Todd Fitz-Gerald
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Impact Statement
Fitz-Gerald has created a national powerhouse year in and year out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Biography
Fitz-Gerald led Stoneman Douglas to its second straight Florida 9A state championship during the 2022 season. The team finished the season on a 22-game win streak and is ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps national Top 25 baseball rankings. Over the last two seasons, Stoneman Douglas owns a 58-4 record.
Stoneman Douglas’ 30-2 record set a school record for wins in a season. Fitz-Gerald has now led the Eagles to three state titles in the last six years.
Of the program’s ten seniors, nine players are expected to be playing college baseball next year.
Fitz-Gerald has won the Florida Coach of the Year Award in 2016 and 2021.
Additionally, Fitz-Gerald’s two sons are now in the pros. Hunter plays for the Everett AquaSox and Devin was drafted in the 5th round by the Texas Rangers. In addition, he has produced another 38 drafted players.
Since being honored, Fitz-Gerald and team continue to win. In 2024, they suffered their first defeat in two years.


Records
Darien High School

“To be able to be around this long and hit that milestone, it comes down to this. I have always loved coaching.” -Mo Minicus
Mo Minicus
Darien High School
Impact Statement
“To be able to be around this long and hit that milestone, it comes down to this. I have always loved coaching.” -Mo Minicus
Biography
Last September, the longtime Darien head coach recorded her 400th career win.
“It’s quite a number,” Minicus told CTinsider.com after the historic victory. “It’s not one I sought out to achieve, but it’s here now and it means I’ve been coaching for a long time.
Minicus, who’s led the school to eight Connecticut state championships, guided this year’s team to the Class L state semifinals. Since taking-over as the head coach at Darien in 2000, she’s also led the school to nine FCIAC league titles.
In 2011, Minicus was named the National Field Hockey Coach of the Year at the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Convention.
Records
Professional Achievements
Westlake High School


“You know the quote ‘Ability takes you to the top, but character keeps you there’? Coach Dodge perfectly embodies that.” -Sam Ehlinger, former QB
Todd Dodge
Westlake High School
Impact Statement
“You know the quote ‘Ability takes you to the top, but character keeps you there’? Coach Dodge perfectly embodies that.” -Sam Ehlinger, former QB
Biography
The award is presented jointly with High School Football America (“HSFA”).
Coach Dodge, who announced before the season that this year would be his last, closed-out an incredible coaching career in December by leading Westlake to its third straight Texas high school football championship. The title was the seventh overall for Dodge, who also won four at Southlake Carroll.
Westlake ended 2021 ranked No. 2 in the High School Football America 100 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. It was the second straight year that the Chaparrals finished No. 2 in the HSFA national rankings.
Dodge won 233 games in 23 years as a high school football coach. He goes into retirement on a 40-game win streak, which is the third longest active streak in America by a public school. He also held a 71-8 record in playoffs.
“There’s no doubt that high school football is losing an offensive innovator and trailblazer,” said Jeff Fisher, co-founder of High School Football America. “Coach Dodge’s success goes beyond the playing field. He leaves the coaching profession on top of his game and we’re proud to honor him with our Coach of the Year Award.”
During his high school career at Port Arthur High School, Dodge was a record-setting quarterback. He graduated with the Texas state record for career passing completions (381) and the single-season record for completions (221). After his senior season in 1980, Dodge was named a Parade Magazine All-American.
Dodge went on to play his college football at the University of Texas.
Since being honored, Dodge came out of retirement in January of 2024 and is coaching at Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas.


Records
Boise High School

Olswanger made an immediate impact on the Braves team.
Aaron Olswanger
Boise High School
Impact Statement
Olswanger made an immediate impact on the Braves team.
Biography
Olswanger’s girls made history in the fall by winning its fourth straight Idaho 5A cross country team championship. The four-peat equaled Meridian’s run of four straight titles from 1999 through 2002.
Boise’s 27 points easily beat second place Rocky Mountain by 86 points. Six of Boise’s finished in the meet’s Top 12 with sophomore’s Allie Bruce and Sammy Smith finishes 1-2.
In 2020, Olswanger was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year.

