MANHEIM, PA - The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and the United States Marine Corps are proud to announce the eight Section winners of the 2026 NWCA/USMC "Battles Won" Boys Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year Award. The award celebrates the assistants whose daily work in the room, alongside their head coaches and athletes, powers championship-level programs across the country. Each of these winners are now finalists for the National Award to be announced in the coming weeks.

"Congratulations to our eight Section winners. These coaches represent the very best of our profession. They are leaders who pour themselves into their student-athletes, their schools, and their communities every day. We are proud to recognize them, and grateful to the U.S. Marine Corps for their continued partnership."
Mike Moyer, Executive Director, National Wrestling Coaches Association

2026 SECTION WINNERS

Section 1, Vermont: Spaulding High School
Assistant Staff: Taylor Lozier, Trevor Bell, Hunter Quero, Nick Pierce, Mick Kerin, Matthew Thurston
The Spaulding High School (Vermont) staff helped Spaulding to a 14-0 dual season, eight strong tournament finishes with split squads, 14 state qualifiers, 12 place winners, and three state champions. The group is deeply invested across the Barre wrestling community, supporting youth, middle school, JV, and varsity programs.

Section 2, Virginia: Grassfield High School
Assistant Staff: Chris Buckner, Riley Starcher, Taylor Misuna, Mason Hoagland, Josh Rodriguez
The Grassfield High School (Virginia) staff, with 40 combined years of experience at Grassfield, helped head coach Patrick Shuler engineer an 11-0 dual season that included victories over five state-champion teams from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and North Carolina. The group has produced four NHSCA All-Americans (including a Junior National Champion), six tournament titles, and three state champions.

Section 3, Georgia: Creekview High School
Assistant Staff: Ryan Prince, Wyatt Higgins, Steve Chavez, Hunter Smith
The Creekview High School (Georgia) staff helped author a memorable State Duals run, rallying from a 35-6 deficit with five consecutive pins to win 36-35, and finished 20-3 in duals with 11 state qualifiers, seven place winners, and three individual state champions. The staff has now contributed to two state duals titles and one traditional state championship.

Section 4, Illinois: Joliet Catholic Academy
Assistant Staff: Ben Gerdes, Jim Lancaster, Luke Pascale
The Joliet Catholic Academy (Illinois) staff helped the Hilltoppers post a 15-2 dual record, win The Mudge and Geneseo Invite, capture the Gold Pool at the Flavin Duals, and place 5th at the Cheesehead Invitational and 4th at the Dan Gable Donnybrook. JCA qualified 10 wrestlers to state and set a school record with seven 3A state placers.

Section 5, Kansas: Maize High School
Assistant Staff: Derek Patterson, Ryan Smith, Chase Nelson, Evan Amaro, Cayden Hughbanks, Bryant Richard
The Maize High School (Kansas) staff helped fuel a 6A State Championship that broke the all-time Kansas team-points record by 23 points. Working with head coach Tyler Gonzales, the staff produced 12 state qualifiers, 10 place winners, four state champions, and a national-caliber JV. 

Section 6, Colorado: Grandview High School
Assistant Staff: David Acosta, Cayden Bird, Rob Combs, David Ehrhard, Kolbe Fraley, Ben Menzor, Erik Skov, Arturo Zepeda
The Grandview High School (Colorado) staff led Grandview to an undefeated 18-0 dual season, a 176-point performance at the Colorado state tournament, the Outstanding Wrestler of the State Tournament award, and a state runner-up finish that produced 11 state qualifiers, nine place winners, and one individual state champion.

Section 7, California: Buchanan High School
Assistant Staff: Kai Dill, Donny Rider, Nic Contreras, Stephen Weimer, Anthony Dakuras, Chris Pena, Ralph Lopez, Stan Greene, Chris Gaxiola, Valaree Omegas, Rob Areyano
The Buchanan High School (California) staff helped lead the Bears to a 12-0 record in duals, a No. 1 finish in the country, and won the Zinkin Classic, Brecksville Holiday Invitational, and Doc Buchanan, while qualifying 14 wrestlers to the California state tournament and earning a state championship.

Section 8, Montana: Huntley Project High School
Assistant Staff: Garrett Sholley, Brady Gulde, Spencer Higareda, Mark Wandle
The Huntley Project High School (Montana) staff helped engineer Huntley Project's 5th consecutive Class B State Championship, a 7th consecutive Class B Divisional title, the Class B/C Dual title, a record-setting 286.5 team points at state, six state champions, nine state finalists, 12 state placers, and a team GPA average of 3.5.

Section	State	School
Section	State	School
Section 1	Vermont	Spaulding High School
Section 2	Virginia	Grassfield High School
Section 3	Georgia	Creekview High School
Section 4	Illinois	Joliet Catholic Academy
Section 5	Kansas	Maize High School
Section 6	Colorado	Grandview High School
Section 7	California	Buchanan High School
Section 8	Montana	Huntley Project High School