It was a much-anticipated return home for Mitch Hannahs this past winter.

During halftime of a Monroe Central-Shadyside boys’ hoop game, they marked the 25-year anniversary of two of most legendary prep sports teams in Ohio Valley history.

During the mid 80’s, tiny Skyvue High produced not one – but two – state tournament qualifiers in baseball and basketball.

Hannahs was an integral part of a Golden Hawks’ success story virtually unparalleled in eastern Ohio circles over the years.

Mitch had an opportunity to reminisce and trade stories with former coaches and teammates before returning home to Illinois where he shared many of those experiences with son, Derek.

Skyvue sent two baseball and basketball teams to Columbus with the ’85 Hawks capturing a state baseball title.

Though the Black & Gold came up just short in their quest for a state cage crown, young Derek and his Robinson High (Ill.) quint achieved the feat in March.

“Until the years go by and you grow older, you don’t realize how special all of it truly was,” said Mitch over the phone last week.

So, what exactly were the odds of Derek and his teammates capturing an Illinois 2-A state title in Peoria?

“They (Robinson) had to beat the state’s number one and two-ranked teams to win the championship,” Mitch related.

“It’s funny, because the first think Derek said to me was, ‘I guess we went one game further than the Hawks.’ That was really pretty neat.”

Unlike his father, whose Skyvue quints were of the blue collar variety and relied on exceptional team chemistry to knock off one postseason opponent after another, Derek’s Robinson High bunch featured a seven-foot University of Illinois bound athlete.

“Maybe the most impressive thing about Robinson was the fact they shot 78 percent (as a team) at the foul line,” Mitch reported.

And like his father who possessed a golden shooting touch, Derek was money at the line as a 18-of-20 performance in the title game would indicate.

Though Derek is a crafty hoopster, he’s equally a diamond in the rough as was Mitch at Skyvue.

“He probably prefers basketball, but Derek realized his (athletic) future was in baseball,” Mitch described.

Thus, Ball State University came calling and eventually signed Derek to a full D-I scholarship. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a exceptional student. “Derek definitely has his mother’s brains,” laughed Mitch.

In the interval, Mitch and wife, Amy, whom he met while playing baseball at Indiana State University, have a daughter Kylee, a freshman at Robinson who participates in track; and another potential backcourt star in 8-year-old Kaleb.

“We’ve been blessed and feel very fortunate,” Mitch related. “A lot of it all started back at Skyvue – just an unforgettable experience.”

EXTRA POINTS

MITCH is currently in his 10th season as head baseball coach at Lincoln Trail Community College where he has had over 75 players go on to play at the Division I level.

Additionally, Hannahs has led Lincoln Trail to Region 24 titles in two seasons along with two Great Rivers Athletic Conference Championships in 2006 and 2007.

At Indiana State, Mitch was an All-American infielder, helping the Sycamores to three NCAA playoff appearances, including a trip to the College World Series in 1986.

Hannahs was a 16th round draft selection by the Milwaukee Brewers , spending five seasons in the Brewers organization before returning to ISU to begin his coaching career….

SHADYSIDE’S Kraig Kubancic, a freshman at West Liberty University, is having an impact season with the Hilltoppers.

In WL’s 14-8 Friday victory against Ohio Valley College at Kovalick Field, Kubancic clubbed a two-run homer in addition to two singles….