Mike Goebel Selected 2022-23 National Coaches of the Year by NFHS Coaches Association

Twenty-three high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2022-23 National Coaches of the Year by the NFHS Coaches Association.

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 spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2022-23 school year.

Recipients of the 2022-23 national awards for boys sports are: Kim Nelson, baseball, Orem (Utah) Timpanogos High School; Steve Hall, basketball, Detroit (Michigan) Cass Technical High School; Joe Tribble, cross country, Atlanta (Georgia) Westminster Schools; Mike Goebel, 11-player football, Evansville (Indiana) Mater Dei High School; Tim Cram, golf, Benton (Louisiana) High School; Rey Ramirez-Alvarez, soccer, Wichita (Kansas) Maize South High School; Paul Winkeler, swimming and diving, Kansas City (Missouri) Rockhurst High School; Darby Norman, tennis, Amarillo (Texas) Randall High School; Spencer Huls, track and field, Corvallis (Montana) High School; and Klel Carson, wrestling, La Grande (Oregon) High School.

The recipients of the 2022-23 national awards for girls sports are: Jan Azar, basketball, Dacula (Georgia) Hebron Christian Academy; Charles Covington, cross country, Saltillo (Mississippi) High School; Vicky Kowalski, golf, Farmington Hills (Michigan) Mercy High School; Patricia Alexander, lacrosse, Raleigh (North Carolina) Cardinal Gibbons High School; Angie Lensing, soccer, Evansville (Indiana) Reitz Memorial High School; Kelli Smith, softball, Chattanooga (Tennessee) The Baylor School; Milton “Butch” Briggs, swimming and diving, East Grand Rapids (Michigan) High School; Donna Roisom, tennis, Portland (Oregon) Grant High School; Shaun Hardt, track and field, Queen Creek (Arizona) High School; and Jessica Burke, volleyball, Lafayette (Louisiana) St. Thomas More Catholic High School.

The recipient of the National Coach of the Year for spirit is Jennifer Marks of Raleigh (North Carolina) Cardinal Gibbons High School. Travis White, an 8-player football coach from Tipton (Oklahoma) High School, was chosen in the “Others” category for boys sports, and Gerald Harris II, girls wrestling coach at Tulsa (Oklahoma) Union High School, was chosen in the “Others” category for girls sports.

The NFHS receives nominations from its member state associations, which often work with the state coaches association in its respective state. The state association then contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).

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 spirit category, and two “other” categories.

A total of 874 coaches are being recognized this year with state, sectional, and national awards.

Following are biographical sketches of the 23 NFHS National High School Coaches of the Year for 2022-23:

COACHES OF THE YEAR – BOYS SPORTS

Football, 11-Player
Mike Goebel
Evansville, Indiana

When Vanderburgh County, Indiana, declared December 7, 2022, “Mike Goebel Day,” it was to celebrate a longtime county council member, dedicated community volunteer – and one outstanding high school football coach. That fall, Goebel had just led Evansville Mater Dei High School to the second Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 2A state championship of his coaching career, which also includes four runner-up finishes, six semi-state championships, 10 regional titles, and 17 sectional crowns, nine Evansville city championships and seven Southern Indiana Athletic Conference titles. Goebel has compiled a 263-90 record in his 27 seasons at Mater Dei and boasts a 2022 Varsity Brands “National Coach Award” and a 2023 Indiana Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame induction among his myriad of coaching awards. Goebel was also an NFHS National Coach of the Year for the Mater Dei wrestling program, which won 12 IHSAA state championships and posted a 533-14-2 record in dual meets during his 29 seasons.

Baseball
Kim Nelson
Orem, Utah

While his complete resume includes four high school sports, it’s Kim Nelson’s baseball coaching career that stands above the rest, characterized by more than 40 seasons and a combined nine state championships at two different schools. After leading the American Fork (Utah) High School baseball program to two Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) state championships over 15 seasons, Nelson moved on to Timpanogos High School in Orem, where he has now coached the past 26 seasons. In addition to winning seven more UHSAA titles, Nelson has improved his career record to 688-344 at Timpanogos, which includes a 28-7 ledger in 2023. Nelson has been named Coach of the Year 10 times by various organizations and was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame as an official in 2019. Aside from coaching baseball, Nelson coached high school golf for 22 years and has also spent time as an assistant coach for football and basketball.

