The Home Team Behind Local Student Athletes

Friday night football in the New Concord and Cambridge area brings out the whole community. Under the stadium lights, familiar faces gather to cheer and connect. Along the sidelines stands a team you might not notice at first: the people keeping young athletes safe, healthy, and ready to play.

From athletic trainers to orthopedic surgeons, the OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center sports medicine team works together to prevent injuries, treat on-field incidents, and guide athletes through recovery. For many on the team, the connection runs deeper than medicine. These are their alma maters. This is the town they call home.

A team built on local roots

For this team, coming home to practice medicine is personal.

"I grew up here," says Sara Saft, PA-C. "I've been a Cambridge resident all my life. It's nice to be able to come back home and work in the community that I grew up in."

Lauren Hutcheson, LAT, ATC, has served as the athletic trainer at John Glenn High School since 2019, returning to the very school she graduated from. "It was my dream when I left John Glenn High School to be able to come back," she says.

Foot and ankle reconstructive surgeon Zack Hill, DPM, who grew up in the area and graduated from Bishop Rosecrans High School, knows firsthand what local sports mean to a small town. "John Glenn High School won a basketball championship not long ago. The engagement of the community after that, how much joy sports can bring to little towns like ours: it's what people live for."

Orthopedic surgeon Bill Kumler, MD, grew up playing sports and sees his role as a way to honor the support he received as a young athlete. "It's nice to be able to pay forward all that I got as an athlete myself," he says. Dr. Kumler acts as the team physician for five schools in the area.

Working together for every athlete

Each Friday night during football season, the team coordinates coverage across Guernsey County schools. Athletic trainers are the first point of contact. "If there's an injury, I am the initial one to do the evaluation," says Hutcheson. From there, she connects athletes with the right specialist.

Dr. Kumler sets aside weekly time just for student athletes and often visits school training rooms directly. "John Glenn High School is just two blocks from me," he explains. "It's easy for me to stop by, see the athlete with Lauren in the training room, and save the parents the time it takes to come in for an appointment."

Recovery often happens right at school, too. Rather than traveling to an outside clinic, students can complete prescribed therapy with their athletic trainers. "So now, the kids don't have to leave school to go to therapy," Dr. Kumler says. That setup keeps everyone connected. "The athletic trainers are the ones seeing the students every day, letting us know, 'Hey, they're not progressing like they should be,' or 'They're doing great,'" says Saft.

Expertise when it matters most

When an injury happens, having experts on the sidelines means answers come fast. "You can give them right away on the sidelines," explains Dr. Kumler. "We can say, 'Here's what we think is going on,' and they walk away from the game with a plan."

"It's nice that you can give them answers right then and there. Then, they don't have to wait till the next week worrying about what might be," adds Saft. For athletes hoping to return at the same level or higher, that peace of mind matters.

The team also addresses recovery beyond the physical. Hutcheson focuses on the "mental reps" athletes need to return with confidence. "Mental reps are a big part of what I have to go through with athletes going back into sport. Specifically, we can review what it's like to perform the exact same play or motion the athlete injured themselves during."

Prevention is another priority. Through a preseason roadshow, the team visits schools to cover injury prevention, concussion protocols, and safe training habits. "A lot of what we aim to do nowadays is not just reactive treatments, but also really trying to nail down the proactive stuff," Dr. Hill says.

The heart of the team

Ask Dr. Kumler what makes this team work, and his answer is immediate. "Our trainers are the key, because they get to know the students. They're there every day," he says. "Having them in the schools with the students is probably the biggest piece to sports medicine that's improved care for our student athletes at the high school level." There’s a dedicated OhioHealth athletic trainer in each of the five schools Dr. Kumler provides care for:

·       Lauren Hutcheson at John Glenn High School

·       Lucia Picciano at Caldwell High School

·       Sam Yourko at Cambridge High School

·       Michael Marston at Meadowbrook High School

·       Caleb Heller at Shenandoah High School

·       Kasey Toto at Buckeye Trail High School

That daily expert presence, paired with local roots and genuine partnership, gives area families something valuable: a team behind every athlete. For our sports medicine providers, it's more than a job. It's a way of giving back to the community they love.

Meet the team

Bill Kumler, MD
Orthopedic surgeon | Team physician

Dr. Kumler is an orthopedic surgeon, board-certified in orthopedics and sports medicine.  Inspired by his father, who served as a team physician in his hometown of Bexley, Dr. Kumler not only spent many years as a team physician in Bexley, but now serves as the team physician for five New Concord area schools.

Zack Hill, DPM
Foot and ankle reconstructive surgeon

Dr. Hill is a podiatric surgeon committed to helping local athletes stay healthy and active. A former student athlete and lifelong sports enthusiast, he also provides his sports medicine expertise for five area schools.

Lauren Hutcheson, LAT, ATC
Athletic trainer

Lauren Hutcheson has served as the athletic trainer at John Glenn High School since 2019, returning to the school she graduated from in 2013. As the first point of contact for injuries, she works with student athletes daily, coordinating care among athletes, coaches and physicians across the community.

Sara Saft, PA-C
Physician assistant 

A lifelong Cambridge resident and Cambridge High School graduate, Sara Saft, PA-C, is proud to care for athletes in the community she calls home.