INDIANAPOLIS — Twenty-four high school coaches nationwide have been selected as 2023-24 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 and an Adapted/Allied/Unified coach in separate award categories. 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 2023-24 school year.
Maurice Atwood, head coach of the Eastern Guilford men’s wrestling team, was named the NFHS Coach of the Year for men’s wrestling in 2023-24.
Maurice Atwood
Gibsonville, North Carolina
Eastern Guilford High School Boys Wrestling Coach Maurice Atwood focuses on the fundamentals as he leads his athletes, who are socioeconomically challenged and come into the program as freshmen without prior wrestling experience. The foundation that Atwood instills has led to many of his former athletes becoming successful coaches, including eight current high school or club coaches. The 2024 season was especially successful for Atwood as Eastern Guilford won its first North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Class 3A Dual-meet State Championship. The Wildcats finished the season 48-0. In 24 years of coaching, Atwood has 865 dual-meet wins with 12 team state titles and guided his wrestlers to 39 individual championships. Atwood has been named North Carolina Mat News Wrestling Coach of the Year 10 times and was the NCHSAA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2014.
The NFHS Coach of the Year nominations are based on the North Carolina Coaches of the Year. The 2023-24 North Carolina Coaches of the Year are listed below.
| Sport | School | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Volleyball | Middle Creek | Jodi Scoggins |
| Men’s Basketball | South Central | William Nicholson |
| Women’s Cross Country | Swain County | BJ Ledford |
| Men’s Cross Country | Lejeune | Bradley Helsel |
| Women’s Tennis | Lake Norman Charter | Kim Schild |
| Men’s Soccer | First Flight | Juan Ramirez |
| Football | Mount Airy | J.K. Adkins |
| Spirit | Weddington | Angie McDuffie |
| Men’s Wrestling | Eastern Guilford | Maurice Atwood |
| Women’s Wrestling | Lumberton | James Bell |
| Women’s Indoor Track | Swain County | Keith Payne |
| Men’s Basketball | Mount Tabor | Christopher Page |
| Women’s Swim | Lake Norman Charter | Stewart Isaacs |
| Men’s Swim | Raleigh Charter | Jacob Cole |
| Women’s Basketball | Cherokee | Ann Gardner |
| Men’s Basketball | North Meck | Duane Lewis |
| Men’s Golf | Terry Sanford | Jeff Morehead |
| Men’s Track & Field | Mallard Creek | Samuel Willoughby |
| Women’s Track & Field | Swain County | Ian Roper |
| Men’s Tennis | Franklin Academy | Greggory Duffy |
| Women’s Soccer | Jacksonville | Amanda Pelch |
| Men’s Lacrosse | Green Level | Kyle Sopko |
| Women’s Lacrosse | Union Pines | Dan Proud |
| Baseball | Greene Central | Benjamin Brann |
| Softball | Garner | Danny Barbour |
