LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Coming off the program’s fifth state title, Keystone High School (Ohio) head coach Jim Piazza and his staff have been voted by their peers as the 2021 NFCA High School National Coaching Staff of the Year, announced the Association on Tuesday afternoon.
Piazza, along with assistant coaches Doug Cooper, Gina Gibson, Anna Saxton, Rich Marcucci, Chip Motolik and Ann Green guided the Wildcats to a 33-1 overall record. Making their sixth straight OHSAA Division II state finals appearance, Keystone earned the tournament’s top seed and captured the title (third under Piazza) with a 7-3 triumph over No. 2 Triway High School.
In his 19th season with the Wildcats, Piazza earned his 500th career victory during the campaign and finished 2021 with 514 wins. In addition to his coaching milestone, the program, which finished ninth in the final USA Today Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll, became the first in state history to win 1,000 contests.
Keystone was one of five programs to earn the NFCA’s Regional Coaching Staff of the Year award. Three of the other four also won state championships – Morris Catholic High School (N.J.), Southern Alamance (N.C.) and Papillion-LaVista (Neb.). The fourth, Shadow Ridge (Ariz.), reached the state semifinals after winning the first two state playoff games in program history.
