MARTINS FERRY – The high school coaching profession is a tough business. Coaches are hanging up their whistles much quicker these days.

Jeff Sabatino recently coached the final game of his illustrious career. It came when Martins Ferry dropped a heartbreaker to state-rated Garaway in the district tourney at Cambridge.

Sabatino, however, is a rare breed when it comes to prep coaches. He carried out that demanding and oft-times thankless task for an amazing 40 years. Such elongated careers are few and far between.

Sabatino served as head coach of his alma mater for the last 24 seasons. It was two dozen of winters stocked with Purple hardwood success.

He guided the Riders to nearly 350 wins and a remarkable four Sweet Sixteen berths. Sabatino cultivated that success while teaching his players life lessons all along the way.

Sabatino and Dave Bruney are the faces of Martins Ferry athletics. What many don’t know, however, is that Sabatino started his coaching and teaching careers at Meadowbrook High School.

“After graduating West Liberty (1976), Dan McGrew hired me to coach football at Meadowbrook and Rich Saffield hired me to help with basketball. It was an incredible indoctrination into coaching,” Sabatino said. “My stay there was very entertaining and informative.

“I developed lasting relationships with a lot of kids I coached there,” he added. “People like Billy Epperson (a state champion miler) and Todd Murgatroyd, who went on to coach football at University of Tennessee. They both keep in touch with me today.”

One year in Byesville led Sabatino to “the last place he expected to be” – Bellaire High.

“It was a difficult time for me. My dad just passed away. Steve Kish hired me as an English teacher. He played a big role in my life. He later hired me at Martins Ferry,” Sabatino said. “At Bellaire, I joined an outstanding pool of coaches, teachers and professionals. In addition to Mr. Kish, there were Frank Danadic, Gene Ammirante, John Magistro, Kim Clifford, the Stolz brothers, Bill Bruney and the Bonar brothers.

“It was a great group of successful and outstanding individuals. I become associated with people such as Joey Galloway and Chad Magistro. They came back every year to watch my games at Martins Ferry and are lifelong friends,” the 1972 Martins Ferry High grad added. “It is also where I met my wife Susan. It was a great 13 years there. It is where I formulated a lot about coaching, teaching and life. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Bellaire.”

His successful stay in the All-American Town proved a springboard for his his initial head coaching job – Cadiz High, following in the footsteps of Clifford.

As fate would have it, the head coaching position at Martins Ferry opened up the following year. One of the requirements was prior head coaching experience. His one-year stay at Cadiz helped open the door to his returning home.

“Roger Best and Tom Suriano were the guidance counselors at Ferry. They kept hounding me to take the job. I enjoyed my time at Cadiz and hated to leave after one year,” Sabatino said. “I took the job and never looked back. It was one of the best moves I ever made.

“I swam upstream. I stayed the course and did it my way. I made some changes with the staff. I hired Tom (Suriano) as an assistant. I don’t know if he ever coached hoops before, but he was a lifelong friend who I knew I could trust to help turn the program around in character fashion,” he added. “I also hired Mike Kahl who I got to know at Bellaire. Our first year, I think we lost eight of our first nine games, then won eight of our next nine. Eventually, the kids bought in.”

The second year proved to be the launching pad for more than two decades of Rider hoop success under Sabatino’s tutelage.

“I knew we would be good in our second year. We won the sectional and lost in the district final. We beat Buckeye Trail handily in the tournaments and they were ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in Ohio,” Sabatino said. “That team featured Mikale Robey. He was the first guy to elevate the program.

“Mikale was a great player and leader. He has meant so much to our program,” he continued. “Mikale had one of the greatest games in school history, going 15-15 from the floor in a tournament game. He is still a mentor to our kids. It is a debt I cannot repay.”

Year three brought another sectional crown to the Purple with an all-senior starting lineup. While losing all five starters would present problems to most programs, it simply set the stage for a special season for Sabatino’s fourth edition.

“My fourth year was an incredible year. We had no returning starters and made it to the regionals,” Sabatino said. “We beat state-ranked Fort Frye along the way. They were averaging almost 100 points a game.”

Ferry didn’t have to wait very long for its next regional trip. Two years later, the Purple Riders were again in the Sweet Sixteen.

“That possibly was my best team ever. We had James Watts and Chad Brinker at guards, Chad Coyne and Fred Ray at forwards and Ralph Pugh at center,” Sabatino said. “We brought Nick Yourkovich, Don Cash, Smokey Tyler, Ron Hill and Zac Bruney off the bench. We beat Garaway in the district finals. They had two D-1 players.”

Sabatino closed his coaching career on an up note. The last four years were some of his most successful. The 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns brought back-to-back trips to the regionals. This past winter, Ferry won 15 games, made the OVAC Tournament and captured the sectional crown, the 13th under Sabatino’s leadership.

“The last few years were exciting for me because we switched to a zone defense and it was something I kept tinkering with. It also helped get us to back-to-back regionals,” Sabatino said. “It was also nice to go out with another sectional championship, especially the way Emilio (Appolloni) played in that game. It was another one of the all-time great games in Ferry history. But I knew it was time to get out.

“Being able to coach my son Tony and Derek Edwards at the same time was a highlight. They were like brothers. Tony holds our school record for threes in a season and in a career. Derek finished as our school’s assists leader,” he offered. “Coaching my son taught me how to be a dad. I learned an important lesson in that regard, but it took a while.”

But Sabatino takes more pride in the success and development his players exhibit in real life than he does about his myriad of coaching awards and titles.

“I tried to coach them for the better. Players like Cody Schau really developed as a player and as a person. I am proud of how he has shaped his life,” Sabatino said. “I wanted my players to be the best they could be on the court but also off of it. The most important thing is when they became successful and productive in life.

“I hope I played a small role in doing that. I didn’t waste my time just trying to win games,” he added. “I was trying to teach them the big picture. I hope in my 40 years they absorbed those lessons. If so, my 40 years were well spent.”

Looking back over his career, Sabatino does have one regret.

“My dad only got to see me coach one season as a basketball coach. We ended that season at Meadowbrook by winning a junior high tournament,” Sabatino said. “He never got to see me coach at Bellaire or Ferry. I hope and think he would be proud.”

Sabatino relishes the friendships he has made along the way – and there are many. He notes that Indian Creek’s Joe Dunlevy and Monroe Central’s Scooter Tolzda are two of his dearest friends in the business along with John Stanko, Dubie Dailer and many others. He has an obvious special bond with Ammirante.

“There are so many people that helped me along the way. The bookkeepers, filmers, boosters and many others. I couldn’t have been successful without them. Dave Bruney has also been a great friend and confidant,” he continued. “And where would have been without my assistant coaches over the years? Ron Hill, Chris Coyne, Mike Lucas, Bob Hill, Kim Appolloni, Mikale (Roby), Derek (Edwards), Jeremy Shrodes, Dave Reasbeck, Paul Matuska, Darrell Watts, Jim Hood, Jake Barritt and Mark Spigarelli all had a hand in our success.”

Sabatino has no second thoughts about his decision to retire. He has moved on to another chapter in his life. One he is embracing.

“My family is now the only team I am coaching. Susan became a tremendous basketball coach’s wife. She would scout with me and learned how to keep a shot chart. She was always with me,” Sabatino beamed. “My daughter Kayla was always the first one to greet me after games, and my son wasn’t just a great supporter, he also coached for me.

“It’s been a great ride and I would do it all over again,” he added. “But my family had to share me. Now I am focusing on domestic issues.”