Basketball
Steve Hall
Detroit, Michigan

Steve Hall completed the fourth state championship season of his high school basketball coaching career in 2022-23, as he led Detroit (Michigan) Cass Technical High School to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 1 title on the strength of a 28-1 record. Hall was also the head coach at Detroit Rogers High School from 1996 to 2005 and at Detroit Northwestern High School from 2005 to 2008 and owns a 361-103 combined record. Hall won three consecutive MHSAA Class D state championships at Rogers from 2002 to 2005, where he was also named Coach of the Year by the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Associated Press, Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and the Detroit Public School League a total of 16 times. He followed that up with five more Coach of the Year honors during his time at Detroit Northwestern and currently has 15 such awards thus far in his Cass Tech tenure.

Cross Country
Joe Tribble
Atlanta, Georgia

In 40 years as the boy’s cross country coach at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Joe Tribble has built a program unmatched in the state. Remarkably, his teams have never finished lower than third in a Georgia High School Association state championship across three classifications. Westminster has won 29 state championships under Tribble, including a winning streak of 10 from 1996 to 2005. In addition, nine of Tribble’s runners have claimed individual championships. He was named the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Class AAA Coach of the Year in 1987 and was twice named coach of the year for Section 3 by the NFHS Coaches Association in 1995 and 1996. He is also a member of The Westminster Schools Athletic Hall of Fame and the Track/Cross Country Coaches of Georgia Hall of Fame. Tribble’s love of coaching extends to the classroom where he has taught a summer course titled “Running Through History” combining sport and history lessons.

Golf
Tim Cram
Benton, Louisiana

Under the leadership of Tim Cram, the Benton (Louisiana) High School boys golf team has achieved greatness across multiple competitive divisions of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). Cram’s first state championship team reigned supreme in LHSAA Division III in 2004, which was followed by a dynastic run of six consecutive Division II state championships from 2012 to 2016 and another title in 2018. He has also guided Benton to two state runner-up finishes since the program moved up to Division I in 2021, and at the sub-state level has claimed 12 regional championships since 1998. In addition to the team-based accolades, Cram mentored individual state medalists in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 and individual state runners-up in 2013, 2021 and 2022. Cram was also an assistant coach for the Benton football team for 25 years and spent 23 seasons with the basketball program, including 14 years as head coach.

Soccer
Rey Ramirez-Alvarez
Wichita, Kansas

Rey Ramirez-Alvarez has built one of the best high school soccer programs in the state of Kansas during his 12 seasons at Maize South High School in Wichita. He has led the Mavericks to the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) state finals in six of the past seven seasons, including back-to-back KSHSAA Class 5A state titles in 2022 and 2023. Maize South was especially dominant during its two championship runs, posting a combined 41-1 record while boosting Ramirez-Alvarez’s career tally to 156-50-4. Ramirez-Alvarez was named KSHSAA Class 5A All-State Coach of the Year as a result of his teams’ undefeated 21-0 campaign in 2022 and has also been named Wichita All-Metro Coach the Year three times and All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Coach of the Year five times. In addition to coaching, Ramirez-Alvarez runs a youth soccer training program in Wichita during the summer and works as a collegiate soccer official.

Swimming & Diving
Paul Winkler
Kansas City, Missouri

The architect of the state’s winningest high school swimming and diving program, Paul Winkeler has won 14 Missouri State High School Activities Association state championships in 22 seasons as the head coach at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. After earning its first title in 2005, Rockhurst became unstoppable under Winkeler, claiming the next 10 in a row through 2014, as well as three more from 2020 to 2022. Named Coach of the Year a total of 14 times on the state and national levels, Winkeler’s teams have posted a 97-13 record in dual meets during his tenure and have won more than 150 invitationals. Winkeler has mentored 73 all-Americans, 71 academic all-Americans and 40 individual state champions, and has seen nine state records broken by swimmers under his tutelage. In addition to leading the swimming and diving program, Winkler has coached the Rockhurst hockey team for 22 seasons and the baseball team for 20 seasons.

