PICKERINGTON, Ohio — For the first time since 2019, the Pickerington Central Girls Basketball team is back in the State Championship game. It’s a program with a proud history: winners of seven state titles, the last from 2018.
What You Need To Know
- The Pickerington Central Girls Basketball team is back in the State Championship game for the first time since 2019
- Pickerington Central coach Johnathan Hedgepeth and the Tigers’ former coach Chris Wallace spent many years leading the girls’ basketball team together
- But it’s more than the sport that unites the two. They are both family men
Pickerington Central coach Johnathan Hedgepeth and former Tigers coach Chris Wallace spent many years leading the girls’ basketball team together.
“We did this for so long,” Wallace said. “I don’t know how to coach with anyone else, to be honest.”
But it’s more than the sport that unites the two. They are both family men.
Hedgepeth led the program from 2013-2021 before stepping down to spend more time with his own kids. That’s when Wallace took over before stepping aside last year for the same reason, paving the way for Hedgepeth’s return.
“My son is playing at Northwestern and playing football," Wallace said, “so I got to see him. And then my other daughter is a freshman at Illinois, and I got to go to L.A. two weeks ago, watch her play. All things that were hard because you can't leave these kids here."
But even though Wallace is no longer in charge, he’s still very invested in this team’s run to the state championship game, especially since his daughter Blossom Wallace is on the team this year.
“My whole life, I've been playing basketball, and it's just really fun,” she said. “And I, like, got to play with my sister and under my dad. So, that's honestly why I played.”
And now with state title in their grasp, this team is gearing up for the big game with the coaches—both current and former—by their side.
“They are ready to go,” said Coach Hedgepeth. “You don’t get these moments often.”
