Most wins by active coaches in NC

Anon1751723395

Sophomore
Jul 5, 2025
60
149
33
With Mark Barnes coming back to Cresr, I was wondering who are the winningest active coaches in NC. I believe Coach Barnes has over 300.
 

WNCfootball

Senior
Oct 30, 2020
728
895
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Barnes has 340 wins according to Carolinapreps. But over 100 of them came at Sumter. So he’s got like 232 in NC. Craddock at Tarboro has 262 wins at Tarboro. After that I would have no clue where to even look next for most wins in NC that’s active. David Gentry mostly at Murphy has the all time record with 462!
 

Hawkbill

Redshirt
Jan 13, 2026
26
13
3
With Mark Barnes coming back to Cresr, I was wondering who are the winningest active coaches in NC. I believe Coach Barnes has over 300.
Does Barnes know what the forward pass is nowadays? I know he was set up there pretty good in a favorable schedule at Sumter. He's smart enough to recognize that and go set himself up. He isn't coming back to the same conference setup as he was in previously at Crest.
KM has a pulse now. Ashbrook has learned to play (and attract talent) the last couple years. SP is the model of consistency.
If Shelby goes and gets Sossebe or someone who knows what they're doing on offense....that could be a whole other problem for lil ole Crest. Before the Shelby folks chime in...that state championship "contender" was worse on defense than Highland Tech and most of your crappy conf. opponents. Ya'll know you had the worst team you've had there in a decade this past year. Running up the score on pitiful teams isn't the same as being good on offense.
 

31ocdavis

Junior
Aug 8, 2025
189
302
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Active Coaches in NC Wins:

Burton Cates (Eastern Randolph) - 389
Mark Barnes (Crest) - 340
John Kirby (Eastern Alamance) - 292
Donnie Kiefer (Central Cabarrus) - 285
Does anyone know how many of Coach Cates’ wins were at Eastern Randolph? Kidd?
 

Anon1751539575

Sophomore
Jul 3, 2025
83
100
33
According to carolinapreps.com all 292 of Coach Kirby's wins have came at E. Alamance. That is pretty impressive in this day and age.
As bamatide pointed out Coach Cates won 315 at E. Randolph and 74 at Lee County. As someone else pointed out earlier Coach Barnes has 340 wins, with 232 of them in NC, and 108 at Sumter. Coach Kiefer has a really interesting history, 57 of his 285 wins, including a state title came in SC. In NC he has been all over the place, literally from Andrews to Roanoke High School (which no longer exists) and E. Carteret. He pretty much turned around every place he has been. Stays for 3-5 years and moves on.