Tennis
Darby Norman
Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo (Texas) Randall High School (RHS) tennis program had risen steadily under Darby Norman until it made history in the coach’s 15^th season when it won its first University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A team tennis state championship in the fall of 2022. The Raiders went on an undefeated 35-0 march during their title run that also earned Norman his second career Texas Tennis Coaches Association Coach of the Year award. RHS followed that up with a 28-5 campaign in 2023 that saw a return to the state tournament semifinals while improving Norman’s career coaching record to 329-68. Norman also earned his third career Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year honor as a result of the 2023 season and is a 10-time District 5-4A Coach of the Year. Norman also currently coaches members of Randall’s UIL Academic Team and has previously led RHS’ Ready Writing, Literary Criticism, and Spelling and Vocabulary teams.

Track and Field
Spencer Huls
Corvallis, Montana

Spencer Huls has led the Corvallis (Montana) High School track and field program to impressive heights in his tenure as head coach. Huls has coached the boys team for 20 years, capturing six Montana High School Association (MHSA) state championships in that time. He has also led the girls team for 15 years, leading that program to seven MHSA state titles, including six consecutive championships from 2011 to 2016. The 2023 season marked the third time in Huls’ time as a coach that both boys and girls teams won an MHSA state championship. Among his honors, Huls has been named Montana Coaches Association Coach of the Year 14 times for boys and girls and was the USA Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Girls Coach of the Year from 2013 to 2015. In addition to track and field, Huls spent three years as an assistant cross-country coach and 10 years as a football assistant coach.

Wrestling
Klel Carson
La Grande, Oregon

For 31 years, Klel Carson has led the La Grande (Oregon) High School boys wrestling program with the philosophy to “strive to teach and model for young athletes how to become champions in life, great parents and great people.” On the mat, Carson has coached 28 individual state champions and 328 state qualifiers. La Grande has won the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) team wrestling championship four times under Carson, including back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. His teams also have won the OSAA state dual-team championship three times. Carson has twice been named Oregon’s Class 4A Coach of the Year and was the state’s wrestling Coach of the Year in 2023. In 1996, Carson was inducted into the La Grande High School Hall of Fame. He also has 28 years’ experience coaching middle school football and another 15 years coaching youth baseball and softball.

COACHES OF THE YEAR – GIRLS SPORTS

Basketball
Jan Azar
Dacula, Georgia

Jan Azar measures her success as a girls basketball coach not by wins and losses, but by the success of her players after they leave her program. However, in 26 years as a head coach in Georgia at Wesleyan High School and Hebron Christian Academy, Azar has compiled an impressive win-loss record, too. She has won 688 games to just 122 losses. That includes a perfect 32-0 season a year ago at Hebron, which culminated in a Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 3A state championship. It marked the 15^th time between the two schools that Azar has led her team to a GHSA title. Her teams have also finished second six times. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has named Azar its state coach of the year 15 times, and she was the Bobby Cremins State of Georgia Girls Coach of the Year for all classifications in 2006 and 2010. Azar is also a 2012 inductee into the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame.

Cross Country
Charles Covington
Saltillo, Mississippi

Charles Covington started the cross country program at Saltillo (Mississippi) High School more than 30 years ago and built a dynasty. This past fall, he retired from coaching the boys and girls teams having led the programs to 27 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) state championships. The Saltillo girls program was especially successful, winning 19 state championships, including the past nine MHSAA Class 5A titles. The Mississippi Association of Coaches named Covington its Coach of the Year four times, and he is a six-time winner of the NFHS Coaches Association State Coach of the Year. In his time at Saltillo, Covington also coached boys and girls track, and boys and girls soccer, and continues to teach a class in ancient history.

Golf
Vicky Kowalski
Farmington Hills, Michigan

Leading the girls golf team at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Vicky Kowalski believes every athlete should have a chance to compete and grow in the sport. As she says, “no one sits the bench.” That philosophy has paid off for Kowalski, who has led the program to four Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state championships, including back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. Kowalski’s teams have also captured 20 conference titles and compiled a 220-50 record in dual-meet matches. The Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association (MIGCA) has twice named her Coach of the Year and she was inducted into the MIGCA Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2022, Kowalski was among the charter class of the Mercy Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition to golf, Kowalski has coached the Mercy bowling team for 21 years.

