A Decade of Dominance: McGill-Toolen’s Kate Wood named Coach of the Year
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — There’s nothing more prestigious in Alabama high school athletics than a state title. Coaches and athletes work year-round to bring home the coveted “blue map.”
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McGill-Toolen head volleyball coach Kate Wood has four blue maps and three runner-up “red maps” in just 10 years.
“It never gets old hat, it’s absolutely surreal,” said Wood about the team’s success.
Wood was named the NFHS Coach of the Year for Alabama after leading the Yellow Jackets to a second straight state title last season. Another chapter in a “decade of dominance” for the Dirty Dozen with Coach Wood at the helm.
The Yellow Jackets beat Bob Jones to claim the 7A title last Fall. It was the third meeting between the two teams in 2023, this one for all the marbles.
“I think going into the match, we were underdogs. Bob Jones had beaten us twice. I was feeling really good about where we were,” said Wood. “We dropped the first set and I got a little bit concerned, but I could hear them in the huddle and what they were saying. I was like, ‘Oh man. They’re really feeling good.’ And after we won that second set, I just thought, ‘We’re going to win,’ I could feel it. Just their confidence.”
It’s McGill’s fourth state title in seven years. Wood says it’s special to be a part of the storied program.
“I didn’t realize quite the magnitude of it. Even after I interviewed for the job, I was told and I sort of started to understand it. I got to visit with [legendary Dirty Dozen head coach and AHSAA Hall of Famer] Becky Dickinson before she passed away,” said Wood. “You see all the former players and how much it means to them.”
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Coach Wood’s commitment to McGill-Toolen goes beyond the court. Her husband, Brent, is a teacher at the school and all three of their children have attended McGill — including two daughters in the Dirty Dozen program.
“It’s a family deal. It’s our number one. You get into this part of the year and everybody’s excited.”
McGill-Toolen’s 23 state championships is the second-most in state history behind only Bayside Academy. The Admirals program is led by McGill-Toolen alum Ann Schilling — who reached out to Coach Wood this past October, just after their historic 21-straight title run came to an end.
“She texted me the morning after they lost and wished us luck. She did the same thing for for some other local programs,” Wood recalled. “I just thought, man, that’s a lot of graciousness. When it’s got to be hard to have a loss like that. It was a huge five set match. Then to just pour into someone else. I really had a lot of respect for that.”
Coach Wood says the Dirty Dozen has already turned the page to next season.
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“You enjoy it, you reflect, but then you get back to work. No team has won three 7A championships in a row. So I think that will be on a lot of our kid’s minds going into the season. I also know that every body will be out for us,” said Wood.
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