CIF Honors Coaches: These Are The Role Models Setting the Standard for Leadership in High School Sports

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) continues to shine the spotlight on the importance of leadership and integrity in high school athletics through its annual Model Coach Award,  announcing the 2025–26 winners across multiple sports.

There are a total of ten coaches given this honor, recognized for going beyond for their athletes, providing support, direction, and top-tier mentorship in shaping student-athletes both on and off the field.

The honorees were chosen after exhibiting traits in their schools and communities under the CIF’s principles of Pursuing Victory with Honor. The coaches selected all have core values that includes trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. And all teach, enforce, advocate, and model these values, which are foundational to high school sports.

Andrews currently serves as the freshman Basketball Coach, but has coached many sports at Berkeley High School, including most recently as the co-Head Coach of the JV Football team. He doesn’t just coach, he mentors young men. He holds student-athletes to the highest standards of discipline and campus citizenship while providing the emotional safety net they need to succeed. His influence is woven into the very fabric of BHS. He is more than a coach; he is a guardian of the values we want students to carry into adulthood.

Paul Bristow (Atwater High School) Football/Wrestling

Bristow coached football and wrestling at Atwater for 47 years and also briefly coached baseball, track & field, and basketball. He was also the youth wrestling program director for the San Joaquin Wrestling Association for 25 years and the Coaches Education Director for CA USA Wrestling. Bristow is a positive role model who exemplifies what it means to lead with integrity and purpose.

Conway serves as Athletic Director and Head Coach of the Bishop’s Field Hockey team, and she is, quite simply, the benchmark for the entire Bishop’s athletic department. She does not just coach a sport; she is the architect of a culture. She advocates for her players’ well-being as fiercely as she coaches their skills. She doesn’t just pursue victory; she goes after it with honor that makes everyone around her – players, coaches, parents, and colleagues – better.

Farrar serves as the Head Football Coach at Charter Oak High School. He does not merely teach football skills—he teaches young men how to be accountable teammates, respectful competitors, and responsible citizens. His influence reaches far beyond wins and losses; it lives in the character, confidence, and leadership of the countless students he has guided. Farrar is a role model, mentor, educator, and leader whose career reflects the very best of interscholastic athletics.

Harper is a teacher and volleyball coach at Centennial High School. Currently in her 18th year of coaching in the Central Section, Harper is dedicated to the growth, performance, and sportsmanship of her student-athletes. She cares deeply about her athletes’ scholastic success and holds her players to the highest standards. She is a solid leader due to her strong work ethic, planning proficiency, and excellent organizational skills.

For the past 15 years, Keifer has served as the Head Girls Wrestling Coach at Steele Canyon High School. There is a beautiful standard in his program: character is the prerequisite for competition. By enforcing these standards daily, he ensures his athletes are as disciplined in their conduct as they are in their technique. Keifer is a coach who understands that the highest potential of sports is achieved when we prioritize the development of the human spirit over the tally on a scoreboard.

Link is a math teacher and Head Boys Basketball Coach at Gridley High School, and served as the Athletic Director for nine years. His vision and commitment have had a lasting impact on the entire athletic department. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to developing not only skilled athletes but also young men of character. While his teams have achieved competitive success, his greatest victories are reflected in the character and maturity of the young men who graduate from his program.

Maggie Nance (Palisades Charter High School) Swim & Dive

Nance serves as the Head Swim & Dive Coach at Palisades Charter High School. Few educators embody the spirit, integrity, and purpose of educational athletics as completely as Coach Nance. Her leadership, character, and unwavering commitment to student-athletes make her a model not only for the school community but for the coaching profession. She builds competitive programs that are well-structured and fundamentally rooted in
sportsmanship. Her impact extends far beyond wins and titles; she has built a culture that is disciplined, hard-working, and constantly striving for excellence.

Coach Plau began his journey at Bishop Union High School in 2008 as a volunteer JV assistant football coach and in 2016 became the varsity Head Coach and teacher at BUHS. He understands that his role extends far beyond football and embraces his responsibility as a mentor and role model. He leads with compassion, patience, and a tireless dedication to the personal growth of every student, regardless of their skill level. His teams are recognized not only for their competitive success but also for their sportsmanship, class, and professionalism.

For 26 years, Shull has coached girls’ basketball at Gregori High School, the last 11 as the varsity head coach. Shull supports the entire Gregori student body. She consistently demonstrates genuine commitment to the school, community, and the young women she mentors. Her devotion to her athletes extends well beyond the season, as she monitors their academic progress, reinforces positive citizenship, and ensures their social and emotional
well-being.

“These Model Coaches exemplify education-based athletics, leading their student– athletes and communities by modeling trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship, while creating opportunities for students to belong, connect, and compete,” said CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti.

While championships and records are great, the CIF Model Coach recognition shifts the focus to what truly matters: the impact of a positive influence to help shape a well-rounded athlete on and off the field.

Now in its multi-decade run, the CIF Model Coach program has become one of the organization’s most meaningful honors. It reflects CIF’s broader mission to ensure that athletics remain an extension of the classroom—teaching life lessons that go far beyond the track, field, or court.

CIF itself, founded in 1914, serves as the governing body for high school sports across California and plays a major role in setting standards for competition and sportsmanship.