next step,” he added. “I’m always looking forward, but those moments were much-needed for me at this stage of my career. Having done this for 15 years now, it was a good reminder of why I love what I am doing.”

When asked if there was one defining moment, Wilson thought for a second before responding, “The one thing that really hit me was the amount of individuals we’ve had go to state meet. I knew we had been there a lot, but what I didn’t realize is that 14 of them had landed on the (awards) podium. We’re not only getting to the state meet, but we’re getting on the podium.

We are succeeding.”

Previous local winners of the award include Tony Ciroli, St. Clairsville Boys Cross Country (2011); Heidi Mooney, St. Clairsville Girls Cross Country (2009); Dennis Delbert, St. John Central Boys Cross Country (2002); Mark Brown, Barnesville Boys Cross Country (1997); Gordon Downie, Martins Ferry Boys Track and Field, Boys Cross Country (1991, 1982); Dugan Hill, Caldwell Boys Cross Country (1991).