20 winningest active Texas high school football coaches entering 2024 season

Highland Park's Randy Allen is way out in front of the state's most victorious coaches — among those still roaming sidelines

Albany coach Denney Faith cheers after 2022 UIL (Texas) 2A Division II state title at AT&T Stadium. / Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Longtime former Corpus Chrisi Calallen (Texas) high school football coach Phil Danaher is the state's all-time wins leader — a could be under threat in a couple of years.

Highland Park's Randy Allen's 446 career wins is the most of any active coach in the state, and second all-time to Danaher's 490.

As the 2024 Texas high school football season approaches — games begin Aug. 29 — SBLive is taking stock of the 20 winningest active coaches.

Several great coaches who would have made the list left their respective posts after the 2023 season.

Longtime Refugio coach Jason Herring was fifth on the active all-time list with 293 wins before he stepped down from his post in March after 17 years and three state titles at the school, citing ongoing health concerns.

Bryan Wood, who had 203 wins over the last 24 years, left Burnet to be the offensive coordinator/QBs coach at NAIA Wayland Baptist.

Chris Soza retired from Beeville Jones in May after a head coaching career that spanned 28 years and 198 wins. Les Goad also retired from Hays last December with 205 career wins across several schools.

Tom Westerberg, who led Allen to four titles, retired in January with 191 wins and Kerry Therwanger (183 wins) called it a career after leading Timpson to a storybook first state title.

Plenty of coaching legends are still set to grace the sidelines across the state.

Here are the 20 winningest active Texas high school football coaches entering the season:

20 WINNINGEST ACTIVE TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES

1. Randy Allen

Randy Allen paces the Highland Park sideline in a Texas high school football playoff game against Denton Guyer in 2022. / Photo by Brian McLean, SBLive

School: Highland Park | Wins: 446

2. Denney Faith

Albany coach Denney Faith cheers after winning the 2022 UIL Class 2A Division II state football title over Mart. / Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News / USA TODAY NETWORK

School: Albany | Wins: 360

3. Reginald Samples

Duncanville (Texas) coach Reginald Sample holds up the UIL 6A Division I 2023 state championship trophy. / Photo by Tommy Hays

School: Duncanville | Wins: 340

4. Larry Hill

School: Smithson Valley | Wins: 311

5. Mark Kirchhoff

School: Falls City | Wins: 268

6. Gary Joseph

School: Katy | Wins: 265

7. Jerry Bomar

School: Groesbeck | Wins: 258

8. Richard Barrett

School: Kennedale | Wins: 254

9. Todd Rodgers

School: Argyle | Wins: 244

10. Sam Harrell

School: Ennis | Wins: 237

11. David G. Sanchez

School: Laredo United | Wins: 231

12. John King

School: Longview | Wins: 223

13. Brent Davis

School: San Angelo Central | Wins: 221

14. Scott Suratt

Carthage and head coach Scott Surratt (center) face Bullard in a Sept. 2023 Texas high school football showdown. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

School: Carthage | Wins: 218

15. Jake Fieszel

School: Gunter | Wins: 210

16. Jack Alvarez

School: Copperas Cove | Wins: 205

17. Bo Robinson

School: Yoakum | Wins: 203

18. Gary Koch

School: Houston Memorial | Wins: 194

19. Ricky Lock

School: San Antonio Southside | Wins: 193

20. Richard Whitaker

School: Port Lavaca Calhoun | Wins: 191

Records, via Texas High School Football History, are updated through 2023 season. Read the rest of the coaching leaders and all-timers here.

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Stay with SBLive's preseason coverage in the lead up to the 2024 Texas high school football season and the start of games on Aug. 29.

We're taking a position-by-position look at the top players returning in the Lone Star State this fall, starting with 50 quarterbacks, 70 running backs, 40 wide receivers, 25 tight ends, 25 offensive linemen, 30 cornerbacks, 25 safeties and 45 linebackers.

Which teams are district favorites? Top sleepers? We're going district-by-district and choosing both, starting with 6A Districts 1-16, 6A Districts 17-32, 5A Division I and 5A Division II.

We examined offseason player movement and the 12 transfers that will have the biggest impact in the fall.

Who are the most underrated teams in the Lone Star State entering the season? We're taking a look by region at the programs poised to out-perform expectations, starting with North Texas, Southeast Texas and Central Texas.

The Lone Star State is home to many of the country's top prospects. We examined the top 20 committed recruits in the state and where they're headed. And we narrowed down the 25 best uncommitted players in the state — and where they're at in their respective recruitments.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx