On Saturday, June 20, the National High School Athletic Coaches Association named long-time Lancaster football coach John Hoch as the 2015 National Coach of the Year in the sport of football.

     In a time when longevity in high school coaching is somewhat of an anomaly, Lancaster football coach John Hoch is an exception to the rule.

     For 32 seasons, Hoch has been at the helm of the Flying Arrow football program, and his success over the years has led to state and national prominence.

     Hoch received the honor with friends and family at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s national convention at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, MN.

     Hoch emerged from a group of eight finalists to receive the football honor, and was nominated by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

     The selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists were evaluated by experts in the field of coaching, using a sport-specific rubrics to assign points in each category.

     Last season, Hoch was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the UW–River Falls Athletic Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

     He has also been named Coach of the Year at one time or another by the Telegraph Herald, the Wisconsin State Journal, the SWAL, the SWC, the WFCA and the National Federation of State High School Association.

     Hoch has led Lancaster to seven state championship titles, four state runner-up titles, and has accumulated a career coaching record of 283–96.

     He currently sits seventh among the state’s winningest football coaches, and is fourth on the list among active coaches. He has a career conference record of 153–50 with 17 conference titles, and in 82 playoff games, has a postseason record of 65–17.