Put a trophy at the end of something and this team will be at its best.  So this year, the first in three in which the Hawks are not the reigning Division IV state champion, still comes with some pretty heavy expectations.

"Our goals never change here.  We want to win a state title," Schlabach said.  "We've set that as the bar in this program and we'll be disappointed if we achieve any less than that."

That road could find itself less cluttered with other state champions along the way.  For each of the last three years, Hiland has met Columbus Africentric for a trip to the Final Four playing out of the Pickerington regional.  This year, the Hawks have been switched to the more geographically convenient Massillon Perry regional.  Last year, Bedford Chanel won that regional before losing in the state semifinal to New Knoxville.

While it might look like a break on the outside to avoid Africentric, the folks inside the program are paying little mind to the regional assignment right now.

"We strictly always only worry about the things we can control," Schlabach said.  "If we get there, we go north now.  We always take a little to scout potential tournament opponents anyway.  But, that's a long way away from where we are now."

Where the Hawks are now, as they set to start the season November 24 at Garaway, might be the envy of most small-school programs in the state.

Hiland returns Kent State-committed guard Jena Stutzman at the head of a five-member senior class that's ready to go into the season.  Classmates Layla Miller, Gabby Fowler, Kristi Yoder and Rebekah Thomas will help give the senior-laden Hawks a chance to take back what was theirs.

That group will be the backbone of a deep lineup.  Schlabach plans to use nine different players every night, even with projected starter Jessica Stutzman missing the season on the injured list.

"We have five seniors who have been through a lot," Schlabach said.  "These are girls who are willing to do what it takes to make their last go-around something special.  They will make every effort to make that happen.  I'm confident they'll be good leaders for this team."

Jena Stutzman is the best player of that group.  Widely recognized as one of the top shooting guards in the state, she brings back more than just 3-point range.  As Hiland's leading scorer a year ago with 18 points a game, she also led the team with 98 steals, was second in assists and third in rebounding.

Hiland has a storied lineage of great players, but word is Stutzman could join the program's version of Mount Rushmore, especially with one more good season. But, as new players fill in around her with the responsibility of contributions more than minutes, the team can't simply go as its best player does.

"Jena's one of the best to ever play here," Schlabach said.  "Our kids will feed off her just like she will with them.  but Jena knows she can't do it alone.  We have to find other scorers to help take up the slack.  We have some kids who are very capable of doing that.  They just have to go out and do it."  That production will be key as Hiland enters its season playing, once again, as the target of every team on the schedule.

The Hawks could find themselves dueling with next door neighbor Garaway for the Inter-Valley Conference title and play a scintillating slate of non-conference foes.  West Holmes returns nearly its entire roster from last year's regional team and Northwestern, a newcomer to the Hiland schedule, played for a district title last year.  Toss in Classic in the Country foes Columbus Brookhaven and Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown and every out of conference opponent for the Hawks will bring realistic expectation to this season of nothing less than a regional berth.

That's why it will be important to be playing well from the start of the season and have everyone in their best condition.

"Like every year, we're battling some early injuries," Schlabach said.  "We need to get healthy and into good basketball shape.  Things have been going pretty well so far.  We still have a long way to go."