North Shore's John Kay hasn't been a head coach for very long, but it isn't hard to argue that he's the best high school football coach in Texas right now. After all, he's won three state championships in the past five seasons and has been ranked among the top teams in the nation. He's a perfect example of the type of coach you'll find on our list of the of top high school football coach in every state.
Our choices for the best coach don't necessarily feature the coaches with the most all-time wins or the longest tenure, although some of them do fit that criteria. Instead, we look at the coaches who have been among the state leaders in championships and wins over the past 5-10 seasons. We're looking for the top coach right now.
Kay is one of those coaches, fitting the bill in Texas. Here's a look at the other top coaches from around the nation.
Jason Negro, St. John Bosco
File photo by Todd Shurtleff
Alabama
Josh Niblett, Hoover
Since taking over for Rush Probst in 2008, Niblett has led Hoover to a 148-23 record with six state championships. In 21 years at three different schools, Niblett is 213-55 with seven state titles.
Alaska
Galen Brantley Jr., Soldotna
Few high school coaches in history can match the record Brantley has put together in his first 13 seasons as he boasts at 125-6 record with 12 state championships and a state record 59 consecutive wins.
Arizona
Jason Mohns, Saguaro (Scottsdale)
Since being hired at the start of the 2013 season, Mohns is 97-12 along with six consecutive state championships between 2013 and 2018.
Arkansas
Kevin Kelley, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock)
Known as the coach who never punts and always uses onside kicks, Kelley is much more than a coaching anomaly. He has a record of 203-29-1, has produced four national passing leaders in his 17 seasons at Pulaski Academy and has led the program to 11 state championship games and eight state titles, including one in 2019.
California
Jason Negro, St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
In the past seven seasons, Negro and the Braves are 92-9 and have been ranked in the top four in the nation in six of those season with a pair of national No. 1 rankings by MaxPreps.
Colorado
Dave Logan, Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village)
The former All-American from Wheat Ridge who went on to an NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, Logan was a longtime coach at Mullen. Since 2012, Logan has been at Cherry Creek and led the team to state titles in 2014 and 2019. He has a record of 282-65 with eight state championships to his credit.
Connecticut
Thomas Brockett, Ansonia
With a career record of 170-13, Brockett's .929 winning percentage is easily the best in state history. He has also won five state championships, the last coming in 2016.
Delaware
Michael Judy, Smyrna
Smyrna won three straight state championships under Judy from 2015 to 2017, posting a 34-3 mark. Smyrna also went to the state semifinals in 2019.
District of Columbia
Randy Trivers, Gonzaga
Trivers is 46-14 over the past five seasons while leading Gonzaga to back-to-back DCSAA championships.
Florida
Bill Castle, Lakeland
The winningest active coach in Florida, Castle is still going strong in his 44th year as the Dreadnaughts went 12-1 last year. He's won 445 games with 91 losses and seven state championships.
Georgia
John Reid, Rome
Reid has emerged as one of the state's top coaches after leading Rome to back-to-back state championships in 2016 and 2017 and posting a 58-10 record in five seasons. Reid is 175-54 in his career which includes two state championships at Alcoa (Tenn.)
Hawaii
Rod York, Mililani
The head coach since 2010, York led the Trojans to the state championship in 2014 and 2016 and a runner-up finish in 2018. Mililani is 36-13 over the past five seasons under York.
Idaho
Shawn Amos, Coeur d'Alene
In 23 seasons , Amos has led the team to seven state championship appearances and three state titles. He led the team to the state title game in 2019, losing by one point, 57-56, to Rigby. His record is 155-84, but 94-28 in the past 11 seasons.
Illinois
Troy McAllister, Phillips (Chicago)
McAllister has led Phillips, a public school in Chicago, to a 78-13 record since 2014 with a pair of 14-0 state championship seasons. He is the first coach to ever lead a Chicago Public League to a state championship.
Indiana
Kyle Ralph, New Palestine
Ralph has created an emerging dynasty at New Palestine, posting an 88-4 record in seven seasons with back-to-back 14-0 seasons and three state championships.
