By Cort Reynolds
Former Ada High School boys basketball head coach Chris Sautter is returning to helm the Bulldog program following a one-year hiatus from coaching and eight years after leaving the school where he started his varsity career.
Sautter was officially hired by the school board in a unanimous 5-0 vote at their April 25 meeting.
“We are thrilled to welcome coach Sautter back to Ada as the leader of our boys basketball program,” said Ada athletic director Ken Jochims. “His past accomplishments, work ethic and leadership speaks for itself.
“We are excited for him to get started building relationships with our players and having a positive impact on Ada athletics,” he added.
Sautter explained that a year off from coaching recharged his battery and made him realize absence can make the heart grow fonder.
“I took the year off and missed coaching a lot more than I thought I would,” he explained of his return. “I missed the camaraderie and being a part of a team.
“The opportunity presented itself to come back to Ada. I saw Ada play once last year, and noticed that they played a lot of young kids with potential.”
Sautter previously coached the Ada varsity for 14 seasons before going home to guide his alma mater of Columbus Grove from 2016-23. He also taught at the Ada Schools. During the 2023-2024 school year, Sautter is teaching TAG (Talented and Gifted)/Typing at Columbus Grove Elementary School.
Sautter won two NWC titles at Ada in 2006 and 2008. His Ada squads compiled a record of 174-145. He guided the Bulldogs to the 2009 Div. IV state semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Oak Hill.
In Sautter’s last season at Ada in 2015-16, the Bulldogs went 13-11 and lost to Minster in the 2016 sectional finals. His final campaign was the last time the purple and gold have finished over .500.
Sautter was followed as Ada head coach by Dre White over four seasons. Jon Cook (3-19) coached the Bulldogs for one year, and then Vince Halliday (19-51) took over for the past three seasons.
In the meantime, Sautter led Grove to the 2021 Div. IV state championship game, and won three straight Northwest Conference titles.
Grove lost to Botkins 60-44 in the state championship game. In 2019-20, CG was 26-0 and a regional finalist when the post-season was canceled due to Covid-19.
At Grove, his teams posted a 115-60 record over seven seasons. CG was 41-16 in the NWC, winning the league championship from 2019 through 2021. He also won the 2020 Putnam County League crown.
In 21 seasons as a varsity head coach, Sautter has posted a record of 289-205.
The Bulldogs were 10-14 and 3-5 in the NWC in 2019-20, White’s last season coaching Ada. During his four seasons in charge, the Bulldogs won 24 games.
At USV, White’s teams authored a 62-31 record over four seasons. The Rams posted a 16-0 mark in the NWCC over the past two seasons as they won consecutive outright league titles.
White was named NWCC Coach of the Year the past two seasons and was recently named the new head coach at his alma mater, Bath.
Former Kenton head coach and player Matt McCullough will take over for White as head coach at USV.
Ada was 5-18 in 2023-24 and finished 0-8 in the Northwest Conference. Over the last three seasons, the Bulldogs were 19-51 overall and 0-24 in the NWC.
Another new challenge presents itself when the Bulldogs join the Blanchard Valley Conference for the 2024-25 season.
“I look forward to being in a different league playing different teams,” said Sautter of the BVC move. “It will be nice to be part of something different.”
“I think we have a good core of kids coming back, they are pretty young,” said Sautter of the Bulldog cagers. “Our numbers could be pretty high, so that is a positive. The summer will be big, with the kids getting acclimated to me and what I expect at both ends of the floor.”
Josh Lehsten will be retained as the JV coach, with Darren Gilbert likely to return as a varsity assistant. “Keeping Josh on staff gives us some continuity,” said Sautter. “He played for me, and having him around will be beneficial for us in getting to know the kids.
“I am excited to get things going at Ada,” he summed up. “I am glad to be back.”
