11/17/25 – KHSAA Awards 2024-25 NFHS State Coaches of the Year

November 17, 2025 2025-2026 News Releases

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 17, 2025

As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, particularly for the season in question, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.

The complete list of 2024-25 honorees from Kentucky is below.

• Baseball: Zack Hobbs, McCracken County
• Boys’ Basketball: Steve Page, Great Crossing
• Boys’ Cross Country: Caleb Joy, Lafayette
• Football: Chad Pennington, Sayre
• Boys’ Golf: Pat Heitz, Trinity (Louisville)
• Boys’ Soccer: Chad Wozniak, Louisville Collegiate
• Boys’ Swimming & Diving: EJ Quijano, Henry Clay
• Boys’ Tennis: Britt Chandler, Paul Laurence Dunbar
• Boys’ Outdoor Track & Field: Chaz Jarboe, Williamsburg
• Boys’ Wrestling: Seth Lucas, Boyle County
• Girls’ Basketball: Robbie Graham, George Rogers Clark
• Girls’ Cross Country: Drew Perraut, Bourbon County
• Girls’ Golf: Matthew Soale, Lexington Christian
• Girls’ Lacrosse: Patrick McAnulty, Kentucky Country Day
• Girls’ Soccer: Shaun Francis, Sacred Heart
• Softball: Sam Sparks, Lawrence County
• Girls’ Swimming & Diving: Conrhod Zonio, West Jessamine
• Girls’ Tennis: Brittany Buckner, duPont Manual
• Girls’ Outdoor Track & Field: Grant Karnes, Green County
• Girls’ Volleyball: Andrea Sullivan, Scott
• Boys’ Archery: James Jones, Butler County
• Boys’ Bass Fishing: Shawn Pierce, Casey County
• Boys’ Bowling: Gary Wagner, Covington Catholic
• Esports: Jordan Woosley, duPont Manual
• Boys’ Lacrosse: Pete Schroeder, Trinity (Louisville)
• Boys’ Volleyball: Josh Mullin, St. Xavier
• Girls’ Archery: Jeff Fryman, Harrison County
• Girls’ Bass Fishing: Cory Jones, Boyle County
• Girls’ Bowling: Ken Rowan, duPont Manual
• Field Hockey: Patrick McAnulty, Kentucky Country Day
• Girls’ Wrestling: William Green, Lafayette
• Cheer: Jennifer McKenzie, McCracken County
• Dance: Ashley Wrobleski, Highlands
• Adapted/Allied/Unified: Michelle Knouse, Lincoln County

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls’ sports and top 10 boys’ sports by participation numbers and in two “other” sports – one for boys and one for girls – that are not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a cheer coach and a dance coach as separate spirit award categories, as well as an Adapted/Allied/Unified coach. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their awards.

The next award level after state Coach of the Year is Sectional Coach of the Year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections: Section 1 – Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont); Section 2 – Mideast (Delaware; Kentucky; Maryland; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; West Virginia); Section 3 – South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee); Section 4 – Central (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin); Section 5 – Midwest (Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota); Section 6 – Southwest (Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas); Section 7 – West (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah); and Section 8 – Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming).

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the two spirit categories, the Adapted/Allied/Unified category and two “other” categories.

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 290 member schools, both public and non-public. The KHSAA awards 229 state championships to 59 teams and 178 individuals in 13 sports and six sport-activities, funds catastrophic insurance coverage for its more than 109,000 rostered member school student-athletes, provides coaching education and sports safety programs for more than 12,000 coaches and licenses and facilitates the distribution of training material for over 4,000 contest officials.

 

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