White tagged as first AHS alumni to fill head coaching role for Grizzlies Football program
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
New Ashland football coach Greg White spells fun differently: W-I-N.
Go figure; White became familiar with the feeling of victory under longtime coach Jim Nagel. He was Nagel’s first quarterback in 1983, when Nagel inherited a program that hadn’t seen a playoff in three decades. For the next 20 years after Nagel arrived, Ashland made the playoffs, including that first season with White as quarterback. Now, White has been tagged as head coach for his alma mater, the first Ashland alum to fill the role.
And White brings with him a similar desire to win.
“It’s a lot more fun to win than to lose,” White told Ashland.news during practice on Wednesday.
As Ashland High School’s football program preps for the season opener against the Del Norte Warriors on Friday, Sept. 5 at Walter A. Phillips Field, White is optimistic about the growing Grizzly program, which is seeing a significant boost in numbers, with more than 60 players dressing this fall, according to White.
“Should be fun, we’re excited, the kids are ready,” White said.
Friday is also Ashland football alumni appreciation night as well. All former Grizzly football alumni will be invited on the field and presented with jerseys at halftime.
Aside from being an alum himself, White is Dad to three football alumni: Danial, Ethan, and Gavin White.
His sons also participated in the Pacific Rim Bowl, including oldest son Danial White who was inducted into the PRB Hall of Fame this summer.
“He’s the only Ashland quarterback to beat Japan twice,” White said.
Del Norte a “run-heavy” team
The Grizzlies are coming off a 2-7 record from last season, including a 28-20 loss to Del Norte.
“Coming in the first year as coach, I want to obviously do better than that (win-loss record),” White said.
White described Del Norte as “pretty run-heavy,” with a school of similar size, but emphasized optimism looking ahead.
“We went there last year and they beat us and so we’re hoping to return the favor here on Friday night – Protect our field,”
White said. “If we can slow down the running attack, then we’re gonna be okay.”
White said he has the first dozen plays scripted.
“I’m not afraid to line up and run the ball – I was a quarterback, so of course I want to throw it, that’s kind of my jam,” he said.
“If we’re having success running the ball, we’re gonna keep running the ball, because it’s all about the score at the end of the day.”
Ashland last made the playoffs in the fall 2023 season under former head coach Beau Lehnerz.
Young, quick talent
“We have a lot of young kids, a lot of young athletes out here, but we have a really good group of seniors,” White said. “Of the nine (seniors) we have, they’re all going to be key guys,” he added.
At 6-feet-2 and 170 pounds, sophomore Colton Hernandez will start as quarterback.
Hernandez is a three-sport athlete, making varsity in his freshman year in football, basketball, and baseball.
White said he’s the fastest player on the field.
Hernandez played safety last year and backup quarterback to JoJo Harrower last fall. This year, he made the switch to quarterback.
“We’re going to keep him healthy,” White said.
“He’s got the size, he’s got the arm, he’s just a super good athlete and I’m excited to coach him for the next three years.”
Some players played Varsity as freshmen last year because the numbers were down, White said.
“I won’t have any freshmen dressing or playing for varsity football (this year),” he said.
This season, White moved senior Oscar Hernandez from wide receiver to running back.
“He’s been doing great at running back,” White said.
“He’s gotten the hang of it,” he added. “He’s gonna be great for us.”
White also praised senior tight end and linebacker Ayden Welch as having “probably the best hands on the team.
“(Welch) just catches everything that comes his way,” White said.
“He might be one of our two-way guys (playing offensive and defensive line),” White added.
White also praised 240-pound, 6-feet-one senior Liam Puckett, who will start as center, who White expects will help the team’s pass protection.
“(Puckett’s) going to have a fantastic year,” White said.
“We’re building the future, but I think we’re going to surprise some people this year with our skill and our speed and athleticism.”
White said while the Grizzlies didn’t participate in a jamboree this summer, many of the players practiced with and/or participated in the Pacific Rim Bowl along with the Phoenix High School Pirates as the South Valley Wolfpack, coached by former Ashland High and Southern Oregon University football coach Charlie Hall. Hall is currently the head football coach at Phoenix
White served as an assistant coach on the South Valley Wolfpack staff this year, which he told Ashland.news earlier this summer, helped him focus on preparations for the upcoming season.
The Japan All-Stars bested the South Valley Wolfpack 49-0, following a welcome week hosted by the Wolfpack.
“We had a couple kids a little banged up after the game, but they’ve all recovered,” White said. “We have all our kids ready to rock and roll.”
On coaching Ashland: ‘I’m loving it’
Despite being involved in Ashland football for the last two decades, including in youth programs, White said he never saw himself becoming head coach at Ashland.
“That was never my goal,” White said, “but now that I’m doing it, I’m loving it. I’m having a great time and kids like to play for me. Our numbers are fantastic right now.”
Now that White is head coach, he has had the help of his own former coach as he settles in to start the season. Nagel is also listed as an assistant coach in the lineup, in addition to former Ashland and Oregon Duck standout as well as former NFL player Chad Cota; Tito Soriano, Tim Hernandez, Austin Brower, Rob Levorse, Scott Robinson, Nehemiah Dedmon, Tyvauntae Deloney, and Ty Haggard.
“(Nagel’s) just been an awesome mentor for me,” White said, noting he’s helping with practice and game prep.
“We’ve had many lunch meetings … to be able to just bounce ideas and stuff off him. Couldn’t be more excited to have him as part of our process.”
White has taken to Nagel’s approach of holding weight training four mornings a week leading up to the season during the summer.
“Every kid made progress during the summer,” White said.
Aside from prioritizing weight training, White also emphasizes one of the program’s core values of Class, Family, Effort, and Tradition, emphasizing effort over all of the others.
“I need kids to play as hard as they can when on the field,” White said. “Daily, daily, the kids are probably tired of hearing me talk about it. “I said, if you make a mistake I’m going to be okay with that, because that’s part of football, but if it’s because you’re not trying or you’re taking a play off, then you’re going to be standing next to me on the sideline cause I’d rather have a kid out there that’s giving us 100% than someone that’s just kind of taking a break.”
White said the players all know him from youth football, too, and can anticipate his coaching style.
“It’s all positive – now we just need to go win some football games,” he added.
The Grizzlies face off with North Bend at 7 p.m. on Oct. 3 in Ashland for the first league matchup.
To view the season lineup and roster list, go online at ashlandfootballclub.com, where games will also be livestreamed.
If you go:
What: Season football opener vs. Del Norte Warriors
and Alumni Appreciation Night
When: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 5
Where: Walter A. Phillips Field, 201 S. Mountain Ave.
To view the season lineup and roster list, go online at ashlandfootballclub.com, where games will also be livestreamed.
Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
