ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CONTINUES ITS 50 POSTS FOR THE 50-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE 2025 SEASON THAT STARTS AUG. 22 FOR SOME SCHOOLS WITH A LOOK AT COACHES WITH THE MOST WINS IN THEIR CAREERS. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
SOUTHERN ARIZONA COACHES WITH MOST CAREER VICTORIES
*-Denotes a coach's career including a stint at more than one school| Coach | Current School | Years | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Johnson | Mountain View* | 21 | 138 |
| Jay Campos | Mica Mountain* | 14 | 133 |
| Carlo Hernandez | Coolidge* | 16 | 122 |
| Scott McKee | CDO* | 19 | 89 |
| Justin Argraves | Cienega* | 15 | 79 |
| Jeston Lotts | Willcox* | 11 | 68 |
| Ryan McBrayer | Sabino | 8 | 60 |
| Joe Thomas | Buena* | 13 | 58 |
| Robert Bonillas | Desert View* | 15 | 57 |
| Corey Noble | Walden Grove | 8 | 55 |
| Braden Davis | St. David | 8 | 50 |
| Kent Middleton | Pusch Ridge | 5 | 47 |
| Daniel Jones | Thatcher | 5 | 43 |
| Phillip Steward | Marana | 4 | 32 |
| Ernest Ivy | San Manuel | 6 | 32 |
| Jerry Rhoades | Tombstone* | 8 | 30 |
| Thomas Cortez | Santa Cruz Valley | 3 | 22 |
| Jake Allen | Sahuarita* | 5 | 22 |
| Dominik Bonilla | Rio Rico* | 4 | 21 |
| George Kelly | Empire | 6 | 21 |
| Loren Dawson | Vista Grande* | 4 | 20 |
| Hunter Long | Douglas | 6 | 20 |
Mountain View’s Matt Johnson (138 career wins), Mica Mountain’s Jay Campos (133) and Coolidge’s Carlo Hernandez (122) enter this season as Southern Arizona head coaches who have eclipsed the 100-victory mark in their careers.
The next wave of coaches who may reach that plateau in the coming years includes CDO’s Scott McKee (89 victories), Cienega’s Justin Argraves (79), Willcox’s Jeston Lotts (68), Sabino’s Ryan McBrayer (60), Buena’s Joe Thomas (58), Desert View’s Robert Bonillas (57) and Walden Grove’s Corey Noble (55).
Braden Davis of St. David reached 50 career victories last season.
Pusch Ridge coach Kent Middleton, who led the Lions to the 3A state championship last season, is three victories shy of reaching the 50-win milestone.
Johnson is also the dean of Southern Arizona coaches, entering his 22nd year as head coach, seventh at Mountain View.
Noteworthy local coaching titans who coached recently and have more than 100 career wins are no longer serving as head coaches.
They are Mica Mountain’s Pat Nugent (172-66 at 22 years as a head coach at the high school level), Canyon del Oro’s Dustin Peace (119-50 in his 15 years, all with the Dorados), Rio Rico’s Jeff Scurran (262-96-2 in 30 years as a high school head coach) and Benson’s Chris Determan (144-85-1 in 19 years as the Bobcats’ coach). Determan is in his third year as a varsity assistant head coach at Buena.
FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER!
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
Recommended for you
