In 2008,
Highland Park (Dallas, Texas) played for the Class 4A state title. The Scots lost in four sets to
Hereford but fourth-year coach Michael Dearman thought he would be back in the final soon enough.
Seventeen years and more than 900 wins later, Dearman brought the Scots back to the state championship. This time Highland Park seized the moment and grabbed the Conference 5A Division 1 title, the school's first.
For his efforts and perseverance, Dearman has been named the 2025 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year.
"When
Allie Hudgins hit that final kill on the back line it certainly was joy, but a lot of relief too," Dearman said. "Thank you to MaxPreps for this honor. It's incredible and I'm humble and grateful to a lot of people in the same way I feel after we won the state championship."
It's been a banner year for the longtime coach who, in addition to the state title, welcomed his second grandchild on the same day he was told of being named MaxPreps National Coach of the Year.
The fact it took nearly two decades to not only return to a state final, but get over the hump is a testament to culture-building in addition to a talented and deep team that had to battle injuries and adversity along the way.
"We felt positive coming into the season and not just because of the talent," Dearman said. "But we've had talent in the past, but this just felt different."
He said a change to servant-driven leadership in the offseason helped shape a culture that allowed the Scots to withstand a barrage of injuries and lineup changes in the middle of the season.
Hudgins missed time with a concussion and MaxPreps All-American
Sarah Floyd was sidelined with a leg injury. That forced players to shift roles and positions while All-American libero
Gigi Whann remained an anchor on the back row.
"We knew we were super deep and everyone really stepped up and into their roles," Dearman said. "Then toward the end of October everyone got healthy at the right time. Everything to that point galvanized us."
After going undefeated in district, the Scots rolled through the first three rounds of the bracket before sweeping
McKinney North (McKinney) in the regional semifinals to exorcise 2024's postseason exit. Highland Park then swept
Aledo and
A&M Consolidated (College Station) to hoist the trophy and earn Dearman a water bottle shower.
"When I finally got back to the locker room, they were there with bottles full of water and ice and I let them do it (soak me)," he said. "It was a very sweet thing for them to express how happy they were for me."
And Dearman hopes returning to a state final doesn't take quite as long.
"We're returning a lot of talent and we feel good because everyone understand what it took to be successful," he said. "It's not as easy as rinse and repeat."
Past MaxPreps National Coach of the Year winners2008 — Pat McDougall,
La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)2009 — Bret Almazan-Cezar,
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)2010 — Ryan Mitchell,
Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas)2011 — Mike Estes,
East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.)2012 — Zach Young,
Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.)2013 — Tricia Plummer,
Granite Bay (Calif.)2014 — Susan Odenbaugh,
Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Colo.)2015 — Jean Kesterson,
Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.)2016 — Andrew Soloman,
Penfield (N.Y.)2017 — Suzanne Fitzgerald,
Walton (Marietta, Ga.)2018 — Ron Kordes,
Assumption (Louisville, Ky.)2019 — Brennan Dean,
Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.)2020 — None (pandemic)
2021 — Cari Klein,
Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.)2022 — Renee Saunders,
Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.)2023 — Morgan Rogers,
Grand Oaks (Spring, Texas)2024 — Jordan Vidovic,
Marist (Chicago, Ill.)
