Ottawa Hills boys soccer coach Nate Baer recently received national recognition from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Baer was honored for his work from the 2018 season, when he guided the Green Bears to a 15-3-0 overall record, a first-place 7-0-0 mark in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference, and an advancement to the Division III district final, where Ottawa Hills lost 2-1 to eventual state champion Archbold.

That followed a 2017 season when Baer led the Ottawa Hills to a 20-1-2 record and a trip to the D-III state final, where the Bears lost 1-0 to Cincinnati Summit Country Day.

This past season, Ottawa Hills finished 16-3-2 (7-0-1 TAAC), and reached the D-III regional final, before falling 1-0 in an overtime shootout to eventual state runner-up Bluffton.

The NFHS award resulted from Baer having been named Ohio soccer coach of the year for 2018 by the Ohio High School Athletic Association last spring. That award earned him a nomination for the national honor.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the OHSAA and NFHS as Ohio coach of the year,” Baer said. “God has blessed me with the opportunity to connect, mentor, and lead fantastic young men each year, which I am very thankful for. This award is an accumulation of the body of work in recent years, specifically the players’ passion, work ethic, and commitment.”

The last three seasons, Baer’s teams have gone 51-7-4 and were beaten in state tournament play by two eventual state champions and one D-III runner-up. He is 97-28-5 overall in seven seasons at Ottawa Hills with seven straight TAAC championships.

First Published January 24, 2020, 2:23 p.m.