Professional Achievements
Pioneer High School

Kerska has made Pioneer into a national powerhouse in the pool.
Stefanie Kerska
Pioneer High School
Impact Statement
Kerska has made Pioneer into a national powerhouse in the pool.
Biography
For the second year in a row, Coach Kerska led the Pioneer boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving
programs to Lower Peninsula Division I state championships. The Pioneers racked-up 365 points, which was 98-point more than second-place Northville.
Kerska’s swimmer won four individual gold medals with three silver medals. Two relay teams also captured gold.
As a program, the team set varsity records in five events — 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, 500 free and the 400 freestyle relay. In the girls’ state championship meet, Kerska’s swimmer grabbed five gold medals.
Kerska was named the National Federation of High School Association’s National Swim Coach for the 2020-21sports year. The Michigan High School Athletic Association named Kerska as its Coach of the Year in 2021.
Kerska as a swimmer was a two time state champion in the 100 yard backstroke. At the University of Michigan, she was a 7 time Big 10 Conference Champ and a 4x NCAA All-American.

Professional Achievements
Hawken School

“To work hard, and have fun! It’s a tough sport and you need to find the joy in the hard work, day after day.” -Adam Katz
Adam Katz
Hawken School
Impact Statement
“To work hard, and have fun! It’s a tough sport and you need to find the joy in the hard work, day after day.” -Adam Katz
Biography
In February, Katz led the Hawken’s girls’ swimming and diving team to its 24th Ohio Division II state championship. The Hawks won four individual event titles on the way to scoring 269.5 at the championship meet in Canton, Ohio.
Katz swam under legendary Hawken head coach Jerry Holtrey, who led the program from 1969 through 2014. Katz won a state gold medal while swimming for Coach Holtrey in the early 90’s.
Hawken currently owns the third longest active championship streak. Carmel (Indiana) girls’ program has won 35 straight state championships.
Katz also led the boys’ program to a third place finish at the state championship meet.

Carmel High School

Over the 6 years at Carmel, Hanan has built them into a powerhouse.
Bryan Hanan
Carmel High School
Impact Statement
Over the 6 years at Carmel, Hanan has built them into a powerhouse.
Biography
Hanan led Carmel to its second straight state team title in his fourth season as the team’s head coach. The Greyhounds beat Fishers 5-0 to capture the title. It was the school’s 12th overall state title. The championship win capped a 19-1 season for Carmel.
“Every position was really going after it in the state finals,” Hanan told the Hamilton County Reporter after the win. “There was no let-up in the finals match. We played about as well as we can play. We were focused from the warm-up on.
Hanan has also led the boys’ program to four straight state championships during the Fall 2021 season.
After being honored, Hanan stepped down for the dream of reaching his personal goals by teaching in a high school. Hanan now teaches and helps the tennis team at Franklin Central High School.

Records
Lincoln High School

“Winning as much as we have been is a blessing and a lot of fun, but it would mean nothing if we didn’t win with integrity on the court and treat our opponents with respect.” -Tom Krueger
Tom Krueger
Lincoln High School
Impact Statement
“Winning as much as we have been is a blessing and a lot of fun, but it would mean nothing if we didn’t win with integrity on the court and treat our opponents with respect.” -Tom Krueger
Biography
This past season, Krueger led Lincoln to a state-record eighth straight boys’ tennis team championship.
The Patriots took home three singles flight championships and the Flight 1 doubles title to beat rival Washington by 17.5 points for the overall team championship.
Krueger, who has led the boys’ program since 2007 and the girls’ team since 1995, was inducted into the South Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame in 2018.

North Little Rock High School

“The way he interacts with his players daily and always made sure they had everything they needed to be successful. … he is the reason for all the success they had.” – Daryl Fimple, Girls Head Coach
Johnny Rice
North Little Rock High School
Impact Statement
“The way he interacts with his players daily and always made sure they had everything they needed to be successful. … he is the reason for all the success they had.” – Daryl Fimple, Girls Head Coach
Biography
Rice led the Charging Wildcats to the Arkansas Class 6A championship in March. It was the sixth time in ten years that Rice led the program to a state title. The team’s 27-3 record landed the program at No. 5 in the final MaxPreps national high school basketball rankings.
After the season, Rice decided to retire with a lifetime record of 242-50, including a 120-20 mark in league play. During his three decade at the helm of the program, Rice had 41 players receive college scholarships.

