After handing out the POY award yesterday it is time to pay our dues to the coaches. 

Coach of the Year (Sam's Pick): Grandville's Eric Stiegel

The record: 5-4 overall, 3-2 in the OK Red

Breakdown: I can feel some people might wonder why I picked the coach of a team that went 5-4, but trust me it will make sense (hopefully). Coach Stiegel has brought Grandville back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and has West Michigan buzzing about the Bulldogs. Coach Stiegel is known for his strong run offense and he has developed a dominant Bulldog run attack over the course of the season with help from running backs like Brian Cappiello, Nolan Meekhof, and Ben Sinclair. The last 5 seasons Grandville averaged 20.4, 18.2, 15.3, 16.3, and 17.3 points per game. This season under Stiegel, the Dawgs averaged 33.7 points per game and ran for 3,026 yards and 37 touchdowns on the year. Each of Grandvilles four losses came to state ranked opponents (Muskegon, EK, EGR, Rockford) and by an average of 7.5 ppg.

Coach of the Year (Casey's Pick): Caledonia's Tom Burrill

The record: 7-2 overall, 4-1 in the OK White (share of 2014 conference championship)

Breakdown: The Scots have been one of the most well coached and physical teams in West Michigan this season and no doubt one of the best in the entire state. Burrill has this team looking dangerous and back in the playoffs after missing out a year ago. When at full strength I don't think there is a better team out there than the Scots, who won a share of the OK White after a dominant 5-game win streak (4 conference games) to finish the regular season. Down the stretch Caledonia had two shutouts and outscored their opponents 187-27 during the 5-game win streak. The Scots reached 7 wins with one of the most difficult schedules in the area as their schedule included the likes of South Christian, Mona Shores, Rockford, EGR, Lowell, and Grand Rapids Christian.