It took something extra special to stand out among an impressive group of Chattanooga-area prep sports coaches in the 2023-24 school year.
Whether it was winning state championships in multiple sports, setting program records or guiding a team to nationally ranked status, the contenders for Times Free Press Scrappy Moore Coach of the Year have elite resumés.
The winner will be announced during Tuesday’s Best of Preps awards banquet at the Chattanooga Convention Center, which begins at 6 p.m. The guest speaker will be University of Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler, an All-Southeastern Conference selection who helped the Volunteers reach the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight this past season.
The six finalists for the coaching award are Sale Creek volleyball’s Erin Briner, Signal Mountain cross country and track and field’s Dustin Carpenter, Chattanooga Prep basketball’s Christian Collins, Heritage softball’s Megan Crawford, McCallie soccer’s Chris Cushenbery and Silverdale Baptist Academy softball’s Jackie Freelend.
(READ MORE: Scrappy Moore female finalists marked by state championships)