Mr. Mike Harris, science teacher and head boys cross country and track & field coach, was named the state-by-state High School Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The state-by-state winners are awarded based on their team’s performance throughout the cross country season. Placement at state championships and team scores during the season are both taken into account.

Under Harris’s leadership, the Royals boys cross country team won their first State Championship since 2002. The team then went on to compete in the Nike Regional Heartland and place first, advancing them to the Nike National Competition, where the team placed seventh.

Harris is also in the running for the National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year award, which one male and one female coach receives each year.

Harris hopes to coach for as long as the school offers him a contract to.

“Coaching is a perfect way end to the day,” Harris said.