Aaron Tanabe inherited a tall task this year when he was hired as the football coach at Southridge, which has recorded only three winning seasons since capturing the 6A title in 2008.
The once-proud Skyhawks lost players when nearby Mountainside opened in 2017, eventually leading to them dropping to 5A in 2022 and 2023. They returned to 6A last season, finishing 1-8 overall, 0-5 in the Metro League.
Tanabe, the coach at 4A Seaside for the last six seasons, doesn't pretend to have the secret sauce for Southridge to regain its former glory. But as a former center at Linfield, he has a strong conviction about building a foundation.
“I tell these kids all the time, 'I was an offensive lineman, we're going to run the football,'” Tanabe said. “The priority is to build this team up front. That's our emphasis. We've got to fix the trenches.”
A native of Hawaii, Tanabe began coaching after his playing career at Linfield. He assisted at 3A Amity for one season and spent four years on the staff at then-4A Valley Catholic (2014-17), the last two as offensive coordinator.
He joined Seaside's staff as associate head coach in 2018, when the Seagulls made the state final, and became their head coach in 2019. In six seasons with Seaside, he went 28-25. In 2023, the Seagulls won the Cowapa League title and reached the state semifinals.
Tanabe sought a change after last season, when Seaside finished 5-5.
“I was looking to move back to the valley,” said Tanabe, who served as Seaside's athletic director in his first six years at the school and switched to teaching health and PE last year. “I kind of missed being here.”
The Southridge job opened with the resignation of Kevin Bickler, who went 22-50 in eight seasons. Tanabe was intrigued by the possibilities.
“Just meeting with the people, everybody in the room, they cared so much about this program,” Tanabe said. “They were so invested. Even though it's in Beaverton, it had kind of a small-town feel that I really wanted. The people there are really close. That kind of stuck with me, like, 'OK, this would be a fun project.'”
Increasing turnout is a point of emphasis. The program's numbers were in the low 40s at the end of last season, and Tanabe is looking to be above 60 this season. The Skyhawks have only seven seniors returning, but Tanabe is encouraged that 23 freshmen have signed up.
“We can start establishing our systems, what we want,” he said. “The thing that gave us some success in Seaside, the first one was the weight room. I think it carries over to that blue-collar mentality.”
Tanabe said he was encouraged by the progress the team made in spring practices, which ended early this month.
“I think they're hungry. They want to get better,” he said.
The Skyhawks are trying to establish an identity up front, which also reflects on the team's new offensive line coach, Jakob Pruitt, a multi-year starter at center for Western Oregon.
“We're going to run the ball, but we're going to do it creatively,” Tanabe said. “I just think that travels. That wins in November. I believe in it. And we're going to stop the run. It's really simple.
“We're trying to build a football team, not a 7-on-7 team. I think we're making strides in that direction.”
Tanabe will be the offensive coordinator. Andre Cobbs, the father of senior quarterback Micah Cobbs, will remain as defensive coordinator. Among the new additions to the staff is Liam Walsh, the defensive coordinator at Valley Catholic in recent seasons. Walsh, who coached with Tanabe at Valley Catholic, will be Southridge's special teams coordinator.
“I feel really good about the coaching staff we've got,” Tanabe said. “That's one of the benefits of being in the metro area, I'm closer to more of my connections.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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