Class of 2022

Coal City

 

Born in Joliet, Mark Masters attended Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox and graduated in 1988.  He played football and ran track.  He was a two-time All-Conference selection and two-time All-Area in football.  He played on Providence’s State Championship Football team.

Mark began his wrestling coaching career in Coal City and was an assistant for eight years and has served as head coach for 19 years.  His teams have won eight total regional titles, 5 as a head coach and 3 as an assistant.  Coal City also won the 2021 IWCOA Open Regional.  As a head coach he has a career coaching record of 390-147.  He has coached 139 state qualifiers (100 as a head coach), 57 state place-winners (39 as a head coach).  He has coached 12 State Champions as a head coach and 4 more while an assistant.  Two of his wrestlers were name IWCOA Scholastic Wrestlers of the Year and he coached one wrestler that was selected IWCOA Wrestler of the Year.

As head coach of the Coalers, Mark has coached 6 Dual Meet Conference titles and six Conference Tournament championships.  The Coalers qualified for the IHSA Dual Team State Tournament five times, and two more as an assistant.  He coached Coal City to runner-up finishes in the Class 1A IHSA Dual Team State Tournament in 2016 and 2020 and the Class 2A runner-up in 2019.  In 1998 he was an assistant when the Coalers placed 2^nd in the Class A Dual Team State Tournament.  The Coalers also added 3^rd place trophies in Class 1A in 2015 and 2018.

Mark was named Interstate 8 Conference Coach of the Year six times and two-time I.C.E. conference Coach of the Year.  He was selected as IWCOA Class 1A Coach of the Year in 2015 and Class 2A IWCOA Coach of the Year in 2019.  He is only the 3^rd coach in Illinois wrestling history to be named IWCOA Coach of the Year in multiple classes.  In 2019 he was named IHSA State Coach of the Year for the NFHS.

Mark serves the IWCOA as a member of the Illinois/Indiana Classic Dual Committee.