Vote now for the 2025-26 Akron-area high school boys coach of the year
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With the Akron-area OHSAA 2025-26 sports season complete, we're going to spend the next several weeks looking back at the best of high school sports during the school year.
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Your votes will determine the Akron-Area Best of the School Year for teams, coaches and athletes.
We continue this week with who you think was the best high school boys coach of 2025-26. Each coach's credentials are listed above the poll — which will be live until 5 p.m. Thursday, July 16. The winners will be announced Friday morning, July 17, on BeaconJournal.com.
Now, let's meet the candidates, which were selected by the Beacon Journal sports staff.
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Here's a look at the nominees, in alphabetical order:
Nick Alexander, Walsh Jesuit football
Led the Warriors to an 11-2 season, capped by a 35-7 rout of five-time state champion Archbishop Hoban in a Division II regional final to advance to the program's first state final four this century before a loss to Avon in the state semifinals.
Nick Cook, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy football
Led the Royals to a 12-1 season, capped by a run to their first state final four with a 42-7 regional final win over Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph before a 21-20 loss to Toledo Central Catholic in a Division III state semifinal.
T.K. Griffith, Archbishop Hoban basketball
Led the Knights to a 20-8 season, capped by a run to the state final four for the fourth time in program history before a 60-58 loss to Steubenville in a Division III state semifinal.
Jeff Howard, Woodridge cross country
Led the Bulldogs to a Division III state championship with a dominant performance at the state meet, where they beat runner-up West Liberty-Salem 65-162 for their record 11th state title — all since 2006.
Logan Jennings, St. Vincent-St. Mary volleyball
Led the Irish to an 18-10 season, capped by a fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament and a a 3-0 sweep of Independence in a Division II state semifinal before a 3-0 loss to Franklin Bishop Fenwick in the title match.
Larry Meehan, Hudson volleyball
Led the Explorers to an 21-6 season, capped by a state runner-up finish in Division I with a 3-0 win over Olentangy Berlin in a state semifinal and a 3-0 loss to Cincinnati Moeller in the final.
Aaron Rose, Coventry bowling
Led the Comets to their third consecutive state tournament and a seventh-place finish in Division II.
A look at the 2025-26 Akron-Area High School Athlete of the Week winners
- Date - girls winner | boys winner
- Sept. 6 - Abby Alden, Archbishop Hoban soccer | Buddy Willig, Norton football
- Sept. 12 - Ava Brooks, Norton tennis | Donevan Noah, Tallmadge cross country
- Sept. 19 - Addison Hovey, Woodridge tennis | Angelo Gotto, Barberton football
- Sept. 26 - Gabriela Iler, Revere tennis | Atticus Sloan, Woodridge cross country
- Oct. 3 - Bree Carpenter, Ellet soccer | Marlin Engram Jr., East football
- Oct. 10 - Maggie Gerschutz, Wadsworth cross country | Phil Partin, Manchester football
- Oct. 17 - Makayla Martuccio, Tallmadge cross country | Anderson Seredick, Nordonia cross country
- Oct. 24 - Elizabeth Coleman, Highland golf | Crew McDaniel, Hudson cross country
- Oct. 31 - Brooklynn Hampton, Archbishop Hoban soccer | Nick Myers, CVCA soccer
- Nov. 7 - Allison Hay, Tallmadge cross country | Sam Hopp, Twinsburg cross country
- Nov. 14 - Samantha Dehrmann, Archbishop Hoban volleyball | Marty Tobin, Walsh Jesuit football
- Dec. 12 - Anna Anzevino, Hudson basketball | Mason Massouh, Revere wrestling
- Dec. 19 - Melania Cornute, St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball | George Marshall, Firestone swimming
- Dec. 27 - Sarah Schueler, Firestone swimming | Dalton Keith, Coventry wrestling
- Jan. 3 - Leannah Swiger, Springfield wrestling | Chad Rusinko, Tallmadge basketball
- Jan. 9 - Rylee Kulick, Copley swimming | Tony Canfora, Wadsworth swimming
- Jan. 16 - Haydn Paul, Nordonia basketball | Percy Robinson, Streetsboro basketball
- Jan. 23 - Ashli Pearson, Hudson basketball | Reggie Edwards, Garfield basketball
- Jan. 30 - Shaylah Jones, Buchtel basketball | DeCarlo Prince, St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball
- Feb. 6 - Sydney Ferguson, St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball | John Johnson, Archbishop Hoban basketball
- Feb. 13 - Dakota Graham, Norton basketball | Rayshawn Hamilton, Garfield basketball
- Feb. 20 - Kayla Munn, Coventry basketball | Derrick Kruger, Firestone basketball
- Feb. 27 - Stella Oliverio, Firestone swimming | Dante Kimble III, Ellet basketball
- March 6 - Rylee Jackson, Archbishop Hoban swimming | Andrew Gerstenmaier, Walsh Jesuit swimming
- March 13 - Niera Stevens, Archbishop Hoban basketball | Ian Bee, Tallmadge wrestling
- March 20 - MaKenzie Grant, Archbishop Hoban basketball | Arri Caporaletti, Archbishop Hoban basketball
- March 27 - Gianna Terlop, Walsh Jesuit softball | Owen Anderson, Wadsworth lacrosse
- April 3 - Ella Girard, Walsh Jesuit softball | Preston Davis, Wadsworth lacrosse
- April 10 - Cassidy Piotrowski, Ellet softball | Will Tober, St. Vincent-St. Mary baseball
- April 17 - Chloe Kroslak, CVCA flag football | Ronnie Ammons, Norton baseball
- April 24 - Caitlyn Carter, Tallmadge softball | Harrison Drvenkar, Revere track and field
- May 1 - Sophia Paonessa, Tallmadge softball | Aidan Reynolds, St. Vincent-St. Mary baseball
- May 8 - Chloe White, Manchester softball | Anthony Cardarelli, Green baseball
- May 15 - Brynn Mineard, Walsh Jesuit softball | Connor Hons, Woodridge track and field
- May 22 - Ava McLendon, Nordonia flag football | Elijah Myers, Firestone volleyball
- May 29 - Caitlyn Eland, Tallmadge softball | Zachary Karhoff, Archbishop Hoban baseball
- June 5 - Katie Lippencott, Walsh Jesuit softball | Anthony Bontempo, Tallmadge track and field
- June 12 - Allison Hay, Tallmadge track and field | Colt Andrews, Archbishop Hoban baseball
- June 19 - Zac Anderson, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy baseball
- June 26 - Girls Team of the Year: Walsh Jesuit softball
- July 3 - Boys Team of the Year: St. Vincent-St. Mary volleyball
- July 10 - Girls Coach of the Year: Charlie Schrader, Walsh Jesuit softball
Editor's note: Winners of the Akron-Area Athlete of the Week in the spring are not eligible to win it again until the fall sports season begins. Coaches and athletic directors: Submit nominees for Akron-Area High School Athlete of the Week at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Vote now for the 2025-26 Akron-area high school boys coach of the year