Port Clinton names new wrestling, swimming coaches

Port Clinton has replenished its winter sports coaching staffs. Needing new wrestling and swimming head coaches, PC named Dustin Cornell the new leader on the mats and John Holzhauser the replacement by the pool. Cornell is a 2002 PC graduate who has spent more than a decade in various capacities with the wrestling program, including the last couple seasons under Adam Hicks, who is now an assistant principal in the district. "It's super exciting to lead this program," Cornell said. "We are not very far off from being one of the top-tier programs in northwest Ohio." Holzhauser graduated from Sandusky in 1992. He replaces Dan Diaz, who was one of only two coaches in the past half-century of the program along with Ken Gipe. "They jokingly told me it was gonna be a 25-year contract," Holzhauser said. "... I look at it as kind of the captain of a ship, and I'm just guiding it." Cornell takes over the Port Clinton wrestling program at one of the best points the program has been. The Redskins sent eight wrestlers to last season's district tournament, a school record. Returners include Dustin's son Gavin Cornell, nephew Josh Cornell and Malakii Pinkelton. Gavin made it to state in 2023, while Josh went to Columbus in 2022. "How you win in March is you have to put the time in (during the summer)," Cornell said. "Most of our kids are football players. That's what it's gonna take to stay successful is to stay committed." Cornell is also a football assistant at his alma mater, working on the offensive staff with the quarterbacks. He was a three-sport athlete at PC, competing in football, wrestling and baseball. When Hicks stepped down, Cornell knew it was time to pursue the lead job in the town where he, and so many of his family members, had grown up. "Being mentored and tutored under coach Hicks to grasp how things are done and saw how he turned the program around, I thought that now was the time," Cornell said. Holzhauser's path to Port Clinton was less straightforward. After swimming for the Blue Streaks in high school, he was a swim team manager at Bowling Green State University. He raised his kids in swim-mad Indiana in the Fort Wayne area. Soon enough, Holzhauser was coaching at Maple Creek Middle School, where he spent about a decade while building the title-winning feeder program for Carroll High School. "I'm big on building communities, building programs," Holzhauser said. "Swimming is a sport, but there are life lessons that can be learned from it." Holzhauser moved back to the area in March, living on 48th Street in Sandusky in the house both his grandparents and parents used to live in. He started a handyman company during the pandemic, and many of his jobs were in northwest Ohio already. He didn't apply immediately when Port Clinton's job opened up, but he had heard great things about the program. And after some thought, he put his name in the hat. Holzhauser takes over one of the area's top swim teams. Port Clinton has sent at least one swimmer to the state meet in each of the last 22 seasons, including 2010 state champion Mackenzie Stewart and 2023 state champion Kami Periat. "The pride in the community and involvement from the parents, Port Clinton has that at a different level," Holzhauser said. "They have a great booster program. There's longevity and success. There's a lot of legacy. But to me, there's pressure. I like that." The best part of both new hires for Port Clinton might be their similar visions for what they can accomplish. Cornell and Holzhauser both recognize that they're stepping into a solid spot to propel their programs into great positions for years to come. "I'm excited to be able to see what we can do," Holzhauser said. "I know they lost a lot of talent, especially on the girls side. There's a chance here to build a program over several years."