Gunter

Gunter.city - Small town. Big heart.

Back to Sport

Five DFW Coaches Named to MaxPreps National Top 100 Coaching List

MaxPreps named five Dallas-Fort Worth high school coaches to its High School Coaching 100 list for the 2025-26 school year, recognizing them among the nation's elite across all sports.

Zane Whitlock

July 7, 20262 min read

trophy and podium - illustration, Jake Team LLC
trophy and podium - illustration, Jake Team LLC

MaxPreps named five Dallas-Fort Worth high school coaches to its High School Coaching 100 list for the 2025-26 school year, recognizing them among the nation's elite across all sports.

Jerry Best, Allen's boys wrestling coach since 2002, earned the honor after winning his 16th state championship in 2026 — extending a dynasty that includes a 14-year consecutive title streak from 2010 to 2023, the longest in UIL history for any sport. A three-time NCAA Division II national champion at the University of Central Oklahoma and NCAA DII Hall of Famer, Best holds a 319-77 dual record and has produced 72 individual state champions.

Trent Kutch of Walnut Grove in Prosper made the list after leading his boys soccer team to back-to-back undefeated Class 5A Division I state championships — the first program in UIL boys soccer history to submit consecutive unbeaten title runs. His squad went 56-0-2 over two seasons, including a perfect 31-0 campaign in 2026 that made Walnut Grove only the third boys team in state history to win a championship with at least 30 wins and zero losses.

Highland Park volleyball coach Michael Dearman was named MaxPreps National Coach of the Year in volleyball after winning the school's first-ever state title in the sport, a Class 5A Division I championship that capped a 43-8 season and a 21-match winning streak. Dearman, who has over 900 career wins in more than 20 years at Highland Park, reached the state final 17 years after his first appearance in 2008.

Duncanville football coach Reginald Samples, the winningest Black head football coach in UIL history with a 363-90-1 career record, was recognized after leading the Panthers to the Class 6A Division I state final for the sixth time in eight years. Samples, who has won two state titles (2022 and 2023) and reached at least the state semifinals in each of the last eight seasons, announced in February he would return for the 2026 season rather than retire.

Jason Todd of South Oak Cliff rounded out the DFW honorees after winning his third Class 5A Division II state championship in five years, beating Richmond Randle 35-19 to cap a 15-1 season. Todd, who has guided the Golden Bears to five consecutive state title game appearances since 2021, was the first Black head coach to win three UIL state football titles. His 2021 championship was Dallas ISD's first state football title since 1958.

The MaxPreps list, compiled by journalist Kevin Askeland and published June 26, recognized coaches who demonstrated exceptional success, sustained excellence, and noteworthy achievements during the 2025-26 school year. Eleven Texas coaches made the cut, with five from the Metroplex leading the state.

Sources: MaxPreps (maxpreps.com), Star Local Media (starlocalmedia.com), Dallas Morning News.

Share

Zane Whitlock

Zane Whitlock reports on local business, new openings, and economic development in Prosper.

Related Stories

More in Weather