The Weston-McEwen/Griswold football team, 2A runner-up the last two seasons, was left with a giant void at the top when coach Kenzie Hansell resigned in March.
When a pool of viable applicants failed to materialize, assistant coaches Morgan Dunlap and Casey Perkins were left looking at each other.
“I was like, 'You do it,' and he was like, 'No, you do it,'” Dunlap said.
The two considered being co-coaches, but when the school balked at the idea, Dunlap agreed to take the plunge. He was hired as head coach of the TigerScots, taking the torch from Hansell, who went 75-35 in two stints (2008-13, 2020-23) with the team.
“Obviously Kenzie was so good with the kids. They really liked him, so big shoes to fill,” Dunlap said. “Now that I took the role, my mindset has changed as far as, OK, let's make this happen. Even though it wasn't my goal coming in.”
Perkins and assistant Nate Fuller also will remain on the staff for Weston-McEwen, which has unfinished business after falling short of its first state championship the last two years.
“That's kind of the motto we've been pushing this year,” Dunlap said. “I know all of our seniors and some of our juniors feel that way. We kind of left Portland a couple years feeling like we should've done better than we did. I feel like there's definitely a chip on their shoulders, and as coaches, as well.”
The TigerScots can build around an experienced cast that features senior quarterback Easton Berry and senior tailback Maddox King.
“We have a lot of potential. A lot of really good athletes coming back,” said Dunlap, whose son, Jace, is a junior fullback and tight end on the team. “Our goal is a state championship. I think it's going to be the same five teams that we're competing with at the top of 2A.
“It's more difficult when you're bringing in a brand new head coach with where we're at, but it's also a convenience to have such a talented group of kids to come into.”
Dunlap was a standout athlete at Weston-McEwen, where he graduated in 1997. He was a first-team all-state defensive end in football and a two-time first-team all-state basketball player. He played basketball at Walla Walla and Blue Mountain community colleges.
Dunlap started coaching basketball at Griswold under his father, DeWayne, whose head-coaching career included 11 seasons at Griswold (1998-2009) and three seasons at Weston-McEwen (1991-94).
Dunlap, who has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, joined Weston-McEwen's football staff during Hansell's first stint as coach (2008-13). He returned to the TigerScots last season, working closely with defensive coordinator Luke Hansell and coaching linebackers and defensive ends.
Dunlap has a strong rapport with Perkins, who also assisted during both of Kenzie's Hansell stints as coach. As high school teammates at Weston-McEwen, Dunlap caught passes from Perkins.
“We grew up together,” Dunlap said. “I worked for his family, driving combine on their wheat ranch.”
Two newcomers will assume the coordinator roles. Kai Quinn, a former Pendleton quarterback who played at Eastern Oregon, will be the offensive coordinator. Sage DeLong, a Vale graduate who played defensive end at Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon, will call the defense.
“They're super high energy,” Dunlap said of Quinn and DeLong.
Quinn is installing a new offense that Dunlap said will be “more hard-nosed” than the spread offense run by Kenzie Hansell. Considering the TigerScots have a new group of receivers, they will rely more on the running game and Berry's dual-threat playmaking ability.
“Our strength is going to be Easton,” Dunlap said. “He's probably the top 2A quarterback in the state. Easton can do everything. We basically have another running back playing quarterback, so we're going to try to utilize a lot of option and some RPO stuff. We'll get our running game going and then work on timing routes.”
Mandera to Glide
Former Roseburg standout Zack Mandera, 23, has taken over as the coach at 2A Glide.
Mandera, who played running back and linebacker for the Indians before a college career at Portland State, broke into coaching last season as an assistant at Roseburg. He was a finalist for the head coaching job at Roseburg this year, and when the Indians hired Matthew Watson, Mandera began to look elsewhere.
“The main reason I took this job is I wanted to try out my own thing,” Mandera told the News-Review. “I was in college for four or five years and was under several different coordinators and saw how things were done.”
Mandera's staff at Glide includes former Roseburg players Collin Warmouth, Carson Ellis and Jace Stoffal.
“We’ll have a little bit younger coaching staff, but a lot of guys with fresh experience,” Mandera told the News-Review. “We’re going to bring a lot of energy.”
Mandera replaces Daryl Watkins, who went 11-14 in three seasons, including 3-5 in 2023.
McLoughlin hires Roff
McLoughlin, which has gone 0-21 for the past three seasons, has a new coach in Vince Roff.
Since dropping from 4A to 3A in 2021, the Pioneers have posted three consecutive 0-7 seasons. Roff, a Milton-Freewater native who assisted at Hermiston last year, is tasked with getting it turned around.
“I’m just excited to get to work and get things going,” Roff told the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. “My biggest thing is to build trust. To have a successful team, you’ve got to have trust.
“It’s got to be a family. That’s my main priority right now, to build that family mentality within the program. I think that consistency and trust between the coaches and the players can go a long way.”
Roff replaces Daniel Porter, who coached the team for one season. Jorge Estrada was the previous coach, going 3-17 in three seasons.
Corbett names coach
Corbett has filled its coaching vacancy with Jacob Phillips.
It is the first head coaching job for Phillips, a 2006 Barlow graduate who has assisted at Centennial (2010, 2016-22) and Thurston (2011-15).
“I've been hoping to be a head coach for a while,” said Phillips, the defensive coordinator at Centennial in his last four seasons there. “I've applied at a few places.”
Phillips did not coach last season and had joined the staff at Franklin when he learned of the opening at Corbett. He replaces Sean Cease, who went 0-9 and 2-7 in his two seasons.
