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CONNORVILLE - The first half of 2026 has been very good to Isaac Rine so far.
The 27-year-old Wheeling Central graduate got engaged around the first of the year and he was named the head girls' basketball coach at Buckeye Local High School several weeks ago. Tuesday night he added another title - Athletic Director.
Rine, who picked up his high school diploma in 2017, was unanimously approved as Buckeye Local's next AD during a board of education meeting in Dillonvale.
"It's pretty cool," Rine said. "When I got into coaching, being an athletic director was always a possibility in the back of my mind. I didn't know it would happen this soon, but opportunities come and I thought this was a good thing to jump on."
Rine will take over for Jeff Patrick who will remain in the school system as a teacher and head baseball coach.
"It should be a smooth transition," Rine, in his third year at Buckeye Local, added. "There are a lot of great people around here. I've developed great relationships with the assistant ADs that are sticking around and Jeff Patrick has been a close friend of mine. I'ver had other people tell me they'd be there for me and support me in the next adventure in my life."
Following a multi-sport career at Wheeling Central, Rine headed to Marietta College to play baseball. After one season, he transferred to West Liberty University where he concluded his career in 2022. He then stuck around for two years as a graduate assistant coach, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Education, with a Masters in Education, along with Coaching and Leadership.
“I would like to thank Jeff Patrick for his time and service to Panther Athletics,” Coy Sudvary, Superintendent of Buckeye Local Schools, said. “As we transition to our new hire Isaac Rine, we look forward to him continuing the work to improve Panther Athletics. Isaac brings a skill set and experience from many different sports which will serve him well int he AD role. Isaac is a graduate and former athlete of Wheeling Central. We hope he can bring some of that winning culture and high standards to our programs.”
Rine was also a member of the Barton Braves of the Ohio Valley Baseball League for several summers. He has also served as Wheeling Post 1 American Legion Baseball as an assistant coach, and coached football for two years under head coach Chris Kiedaisich. He is current;y coaching a youth Travel Baseball team.
When asked what his goals were, he replied, "To get more kids to come out and play the sports that we offer. I want to get the numbers up and then get them excited about playing and not just showing up and playing," he said. "Ultimately, that leads to more wins and creates a better atmosphere."
Rine wanted to give a shout out to several people who have been instrumental in his life.
"Thanks to, first and foremost, my family. My family has always been there for me, telling me to go and do things that I want to pursue," he said. "I have to thank my fiance, Sydney Burkle. She's the one that was adamant about me coming to Buckeye Local which was a place I really didn't know a lot about, and an area that I didn’t know much about. She was always 'go for it.' That's really nice to have.
"My dad, Jason, has been one person I've really looked up to in the coaching world. He's always been my coach and that made me a tougher person and tougher athlete," Rine noted. "He was a little extra hard on me because of who I was, but that was alright with me.
"Another person who has been instrumental to me is my cousin, Ryan Young, the girls basketball coach at Wheeling Park. He's the one that told me to get involved with the girls basketball program at Buckeye Local. My great uncle is Mike Young, football coach at Wheeling Central."