Too often, high school coaches bear the burden of losses and rarely get the headlines in wins.
Following a banner 2025-2026 high school season of district, regional and state titles on the Emerald Coast, we’re here to celebrate more than a few of them with our annual Coach of the Year poll presented by Florida Power & Light.
Voting will run through noon Saturday, so vote now and vote often for who you think deserves the top honor.
Meaghan Allen, South Walton volleyball: Eight years after helping lead Choctaw to a state title, Allen was back in the Final 4 with her Seahawks. Fittingly, it came at the expense of a familiar opponent in Bishop Kenny, which had beaten South Walton four straight times in the postseason. A true players coach, Allen fostered an environment where players bonded on and off the court on its way to a 21-8 run.
Jim Bay, Choctaw flag football: It’s rare that an area program makes region titles look routine, but the Big Green have done just that. Bay’s crew went 17-4, shut out crosstown rival Fort Walton Beach for the district title and coasted to a fifth straight region championship before ultimately falling to Robinson, which celebrated a 10th straight state title. If not for the Knights, the godfather of flag football in the Panhandle and his Big Green would have multiple state titles.
Frank Beasley, Choctaw football: Four years after inheriting a program coming off a winless season, the Choctaw alumnus had the Big Green in the Final 4 in 2025 for the first time since 2014. Three straight region title defeats were channeled in a 31-28 region title win at St. Augustine, and the Big Green ultimately finished 12-2 after running into two-time defending champ American Heritage. Not only did Choctaw hoist district and regional hardware, the Big Green ended Niceville’s 13-game win streak and expanded their win streak over crosstown rival Fort Walton Beach to five.
Nick Borthwick, South Walton baseball: Entering the Final 4 after back-to-back heartbreakers in the state championship, Borthwick made all the right moves in Fort Myers. In a rematch with Miami Springs, he handed the ball to his son, Coleman, in a 6-2 win where the 6-foot-6 first-round draft prospect struck out 11 and limited seven hits to just one run. He trusted Parker Granse first in a six-out save in the state semifinals, and then with the winning run on base in the state championship against North Broward Prep. And, with the bases loaded in the seventh inning in that championship, he put on the suicide squeeze that Hudson Quinn executed perfectly to deliver the Seahawks a 6-5 win and the area’s first baseball state title. This title was a long time coming for Borthwick and Co.
Kelly Fernandez, Niceville girls soccer: The 19-2-1 run to the state finals generated some of the best soccer the area’s ever seen, and Fernandez was the face of it. Promoting a family environment while fine-tuning the technical skills that allowed Niceville to outscore foes 15-1 in the playoffs, Fernandez and her husband, Jose, never allowed the Eagles to be outmatched on the pitch. Unfortunately the Eagles’ run ended in controversial fashion, their lone goal of the playoffs coming on a wind-aided ball that snuck over an impeded Eden Shaw.
Danny Hensley, Niceville baseball: No area coach has gotten their team to the state title game seven times, and Hensley deserves the lion’s share of the credit for building a culture that never rebuilds but instead reloads. Propelled by Chloe Bailey’s right arm and a lineup as strong 6-to-9 as 1-to-3, the Eagles scheduled the state’s toughest slate on their way to a 24-8 mark, sweeping district and regional titles before improving to 6-1 all-time in the Final 4. While the season ended in a heartbreaking state-title defeat to Winter Springs for the second straight year, expect Niceville to be back looking to recapture the magic of 2011’s triumph.
Emily Webb, Niceville throws: Webb’s “Throwsville” was the catalyst behind Niceville’s fifth track and field state title in six years. With Charlie Perkins leading the way, her young men accounted for seven medalist efforts and 45 of the team’s 88 points. The shot put alone had four medalists and put up 28 points, a tally never before achieved by a team in a single event. To boot, her girls shined as well to help lead Niceville to a state runner-up finish. Shelby Plasier crushed her school record in the javelin to win back-to-back gold, Kimah Allen had a pair of third-place finishes in the shot put and discus and Abigail Gunter’s swept her four events in the Para State Championships. Again, field and track at Niceville trumps everyone else’s track and field. Webb, equal parts mentor/second mom/friend to her athletes, is a key reason why.
Mario Rodriguez, FWB boys soccer: The Viking alumnus and his staff are known for being one of the most passionate and fiery sidelines on the pitch. The result this spring was a second straight region championship after again fighting through the adversity of a slow start. The Vikings avenged a district championship loss to Wakulla with a 2-1 victory in the region championship on Juanma Cotes’ left foot, and the Vikings were penalty kicks away from advancing in their Final 4 matchup versus American Heritage.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Vote for the 2025-2026 HS Coach of the Year presented by FPL
Reporting by Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News / Northwest Florida Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News | USA TODAY Network