Lacrosse
Patricia Alexander
Raleigh, North Carolina

If not for the COVID-shortened seasons in 2020 and 2021, Patricia Alexander and the Cardinal Gibbons High School girls lacrosse program might be riding an eight-year state championship streak. Alexander led the Raleigh, North Carolina, school to four straight North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state titles from 2016 to 2019 and was 3-0 before the 2020 season was halted due to the pandemic. After going 13-1 in a short winter season in 2021, Alexander has led the team to back-to-back NCHSAA championships in 2022 and 2023. In just 13 seasons as head coach, Alexander has a win-loss record of 197-39. She was honored with the NCHSAA Doris Howard Female Coach of the Year in 2019 and is an eight-time Conference Coach of the Year. She is also active in the local community leading the Cardinal Gibbons Youth Lacrosse Camp and the North Carolina Lacrosse Academy’s recreation program

Soccer
Angie Lensing
Evansville, Indiana

With Angie Lensing at the helm of the Evansville (Indiana) Reitz Memorial High School girls soccer program, there’s a good chance the team is going to advance deep in the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) state tournament each year. In her 24 years as head coach, Lensing has led Reitz to 17 sectional championships, 13 regional championships and five state titles. In 2022, Lensing led the team to an undefeated 22-0-1 record, placing Reitz’s squad as one of the best teams in the country that year. Lensing has been named State Coach of the Year twice by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association (ISCA) and earned District Coach of the Year honors six times. In 2015, the ISCA honored Lensing with the Above and Beyond Award, and she was named Metro Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022. The former standout athlete at the University of Evansville was inducted into the Purple Aces Hall of Fame in 2009.

Softball
Kelli Smith
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Kelli Smith has been girls softball coach at her alma mater, The Baylor School in Chattanooga, since 2003 and has compiled an outstanding 622-144 record, including a 244-30 record the past 10 years. She has led her teams to 14 state championships, including eight consecutive titles and 11 in the past 12 years. The Baylor girls softball team was ranked in the top 25 nationally by USA Today in 2013, and has been recognized by Max Preps multiple times as the best team in the state of Tennessee. In addition to success on the field, Smith’s teams have received the A.F. Bridges Sportsmanship Award from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association on three occasions. Smith has been named Coach of the Year by the Chattanooga Times-Free Press three times and was inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Hall of Fame in 2022. Smith serves on the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association Board and the TSSAA Softball Advisory Committee.

Swimming & Diving
Milton “Butch” Briggs
East Grand Rapids, Michigan

Milton “Butch” Briggs is in his 49^th season as the girls swimming coach at East Grand Rapids (Michigan) High School. He has led his teams to 32 conference titles and 25 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state championships, and he has compiled a career record of 522-65-1. He also coached for East Grand Rapids boys teams for a number of years and claimed 12 MHSAA state championships. Briggs has been honored on many occasions, including Michigan Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Coach of the Year 22 times between the girls and boys programs. He also was Michigan High School Coaches Association State Coach of the Year six times and NFHS State Coach of the Year four times. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011, and he has served in all leadership positions with the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association.

Tennis
Donna Roisom
Portland, Oregon

Donna Roisom has been coaching high school tennis in the Portland, Oregon, area for 36 years. Currently the coach at Grant High School in Portland, Roisom previously coached at St. Mary’s Academy, Catlin Gabel School and Valley Catholic High School. She played tennis at Portland Franklin High School and Lewis & Clark College before beginning her career in education. Roisom posted a 280-122 record at Valley Catholic, and overall in 36 years she has had a singles player or doubles team qualify for state every year except for four years. Roisom has been district coach of the year for girls once and four times for the boys team. In 2017, she was selected Northwest Girls Tennis Coach of the Year by the NFHS, and she was Girls State Tennis Coach of the Year in 2018. In 2019, she became the 13th recipient of the Lewis and Clark Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement and Leadership Award for involvement in tennis as a player and coach. In 1990, Roisom received her “most meaningful award” when her team received the sportsmanship award voted on by opposing coaches.