Iowa
Tom Wilson, Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines)
Winner of seven straight state championships, Wilson has posted a record of 163-23 while at Dowling and has 253 wins in his career.
Kansas
Brandon Clark, Derby
Winner of 26 straight games heading into the 2020 season, Clark's Derby team has won four of the past five Class 6A state championships in Kansas. He's 140-36 in his career, but 93-8 since 2012.
Kentucky
Eddie Eviston, Covington Catholic (Park Hills)
Since being hired in 2015, Eviston has led Covington Catholic to the school's only undefeated seasons, going 15-0 in 2017 and 15-0 in 2019. The team also went 14-1 in 2018 and he has a 58-13 record in his five seasons.
Louisiana
John T. Curtis, John Curtis Christian (River Ridge)
Hard to argue with the second-winningest high school coach of all-time. Curtis has 27 state championships in his 51 years with a 592-66-6 record.
John T. Curtis, John Curtis Christian
File photo by Roddy Johnson
Tim Roche, Wells
Besides being the head coach at Wells, he's also on the town's Board of Selectmen, winning re-election in July. Roche led Wells to three straight state championships between 2016-2018.
Maryland
Henry Russell, St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
In four seasons, Russell has helped lead St. Frances to the upper echelon of the top teams in the nation. After finishing No. 2,862 in the nation in the MaxPreps computer rankings in 2015, St. Frances has finished Nos. 4, 5 and 3 the past three seasons. Russell has gone 44-3 in those four years.
Massachusetts
Brian St. Pierre, St. John's Prep (Danvers)
A former NFL quarterback, St. Pierre has coached St. John's Prep since 2014. The team is 49-19 during his tenure with back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019.
Michigan
Todd Kolster, Catholic Central (Grand Rapids)
The Cougars have won four state championships in the past decade, all of them under Kolster. Catholic Central is 51-4 in the past four seasons.
Minnesota
Carl Fruechte, Caledonia
Fruechte has the third-best winning percentage in Minnesota history with a record of 169-31. His team has the longest active win streak in the nation at 67 and five state championships.
Mississippi
Chris Chambless, West Point
Chambless has had an impressive run over the past four seasons, winning four straight state championships and posting a 58-3 record. Overall, he's 163-33 in 15 years with six state titles.
Missouri
John Roderique, Webb City
Roderique has one of the more remarkable coaching records in the nation at 291-26 since 1997. He has also won 12 state championships, his latest in 2019.
Montana
Trevor Utter, Lincoln County (Eureka)
Utter has created a Class B powerhouse in Montana, leading Lincoln County to three state titles in four seasons since 2016. Lincoln County became the second Class B school in state history to win three titles in four seasons.
Nebraska
Matt Turman, Skutt Catholic (Omaha)
Turman has a 154-45 record since 2002. He's led Skutt to five state championships, including undefeated seasons in 2018 and 2019 with a 26-game win streak.
Nevada
Richard Muraco, Liberty (Henderson)
Muraco and Liberty put an end to Bishop Gorman's stranglehold on the 4A state championship with a win in 2019. Under Muraco, Liberty is 112-33 in 11 seasons with nine regional championships.
New Hampshire
Chris Sanborn, Plymouth
Replacing a legend in coach Chuck Lenahan, who had 20 state championships in 43 years, Sanborn has added to the total with three and a 53-14 record since taking over in 2014.
New Jersey
Drew Gibbs, Ramapo (Franklin Lakes)
Coaching at Ramapo since 2001, Gibbs has led the team to seven state championships and back-to-back 13-0 championship teams in 2018 and 2019. He has 167 wins while at Ramapo.
New Mexico
Heath Ridenour, Cleveland (Rio Rancho)
After working as the offensive coordinator on Cleveland's 2011 state championship team, Ridenour moved up to head coach in 2012. He's led Cleveland to two more state titles, including one in 2019.
New York
Dave Ettinger, Garden City
Ettinger began coaching at Garden City in 2015 and was able to put together a 42-game win streak that ended in 2019. He's won three Long Island Division II championships with a record of 56-3.
