Lafayette Coach Melinda Scruggs Named Finalist for National High School Coach of the Year

Melinda Scruggs, head coach of the Lafayette Commodores girls soccer program, has been named a finalist for the 2026 National Coach of the Year award by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, according to a local announcement published March 19.

The recognition adds a national stage to an already decorated stretch for the Seattle native who first came to Oxford in 1998 to play for Ole Miss. Less than a year ago, the Mississippi Association of Coaches named Scruggs its 2025 Soccer Coach of the Year, an honor reported by The Oxford Eagle in June 2025.

The Lady Commodores have built one of the state's most consistent programs under Scruggs' watch. The Daily Journal reported in April 2025 that Lafayette went 24-2 and defeated Long Beach 5-1 in the Class 5A state championship match, the program's second title in five MHSAA final appearances. Earlier coverage from the Daily Journal documented a three-peat run in which the Lady Commodores won four total state trophies, including three consecutive titles, with Scruggs earning the Daily Journal's Girls Soccer Coach of the Year award for the third time during the 2020-21 season alone.

That 2020-21 squad went 17-2, with six players scoring six or more goals on the season. Goal scorers Hudson Lindsay, Julia Perkins and Caroline Perkins headlined the returning core heading into the following year.

Scruggs, who has served as head coach for 12 seasons, has described the program's growth in terms that go beyond the scoreboard. "If I could take the last few years, all three years, you can really see growth obviously on the field," she said. "But I feel like the maturity level and their relationships and how they work as more of a family and a cohesive unit is where we've stepped up even further."

Reflecting on the three-peat, Scruggs kept her trademark perspective. "It's kind of hard to really put into words the accomplishments we've had," she said. "I would have never guessed that, but I hope that we stay humble in this process and continue to take each year as a special year."

Whether Scruggs ultimately takes home the national award has not yet been confirmed. The National High School Athletic Coaches Association has not released a final winner as of this report.