James Hillhouse High School

Moore, who coaches with her husband, Gary Sr., led the boys’ program to its third Open state
championship.
Michele Moore
James Hillhouse High School
Impact Statement
Moore, who coaches with her husband, Gary Sr., led the boys’ program to its third Open state
championship.
Biography
Moore, who coaches with her husband, Gary Sr., led the boys’ program to its third Open state
championship. Between Michele and Gary, who coaches the girls’ team, they’ve won 44 state titles.
In addition to the Open title, Moore also led the team to the Southern Connecticut Conference
championship during the 2022 season.
During the 2021-22 indoor season, Hillhouse finished second in the state.

Centennial High School

Session led Centennial to its 10th straight state title at the 2022 Nevada Class 5A Track and Field Championships.
Roy Session
Centennial High School
Impact Statement
Session led Centennial to its 10th straight state title at the 2022 Nevada Class 5A Track and Field Championships.
Biography
This spring, Session led Centennial to its 10th straight state title at the 2022 Nevada Class 5A Track and Field Championships. The Bulldogs amassed 142.5 points, which easily outdistanced second place Faith Lutheran by 67.5 points.
One of Session athletes, Zoey Bonds, won four individual gold medals.
In 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, Session was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Nevada Coach of the Year.

Professional Achievements
Mountain Brook High School

Lockett led Mountain Brook to multiple state championships.
Alex Lockett
Mountain Brook High School
Impact Statement
Lockett led Mountain Brook to multiple state championships.
Biography
This past season, Lockett led Mountain Brooks to its fifth straight state championship. The team won the title by 13-strokes during the two day championship. Coach Lockett had four golfers place in the Top 10. Tom Fischer won co-champ after shooting a 1-under 143 for the tournament.
In 2018, after the school’s second straight 7A title, Lockett was named All-USA Coach of the Year by USA TODAY.

Records
Professional Achievements
Ironwood Ridge High School

Coach Kautz has led Ironwood Ridge to three straight Arizona Division II state championships.
Ironwood Ridge won the tournament by 15 strokes after shooting 573 as a team.
Doug Kautz
Ironwood Ridge High School
Impact Statement
Coach Kautz has led Ironwood Ridge to three straight Arizona Division II state championships.
Ironwood Ridge won the tournament by 15 strokes after shooting 573 as a team.
Biography
Coach Kautz has led Ironwood Ridge to three straight Arizona Division II state championships.
Ironwood Ridge won the tournament by 15 strokes after shooting 573 as a team.
In the Summer of 2021, Ironwood Ridge competed in the High School Golf National Invitational, which features state champions from around the nation. The Nighthawks finished 6th in the tournament in North Carolina.
Kautz, who has spent over 30 years as a teacher, loves the profession of coaching. He was honored as the National Federation of High Schools’ 2019-20 Arizona Golf Coach of the Year.
In addition, Kautz is the 7th grade girls basketball coach at Coronado.

Records
South Plainfield High School


““You never think about how many games you’ve won. It just comes up on you just like the state record came up.” -Donald Panzarella
Donald Panzarella
South Plainfield High School
Impact Statement
““You never think about how many games you’ve won. It just comes up on you just like the state record came up.” -Donald Panzarella
Biography
New Jersey’s all-time winningest softball coach reached another milestone in 2022 by winning his 800th career game. In early May, Panzarella achieved the magical number with a 14-12 win over Woodbridge.
Coach Panzarella told TapInto.net, “I don’t really look at how many games I’ve won or how many games we played. I’ve been doing it for a long time. I love doing it. I had the opportunity to have my son with me when I set the (most wins all-time) record and again with 800. So, I’ve been lucky to have a family member with me.
It’s been a great ride. I’ve had great kids here. I’ve had the opportunity to do what I really love to do. It’s outstanding thinking about how many games we’ve won, but I don’t do it for that. I just really love it.”
This season’s 19-7 record brings Panzarella’s all-time record to 804-227. His teams have won four group state championships and eight sectional titles.


