We are proud to announce that Ste. Genevieve High School Head Girls Wrestling Coach Jared Bonnell has been selected as the 2025-2026 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA)/National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year!
Coach Bonnell was surprised with the recognition on Friday, Aug. 28, prior to the first home football game of the season. Daryl Bradley, MSHSAA Assistant Executive Director for Wrestling, presented Bonnell with a plaque on the 50-yard line in front of the Ste. Genevieve community. Bonnell’s family, colleagues, fellow SG R-II coaches and student wrestlers joined him on the field to celebrate the achievement.
Each year, MSHSAA and NFHS recognize one coach in each sport in Missouri through the Coach of the Year recognition program. The award honors coaches who demonstrate a commitment to education-based athletics, character, integrity and sportsmanship while serving as positive role models for student-athletes.
Selection criteria also emphasize coaches who understand that the life lessons and experiences gained through interscholastic athletics take precedence over winning, while successfully leading programs and “winning the right way.”
Ste. Genevieve County R-II Athletics Director Dr. Jeff Nix said those qualities are evident in the relationships Bonnell builds with his student-athletes and the expectations he sets for them.
“We are proud of Coach Bonnell and his hard work for the students at SGHS,” Dr. Nix said. “He has a unique ability to build meaningful relationships with students from all walks of life. He not only forms a bond with these students, he coaches them — in sports and, perhaps more importantly, in life. He understands that the lessons his athletes learn through wrestling extend far beyond their time on the mat.”
As Missouri’s Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year, Bonnell is now eligible for consideration for NFHS Section Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year honors.
MSHSAA recognized Bonnell as a valued contributor to interscholastic activities in Missouri and for his commitment to the ideals of coaching interscholastic sports.
Congratulations to Coach Jared Bonnell on this well-deserved recognition!