Manheim, PA — The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) is proud to announce the 2025 national winners of its High School Boys Coach of the Year Awards, honoring outstanding leadership and excellence at the high school level.

National Head Coach of the Year

This year's National Boys Head Coach of the Year is Troy Tirapelle of Buchanan High School (California, Section 7).

Now in his 16th year of coaching and 14th season at Buchanan, Tirapelle led one of the most dominant programs in the country with a tremendous amount of success during the 2024–25 season.

At the individual state tournament, Buchanan High School finished 1st as a team with an impressive fourteen state qualifiers. Of those, nine wrestlers earned placements, including one who captured a state championship.

The program continues to demonstrate consistent excellence, having secured nine straight conference championships and nine consecutive section titles. Buchanan has also won eight of the last nine California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championships and set a new state meet scoring record during the 2024–25 season.

"Troy Tirapelle has built a model program of consistency, culture, and championship-level performance," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "He embodies what it means to be a transformational coach."

Section Winners | Boys Head Coach of the Year

National Boys Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year

The 2025 National Boys Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year honor goes to Jefferson High School (Georgia, Section 3). This staff — Coleman Cunningham, Matthew Seaman, and Allen Stone — played an instrumental role in navigating their team through both victory and tragedy during the season.

Jefferson High School had a dominant 2024–25 season, highlighted by a 1st-place finish at the individual state tournament. The team qualified fourteen wrestlers, with eight earning placements and five capturing individual state titles. They also claimed the top spot at the dual-state tournament. 

In addition to sweeping both the Boys Dual and Traditional State Championships, the program made significant strides on the girls side. In only their second year of fielding a girls team, Jefferson had three athletes with state runner-up finishes helping the team secure the state runner-up trophy.

The entire staff's commitment was tested in the most difficult of moments when a 144-pound senior suffered a traumatic spinal injury during the state tournament. The group's leadership helped stabilize the team and community during the tragedy.

"Without these men, none of this would have been possible," shared Jefferson's head coach. "Their ability to lead with calm, care, and character in the face of adversity was simply incredible."

 
Section Winners | Boys Assistant Staff of the Year

The NWCA will announce its National Girls High School Coaching Award winners on Thursday, June 26, continuing the celebration of coaching excellence across all levels of high school wrestling.

For more information on NWCA's High School Coaching Awards, visit www.nwcaonline.com.