North Carolina
Reggie Lucas, Wake Forest
Lucas has posted an incredible record in 11 seasons at Wake Forest, going 143-17 with three straight state championships between 2016-18 and 45 consecutive wins.
North Dakota
Ron Wingenbach, Century (Bismarck)
Wingenbach has won 199 games at Century in 29 seasons, but his best seasons have been his last five when he's led the team to a 51-8 record with three state championships.
Ohio
Jay Sharrett, Pickerington Central (Pickerington)
The Tigers have won two of the past three Division I state championships in Ohio and Sharrett has lifted his record to 208-39, according to the Columbus This Week News.
Oklahoma
Brett Bogert, Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City)
Bogert has kept up the winning tradition set by his father Andy, who retired in 2014. Brett Bogert has gone 64-3 in five seasons with a pair of state championships.
Oregon
Ken Potter, Jesuit (Portland)
Heading into the 2020 season, Potter could become the state's second all-time winningest coach. With 323 career wins and four state championships, Potter can move ahead of Thurman Bell, who retired in 2015 with 332 wins.
Pennsylvania
Jim Roth, Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa)
Roth's last three seasons at Southern Columbia Area have been three of his best as he has gone 48-0 with three state championships. He ranks as the No. 11 coach in high school history with 444 wins and just 63 losses. He's won a state record 10 state championships.
Rhode Island
Keith Croft, Bishop Hendricken (Warwick)
Hendricken has dominated Rhode Island football over the past decade, Croft has led his team to state titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
South Carolina
Tom Knotts, Dutch Fork (Irmo)
With a 430-64 all-time record, Knotts' .870 winning percentage is one of the best in national history. He's won 12 state championships, including an active streak of four in a row. He's 55-1-1 the past five seasons.
South Dakota
Max Hodgen, Madison
Hodgen is credited with turning Madison around from a perennial loser to a state powerhouse. Madison reached the state Class A finals five years in a row with three straight championships between 2015 and 2017.
Tennessee
Gary Rankin, Alcoa
No Tennessee coach has more wins than Rankin, who is 439-76 in 38 seasons. He's won 15 state championships including an active streak of five in a row.
Texas
John Kay, North Shore (Houston)
The top coach right now doesn't have a long, coaching pedigree. In fact he's only been a head coach for six seasons. But they've been six very impressive seasons. He's postedt a 73-15 record that includes three state championships, including back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. His three titles already rank him tied for No. 16 among coaches in state history for most state championships.
John Kay, North Shore
File photo by Maria Lysaker
Eric Kjar, Corner Canyon (Draper)
Kjar has only coached at Corner Canyon for three seasons, but they have been impressive ones. In posting a 37-1 record with two state championships, Kjar's only loss was a 34-33 loss in the state semifinals in his first season. His team carries a 26-game win streak into the 2020 season.
Vermont
Richard Alercio, St. Johnsbury Academy (St. Johnsbury)
Alercio has turned St. Johnsbury into a powerhouse over the past seven seasons, going 53-19 with four Division I championships. Prior to Alercio taking over, the school had not won a state title in over two decades.
Virginia
Loren Johnson, Highland Springs
After posing a 46-17 record in his first six seasons, Johnson has gone 79-5 in the past six years for a career record of 125-22. He led the team to four straight state titles between 2015 and 2018.
Washington
Monte Kohler, O'Dea (Seattle)
Along with being the state's winningest active coach with 347 wins in 35 years, Kohler has also led O'Dea to four straight state championship games with a state title in 2017.
West Virginia
Mike Young, Wheeling Central Catholic (Wheeling)
In 15 years at Wheeling Central, Young has won eight Class A state championships, including the last three in a row. He has a record of 150-43 at the school.
Wisconsin
Steve Jones, Kimberly
At one point, Jones had nearly 90 wins and just four losses on his coaching record after winning 70 games in a row. Jones has a 112-7 record since 2011 with five state championships.
Wyoming
Todd Dayton, Cokeville
Few coaches have won more state championships than Dayton, who has made Cokeville the team to beat in the small school ranks in Wyoming. In his 40 years, Dayton has a 334-64 record with 20 state championships.
