Meet the new head coaches in 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A Oregon high school football

A former NFL defensive end and a university's all-time leading receiver are among the new faces leading Oregon football programs in 2024

Josh Line went from one Eugene school (Sheldon) to another (Willamette). / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

The 2024 Oregon high school football season kicked off last weekend with some Week 0 games, and the official Week 1 is this weekend. 

Here, we take a look at the programs with new head coaches in the state’s four highest classifications. 

NEW COACHES IN 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A

CLASS 6A

Steven Andreen, Barlow

Replaces Tracy Jackson

Andreen worked in Southern California for a decade before moving to Oregon in 2018, spending the past four seasons at David Douglas as the JV head coach and varsity offensive coordinator.

Todd Crist, Tigard

Replaces Ken Feist

Crist was an assistant last season under Feist, who took over on an interim basis in August after John Kemper resigned to coach in Texas. Crist played at Linfield and has coached in the Tigard program (youth and high school) for 17 years.

Charlie Landgraf, Central Catholic

Replaces Steve Pyne

Landgraf takes over one of the highest-profile positions in the state, replacing Pyne — the first 6A coach to win five state championships who left for Union High School in Vancouver, Wash. — after one successful season at Marist Catholic in Eugene.

Tyler Martell, Sheldon

Replaces Josh Line

Martell played for the Irish’s 2007 state championship team, then returned to his alma mater after graduating from the University of Oregon, becoming the defensive coordinator in 2017.

Dustin McGee, Liberty

Replaces Eric Mahlum

McGee, an Arkansas native, arrived at the Hillsboro school after taking a circuitous route from 2A Santiam (24-18 and the state runner-up in 2017) to Ezell-Harding Christian in Nashville, Tenn., where he won a state title in 2019, then spending a year each at Centralia and Meadowdale in western Washington.

Robby Scharf, Wells 

Replaces Keith Bennett

Scharf took over this summer after serving as an assistant for Bennett last season, helping the  Guardians win their first PIL championship in more than a decade.

Caleb Singleton, North Salem

Replaces Jeff Flood

Singleton was the Vikings defensive coordinator for three seasons before being elevated to the top job after Flood retired after 32 seasons, the last 16 at North Salem.

Josh Vanlue, South Salem

Replaces Scott Dufault

The Saxons have had only seven coaches in the school’s 70-year history, with Vanlue becoming the latest after serving under Dufault for the past eight seasons as offensive coordinator.

Dan Weaver, Westview

Replaces Jamal Jones

Weaver takes over a program that went through a summer of upheaval after the dismissal of Jones following an incident at the Linfield football camp in June. 

Jay Williams, David Douglas

Replaces Cal Szueber

Williams played at Portland State and professionally in the Arena Football League and Indoor Football League as a wide receiver before spending the past seven years as a Scots assistant.

CLASS 5A

Kyle Lavender, Redmond

Replaces Brent Wasche

Lavender has a coaching pedigree — his father, Gary, went 544-190 (No. 8 on the state’s all-time wins list for girls basketball) at Sheridan and Lake Oswego — and spent the past three seasons as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator.

Josh Line, Willamette

Replaces Kevin Leonard

Line resigned at Sheldon to have more time to watch his daughter, Bailee, play her final season of high school volleyball, but when the Wolverines came calling and were willing to accommodate a schedule that allows him to do both, he took on the task of rebuilding a program that has gone 5-22 the past three years.

Tim Price, Centennial

Replaces Butch Self

Price has bounced around the Portland area since arriving in 1997 at Jefferson, moving to Parkrose, Roosevelt and Milwaukie, as well as coaching the Oregon Ravens in the Women’s National Football Conference.

Ken Ramirez, McKay

Replaces Brandis Piper

Ramirez works with Pacific Islander students in the Salem-Keizer School District, primarily at McKay, and has coached high school football for two decades.

Dwight Roberson, Corvallis

Replaces Tom Casey

The former Oregon State linebacker served as the Spartans defensive coordinator in 2017-18 before spending the past six seasons coaching in the Salem-Keizer School District, including as an assistant at South Salem last year.

Matthew Watson, Roseburg

Replaces Dave Heuberger

Watson was receivers coach and offensive coordinator at Roseburg the past seven seasons after starting his career at his alma mater, North Bend, and spending three years in Rock Springs, Wyo.

CLASS 4A

Orlyn Culp, Mazama

Replaces Vic Lease

Culp was a head coach for 23 years in Northern California, with stops at Yreka and Red Bluff, before joining Lease’s staff last season as the JV coach and an offensive assistant.

Matt Green, Henley

Replaces Alex Stork

Green spent the past six seasons as an assistant under Stork, working with the offensive and defensive lines the past two years.

Zach Loboy, Marist Catholic

Replaces Charlie Landgraf

Loboy, a longtime Spartans assistant, was the defensive coordinator last season as the program reached the 4A state championship game.

Jonathan Simpson, Milwaukie

Replaces Tim Price

Simpson took over the Mustangs in mid-May after Price left to head up the Centennial program.

Nate Timmons, The Dalles

Replaces Marc Schilling

Timmons became the program’s third head coach in the past four years after the 2010 Riverhawks graduate served as a varsity assistant (quarterbacks and special teams) and JV head coach last season.

CLASS 3A

Neil Elshire, Madras

Replaces Judd Stutzman

The former Minnesota Vikings defensive end (1981-86) moved up Highway 97 from Bend, where he was the defensive coordinator at Caldera, to take over the White Buffaloes.

Ty Hargis, Scio

Replaces Justin Guest

Hargis, a graduate of nearby Lebanon who completed his career at Pacific University as its all-time leading receiver (213 catches for 2,201 yards), was an assistant at Gaston last season.

Pete Machacek, Harrisburg

Replaces Chase Beach

Machacek was a JV assistant at Junction City last year, helping the Tigers reach the 4A state quarterfinals.

Mark Moore, Newport

Replaces Dan Schaffeld

Moore is a Newport lifer, having graduated from the school and serving as campus dean for the Lincoln County School District before getting the head coaching job in mid-February.

Josh Overstreet, Klamath Union

Replaces Rob Clifford

Overstreet, a graduate of nearby Henley and Oregon Tech, was an assistant for the football and baseball programs last season.

Vince Roff, McLoughlin

Replaces Daniel Porter

Roff, a Milton-Freewater native who was an assistant at Hermiston last season, will try to turn around a program that has gone 0-21 the past three years and hasn’t posted a winning record since 1996.

Bobby Walker, Amity

Replaces Baltazar Campuzano

Walker is a 2001 Amity graduate who helped the Warriors win the first three of their four consecutive 2A state championships. He coached the JV team last season.

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