Four Edwardsville High School Coaches Honored with State and National Recognitions

EDWARDSVILLE - Several Edwardsville High School coaches have received recognition for their work with students.

During the regular meeting of the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education on Feb. 23, 2026, coaches Mike Sabatino, Kirk Schlueter, Dave Lipe and Mark Heiderscheid were honored with awards on the national and state levels. Athletic Director Amy Boscolo introduced each coach, noting their dedication to the athletes.

Sabatino is the high school’s pitching coach. He was honored as the American Baseball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year for High School Division I. Boscolo noted that Sabatino has had 12 Division I pitchers recruited out of EHS since he took over the position in 2019, and the pitching staff has an impressive 2.17 Earned Run Average under his leadership.

“It’s been a fun journey,” Sabatino said. “I’ve been able to have a lot of success with some athletes, and they’ve been able to put me in a situation to have this recognition.”

Schlueter was named Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association Girls Assistant Coach of the Year. Boscolo noted that the district is “blessed to have him in front of kids” as both a teacher and a coach.

“Coaching awards are great, but coaches don’t really do anything on the field. It's all the kids,” Schlueter said. “So I just feel really, really grateful and really lucky to be in a place and be in a community that’s full of kids that want to buy in and want to work really hard. I think kids like that at all levels are part of what makes Edwardsville and its surrounding areas and this district a special place to be, a special place to teach.”

Lipe was recognized as the National High School Coaches Association Tennis Coach of the Year. Boscolo shared that Lipe has over 800 combined wins and “dozens” of conference and sectional championships. She added that he “continues to produce a tennis factory within Edwardsville” and that Lipe is “just absolutely an amazing person.”

Heiderscheid was inducted into the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He retired from the district a year ago and finished his career as the head of the boys soccer program with 401 wins. Boscolo noted that Heiderscheid is “one of the kindest, most gentle hearts” and the district was lucky to have him.

All of these coaches helped build Edwardsville’s athletic program into the force it is. Boscolo commended each one, and the Board expressed their appreciation for the coaches’ hard work.

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