Girls Track and Field
Shaun Hardt
Queen Creek, Arizona

Shaun Hardt has coached more than 240 meets in 21 years as head coach at Queen Creek (Arizona) High School and has finished in the top three in meets 95 percent of the time during his career. He also serves as boys track and field and cross country coach and has also been boys and girls basketball coach and head football coach. Hardt’s teams have won 120 invitationals and finished second 73 times. He has led Queen Creek girls track teams to one second-place finish and the boys teams to three state runner-ups and three third-place finishes. Hardt was the 3A East Region Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 2001 and the 4A Division 2 Cross Country Region Coach of the Year in 2009. He has been the Queen Creek USD Coach of the Year 12 times. Hardt said, “Athletics is not just about competition and winning but a journey that shapes one’s character, fostering qualities that extend well beyond the playing field, and empowering individuals to become better versions of themselves.”

Girls Volleyball
Jessica Burke
Lafayette, Louisiana

Jessica Burke led the St. Thomas More Catholic High School girls volleyball team to its ninth Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) state championship – and third consecutive – this past November. In 14 years as volleyball coach at St. Thomas More, Burke has compiled a 492-109 record (34-5 last year), which includes the nine LHSAA state titles. Her best season was a 44-1 mark in 2015. Burke has been selected Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year seven times and District Coach of the Year 10 times. Off the court, Burke had attended mission trips to Puerto Rico with St. Thomas More and serves as the strength coach for female athletes. Burke said she does her “best to instill a ‘championship mentality’ with my teams that comes with a disciplined approach to life, showing up and working hard even if you receive zero recognition for doing so. Doing the hard things daily even on the days where you may not feel like it, or not giving up when the typical person would.”

COACHES OF THE YEAR – OTHER SPORTS

Girls Spirit
Jennifer Marks
Raleigh, North Carolina

Jennifer Marks has been the head cheer coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, for 27 years and has led her teams to 23 state titles and four Carolina Cup championships. Cardinal Gibbons was 2022 North Carolina High School Athletic Association Super Large Varsity state champions, and 2023 North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association state champions. She also has claimed three CheerSport national titles and has three top five finishes at the UCA nationals. Marks was named Coach of the Year by the North Carolina Cheer Association in 2008 and 2022. Marks’ teams have been involved in numerous community projects over the years, including the Oxford Children’s Home of North Carolina and Feed the Need program. Marks’ coaching philosophy is centered around love, respect and discipline, and she reminds her athletes that “the point of a coach is to get an athlete to do something they never imagined they could do and/or something they could never do on their own.”

Boys Other – 8-Player Football
Travis White
Tipton, Oklahoma

In just nine years as Tipton (Oklahoma) High School’s eight-player football coach, Travis White has rapidly compiled an impressive resume, winning five Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) state championships. Tipton has not lost a game in the past two seasons, capping each with a state title and a perfect 14-0 record. Overall, White has won 107 games and lost only 21 in his time as head coach. Prior to becoming head coach, White was the defensive coordinator helping lead the team to a state championship and two other finals appearances. He was the OSSAA Class C Coach of the Year on four occasions and was the Assistant Coach of the year once. Outside of football, White currently serves as the principal of both the high school and middle school and led the Tipton boys basketball team to the state tournament in 2013.

Girls Other – Wrestling
Gerald Harris II
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Gerald Harris is off to an amazing start as a girls wrestling coach in Oklahoma. He has coached the winning team in the first three sanctioned Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Girls Wrestling State Championships – the first one at Broken Arrow High School and the last two years at Union High School in Tulsa. Including his boys state titles at Collinsville High School in 2019 and 2020, Harris has won state wrestling titles in five consecutive years. He has won numerous coaching awards, including Oklahoma Coaches Association, Oklahoma Women’s Coaches Association and OSSAA Coach of the Year in 2023. Harris is executive director of “Wrestle for Equality,” a non-for-profit for girls wrestling and financial assistance, and the Oklahoma representative for “Wrestle Like a Girl,” which seeks to empower girls and women through opportunities in female wrestling. Harris said he stresses the “importance of the classroom first, because without academics you have nothing regardless of how talented you are. I want that same mentality to carry them through life, keeping their priorities in order and making the world a better place with their presence.”