Papillion-La Vista's Todd Petersen is the Journal Star's 2020 girls coach of the year. Here's a look at some other notable coaching performaces:
Kari Jo Alfs, BDS (volleyball): Led the Eagles to back-to-back Class D-2 state championships. BDS outlasted Humphrey St. Francis in five sets to cap a 30-4 season.
John Larsen, Crete (basketball): When adversity finally hit the Cardinals, they had an answer, rebounding from their only loss to clinch a state berth before outlasting Norris in overtime and Northwest in triple overtime in Lincoln. For Crete, it was championship No. 2. For Larsen, it was title No. 10.
Ryan Psota, Lincoln Pius X (basketball): The Thunderbolts (26-1) lost only one game en route to winning the school’s first Class A state championship. The Bolts peaked at the right time, producing three impressive wins at Pinnacle Bank Arena, including a 45-37 victory against Lincoln East in the final.
People are also reading…
Renee Saunders, Omaha Skutt (volleyball): Once they got NU recruit Lindsay Krause back, the SkyHawks dominated the competition and won their fifth straight state championship. Skutt finished 34-5.
Rob Sweetland, Wayne (softball): After leading the Blue Devils to a Class C title in 2018, Sweetland guided the team to a Class B state championship in 2019, defeating Beatrice twice on the final day.
Steve Wieseler, Wynot (basketball): The dynasty continued as the Blue Devils captured their seventh Class D-2 state championship in 10 seasons. Wynot avenged a holiday tournament loss to Humphrey St. Francis in the state final.
Sharon Zavala, Grand Island Central Catholic (volleyball): The state’s all-time winningest coach led the Crusaders to their 10th state championship. GICC swept Hastings St. Cecilia in the C-2 final. The Hawkettes won the previous three meetings.
Sue Ziegler, Lincoln Lutheran (volleyball): Despite having to replace several starters, the Warriors, led by Super-State honorary captain Marriah Buss, won their first state title since 2004. The run included a four-set win against No. 1 St. Paul in the Class C-1 final.
