The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recently recognized Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named State Coaches of the Year then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors.
Winners are selected based on their accomplishments throughout the season, as well as their contributions outside of competition. Two coaches from Northern Kentucky were honored, showcasing both of these qualities and representing the area well.
Simon Kenton’s Jeff Stowers, who serves as the girls basketball coach for the Lady Pioneers was among those recognized. Stowers resumed his role as head coach in 2024, taking over for his son, Brendan Stowers. Jeff began his coaching career at Simon Kenton back in 2002, and it’s been a legacy ever since, including multiple district and regional championships that have a safe home in Independence.
As the start of the girls basketball season approaches, Simon Kenton looks to have another strong season. With key players returning, the Pioneers will look to capture another district and regional championship and make another run to the Final Four, doing so last season for the first time in program history.
Another coach to highlight is Highlands girls’ soccer coach Kelsey Etherton. A former Highlands soccer player, Etherton took over the head coaching position in 2024 after previously serving as an assistant coach. Highlands has enjoyed the success under Etherton, including back-to-back regional titles and a KHSAA state runner-up in 2025.
Highlands girls soccer continues to be the model of consistency in NKY, posting a 14-7-1 record as the season winds down and the regional tournament gets underway.
The full NFHS Coach of the Year list in every sport in the state can be found here
From the NFHS:
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 2025-26 honorees from Kentucky is below.
- Baseball: Heath Hicks, Apollo
- Boys’ Basketball: David Levitch, North Oldham
- Boys’ Cross Country: Sydney Goetz, Louisville Collegiate
- Football: DeMarcus Ganaway, Owensboro
- Boys’ Golf: Chris Gregory, McCracken County
- Boys’ Soccer: John Cantrell, South Oldham
- Boys’ Swimming & Diving: Mike Heuke, Eastern
- Boys’ Tennis: Brandon Haines, Owensboro Catholic
- Boys’ Outdoor Track & Field: Cory Gibson, Male
- Boys’ Wrestling: Josh Ashbrook, Harrison County
- Girls’ Basketball: Jeff Stowers, Simon Kenton
- Girls’ Cross Country: Marcus Abel, LaRue County
- Girls’ Golf: Jonas Billingsley, Daviess County
- Girls’ Lacrosse: Kaylin Morissette, Sacred Heart
- Girls’ Soccer: Kelsey Etherton, Highlands
- Softball: Kelly Reynolds, South Warren
- Girls’ Swimming & Diving: Charles Edmiston, Sacred Heart
- Girls’ Tennis: Christopher Adkisson, Pulaski County
- Girls’ Outdoor Track & Field: Gary Wicker, Calloway County
- Girls’ Volleyball: Keith Carver, Bowling Green
- Boys’ Archery: Greg Shoulders, Meade County
- Boys’ Bass Fishing: Scott Schrock, Trigg County
- Boys’ Bowling: Jimmy Carroll, Daviess County
- Esports: Noah Wright, Great Crossing
- Boys’ Lacrosse: Kevin Doherty, St. Xavier
- Boys’ Volleyball: Missy Marsh, West Jessamine
- Girls’ Archery: Chris Guill, Webster County
- Girls’ Bass Fishing: John Vice, Montgomery County
- Girls’ Bowling: Julie Nichelson, Pleasure Ridge Park
- Field Hockey: Eleanor Mitchell, Sacred Heart
- Girls’ Wrestling: Seth Lucas, Boyle County
- Cheer: Morgan Saylor, Bullitt East
- Dance: Wheeler Hughes, McCracken County
- Adapted/Allied/Unified: Earl Truman, Meade 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.