Records
Skyline High School

Castillo has led Skyline to three state championships over the past six years.
Yamil Castillo
Skyline High School
Impact Statement
Castillo has led Skyline to three state championships over the past six years.
Biography
In the fall, Castillo led Skyline to its best season ever with a perfect 20-0 record. The Eagles won the Utah 5A state championship, which landed the Eagles the No. 1 spot in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The program was ranked No. 18 nationally by MaxPreps.
The state championship was the third overall for Castillo, who led Skyline to titles in 2015 and 2019.
The program’s first-ever undefeated season also led to Castillo being named the United Soccer Coaches Small Public School Coach of the Year.

Harrison High School

Gross has led Harrison to a state championship and one of the most dominate soccer team in Georgia and around the country.
Jonathan Gross
Harrison High School
Impact Statement
Gross has led Harrison to a state championship and one of the most dominate soccer team in Georgia and around the country.
Biography
During the spring season, Gross led Harrison to the Georgia Class 7A state championship. The Hoyas were a perfect 23-0 after beating Pebblebrook 2-1 in the state championship match at Mercer University.
The state title was the second for the longtime coach, who had previously led the program to the state championship in 2007. The 2022 state championship resulted in Harrison being ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps’ Spring Soccer national rankings.
Gross also serves as the head coach of the girls’ soccer program since 2019.

DeSoto High School

“The most rewarding thing is watching kids grow and develop to be great young women.” -Andrea Robinson
Andrea Robinson
DeSoto High School
Impact Statement
“The most rewarding thing is watching kids grow and develop to be great young women.” -Andrea Robinson
Biography
Robinson led DeSoto to its second straight Texas Class 6A state championship in March. The Eagles’ 35-2 record led it to being ranked No. 2 in national by MaxPreps.
In addition to the state title, Robinson, who has spent six seasons as DeSoto’s head coach, won her 500th career game in November 2021.
Coach Robinson owns six overall state titles. She won two at Fort Worth High School and two at
Dunbar High School.
Outside of DeSoto, she was a court coach for the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team Trials.

Records
Mount Carmel High School

“It’s about finding the right people and designing your program so these kids love the sport but still get the training they need.” -Alex Tsirtsis
Alex Tsirtsis
Mount Carmel High School
Impact Statement
“It’s about finding the right people and designing your program so these kids love the sport but still get the training they need.” -Alex Tsirtsis
Biography
Tsirtsis took over the program during the 2016-17 school year. Since then, he’s led the Caravan to victory. This past season, Tsirtsis has led the Caravan at Mount Carmel to another State Championship.
Tsirtsis himself was a star on the mat. He was a four time Indiana state champion with a final record of 236-0. He went on to attend the University of Iowa. As a Hawkeye, he was an All American in 2006.
Since being honored, Tsirtsis led the Caravan to the second 3A Team State Championship within the past three seasons. They knocked off Yorkville 59-6 in the finals.

Marymount

“A hard practice makes an easy game.“
— Cari Klein
Cari Klein
Marymount
Impact Statement
“A hard practice makes an easy game.“
— Cari Klein
Biography
In an illustrious year, the 2021 season may be the best for Klein, who led the all-girls school to a California Open Division championship and a MaxPreps national championship. Her team finished a perfect 35-0, losing only eight sets in the process. Klein’s squad was so dominant that VolleyballMag.com named the school its Girls High School Team of the Year.
Since taking-over at Marymount in 1998, Klein has led the school to eight state titles and 10 sectional championships. She owns over 600 career victories.
PrepVolleyball.com named her its National Coach of the Year after the 2021 season.

Records
Newbury Park High School

“You always have to reinvent and try new things.”
-Sean Brosnan on his coaching style
Sean Brosnan
Newbury Park High School
Impact Statement
“You always have to reinvent and try new things.”
-Sean Brosnan on his coaching style
Biography
In the past six years, Coach Bronsan has made Newbury Park into a national powerhouse. Bronsan began as a volunteer and slowly morphed into his program. Prior to his joining the team, Newbury Park had not qualified for the state meet in over 25 years.
The Panthers have now claimed two boys’ championships, one girls’, and the coveted Nike Cross Nationals title (boys’) over the past four seasons.
In September, his top four runners finished in the top four at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. In the process, they set a national record.
In November, his boys’ teams accomplished a feat never done before. They secured a perfect score at the Southern Section CIF finals. That same day, the girls’ team also claimed the title.
In 2019, Bronson was named the National USTFCCCA Cross Country Coach of The Year.
