Coaches of the Year: Ryan Shaffer and Jim Lipinski Lead Local High School Teams to Success

The Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards show recognized Ryan Shaffer and Jim Lipinski as Coaches of the Year. The event honored athletes, coaches, and teams from the local area and presented a total of 37 awards. The show received support from sponsors like Meijer, Planet Fitness, SARTA, USA Today Sports, and Golfweek.

Ryan Shaffer was named the Girls Coach of the Year after retiring following a successful career as a high school tennis coach in Stark County. Spending 21 years at North Canton Hoover coaching both boys and girls teams, Shaffer became the winningest coach in Ohio high school history last year. His final record stands at 1,061 wins against 178 losses. Under his leadership, the 2023 Hoover girls team was ranked No. 1 in the state and finished third, losing only one match all season. Shaffer has guided eight teams to a state final four and sent 84 players to the OHSAA state tournament. He was inducted into the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011.

On the other hand, Jim Lipinski was recognized as the Boys Coach of the Year for his work with the Twinsburg baseball team. Despite the tragic loss of their coach Jeff Luca in a car accident last December, Lipinski helped the Tigers reach the state semifinals. This unexpected success led Twinsburg to their first state tournament appearance since 2006, winning 23 games along the way.

The Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program, which celebrates high school athletes and coaches across various sports categories throughout America