Top 5 winningest active Texas Panhandle coaches

Canyon High School coach Blake Bryant. Photo by Tyler Anderson

1. Blake Bryant (140-76), 20th season at Canyon

Bryant is longest tenured active head football coach to serve one school in the Texas Panhandle. Entering his 20th season at the helm of the Canyon football program, Bryant leads the Amarillo area with 140 wins to just 76 losses. In his 20 seasons, Bryant and his staff has helped Canyon to 15 playoff appearances.

Canadian High School head coach Chris Koetting. Photo by Tyler Anderson

2. Chris Koetting (114-16), 10th season at Canadian

Entering his 10th season Canadian head football coach Chris Koetting has skyrocketed to the top of this list with an astounding 114-16 record (.950 winning percentage) with the Wildcats. Koetting’s heralded career at Canadian has seen he and his staff lead the Wildcats to five straight state semifinal appearances, not to mention back-to-back state championships in 2014-2015.

Lefors Head coach Joe Riley. Photo by Lendi Jackson

3. Joe Riley (113-76), 5th season at Lefors

In 20 years as a head coach, Riley has quietly climbed the ladder to become one of the most winningest coaches in the Texas Panhandle. Entering his fifth season at Lefors, the ol’ ball coach has an impressive 113-76 record. The 2019 season will be Riley’s 37th year in coaching.

Terry Felderhoff head coach of the Gruver Greyhounds. Photo by Tyler Anderson

4. Terry Felderhoff (102-67), 14th season at Gruver

Felderhoff and his Greyhounds made a historic run through the playoffs in 2018 as Gruver played in the Class 2A Division II state championship for the first time in school history. Thanks to a win over Clarendon in the regional round, Felderhoff earned his 100th career victory. The veteran coach could celebrate another milestone this season. Felderhoff (95-54 at Gruver) is only five victories short of 100 entering his 14th year at Gruver.

Bushland High Schools head coach Jimmy Thomas. Photo by Tyler Anderson

5. Jimmy Thomas (97-61), 5th season at Bushland

Entering his 15th season as a head coach, Thomas is closing in on a personal milestone, sitting only three victories shy of reaching the 100 win mark for his career. While most of those victories came at Danbury (61-38), Thomas has amassed a record of 36-23 in five years at Bushland, not to mention a Class 4A state quarterfinal appearance in 2017.