After eight successful seasons at the helm of the Parkland High School girls varsity basketball program, Ed Ohlson has decided to step away and focus on other things. He will be moving back to coaching boys hoops, still in the school district, as Springhouse Middle School has an opening and his grandson will be an eighth grader there.

It was an opportunity he said he could not pass up.

Ohlson recorded an overall record of 149-63 with three District 11 Class championships and one Eastern Pennsylvania Conference title in charge of the lady Trojans.

The Trojans finished in third place in districts this past winter after winning back-to-back championships. In 2024, Parkland won the EPC and district titles before advancing to the state semifinals.

“I loved coaching the girls teams at Parkland,” said Ohlson. “We of course did pretty well but more importantly I think we made some fantastic memories. The players we coached, the assistant coaches we had in the program were second to none for the eight years I was there. It also helped that I had been at Parkland before, and I knew the administrators as well as the other coaches in the building. I will treasure the eight years I spent there as a great time but also will cherish the relationships that were built.”

There were several moments each year that he looks back on fondly.

“I think every team we had was a little different from each other and that all of the teams had their share of great moments,” Ohlson said. “Of course, the three district championships were great moments and we had several games where we were down double digits and came back to win.

“For me I also remember when a player came off the bench to have a great game. Those are the memories that coaches cherish the most. One example was when Mo Olenwine came off the bench in our first district championship and hit a three-pointer to win a game that we hadn’t led the entire game.”

Ohlson has coached high school boys before, as a head coach at Northampton and as an assistant at Parkland where he was part of a run to the state finals.

“There are definitely some physical differences between boys and girls in terms of overall athletic size and ability,” said Ohlson. “The one thing I found in coaching boys and girls at Parkland was that there is no difference in their wanting to win. The girls we coached wanted to win as much as any boys team I ever coached. They were all in and the leaders of the teams we had were exceptional in pushing their teammates in that area.”

Ohlson at least knows he is leaving behind the program in good hands with his top assistant coach of the last three seasons, Megan Kave, taking over the reigns.

“I was very excited to see Megan get the job after I left,” Ohlson said. “For the last three years she had been a really strong voice in our locker room and did a great job teaching on the floor.

“I knew when I saw her coach at Central Catholic that she was a good coach. When she came with us, I also saw what a good person she was. She’s very organized and has a vision of what she wants her team to look like on and off the court. With the feeder system we have at Parkland and her ability to teach the game I’m sure she’ll bring out the best in all the young ladies in the program.”