HOUSTON – It was a huge honor this month for Crosby ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Jerry Prieto. He was named the 2021 Coach of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Houston.
Prieto was nominated for the second year in a row, taking home the top prize this year. Prieto was among twelve high school coaches from the Houston region named as finalists.
During his acceptance speech, Prieto thanked his family, including his wife Julie, two sons, and his in-laws who have never missed a game since he’s been a head coach. Prieto also thanked Crosby ISD Superintendent Paula Patterson for her support and his coaching team. Prieto said his coaches spent more time with him than with their families this past season.
“This award is not very much about me. It’s way more about the village that I surround myself with in Crosby.” Coach Prieto added later: “To do anything special, you have to have a lot of support with you. Our community is right there every time we need something from them. They step up, and they help us out anyway that they can.”
The Coach of the Year nominees as well as finalists for Defense Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year were celebrated at the Touchdown Club’s annual UIL High School Awards Dinner on December 8th.
Superintendent Patterson attended the dinner and had this to say: “Coach Prieto gives credit to so many other people, and I know that’s the right thing to do. But I know that he is the key to our program. He is the leader, and he leads so very well. We are blessed to have him on our team.”
Prieto just finished his third season as Head Coach at Crosby High School with a season record of 12-3 and an overall record of 30-12 since 2019.