ROYAL CITY - Royal High School football coach Wiley Allred has been selected as a state finalist in USA TODAY's Best High School Football Coach Contest.

How far Allred advances in the contest will depend on fans of Royal football and football fans in general. They will vote for the eventual national winner starting yesterday, Sept. 30.

You may cast your vote for Allred, or anyone else, by going to www.contest.usatodayhss.com.

USA TODAY staffers have selected eight active head football coaches in each state after more than a month of conversations with local media and other state/school officials with high school football expertise.

There will be three rounds of voting. The state round began at noon (ET) Sept. 30 and ends at noon (ET) Oct. 8. The 51 winners - each state plus Washington, D.C. - advance to a regional round, where they will be divided among eight regions of six or seven coaches apiece.

The regional round begins at noon (ET) Oct. 9 and ends at noon (ET) Oct. 18. The eight regional winners move onto the national round, which starts at noon (ET) Oct. 21 and ends at noon (ET) Oct. 29. The champion is crowned based on most votes in the final round.

The athletic department of the winning coach will receive $2,000.

Second through fifth places also receive cash prizes for the athletic departments: second ($1,000), third ($500), fourth ($250) and fifth ($100). All eight finalists receive banners for their schools.