Will Whitley isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.
The 31-year-old was named head coach of the Tigard football team this past offseason, and he’s now tasked with getting the program back on track. It’s a program that has been in a bit of flux in recent years.
Whitly will be the fourth head coach of Tigard in the last five years. For the senior class, he’ll be their third head coach.
“It’s a challenge, but I’m here for a reason,” Whitley said. “I accept the challenge. It’s the toughest league in the state. Nothing will be easy for us. That’s the mentality we’re putting into our boys. Our work ethic has to be great.”
So far, Whitley is pleased with the effort the team has put in this summer. While it’s been a crunch to try to install his system since he was hired in April, the coaching staff and players are working hard to make everything as seamless as possible.
Whitley wants the Tigers to play “fast and physical” on both sides of the ball.
“We’re not the biggest team, so we have to be locked in,” he said. “We have to be disciplined, and we have to know what we’re doing, because if you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t play fast.”
While it’s Whitley’s first year as head coach, he has some experience with Tigard. He spent last season as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at the school. Before that, he spent a few years on the coaching staffs at Southridge and Mountainside.
Prior to that, Whitley was playing collegiately. He grew up in Memphis, Tenn., graduated from high school in 2013, and then went on to play wide receiver for the University of Tennessee at Martin. After college, he started training players out in California, and then moved to Oregon in 2022 with his wife, a West Linn graduate.
“That’s the thing I try to tell these kids is I’ve been where you want to be,” said Whitley. “We have a lot of young coaches on our staff, but we have a ton of experience. If you say you want to get to a certain level, we have the tools to get you there.”
While the seniors on the team haven’t seen much success in their time at Tigard, Whitley said they’re hungry to finish strong. One such player is receiver and safety Jaxon Lee, who Whitley called the “heartbeat” of the team.
“He’s got to bring the energy for us,” Whitley said. “Some people lead by example, and some people just bring energy. He’s that guy for us.”
Another leader for the Tigers is senior quarterback Aris Dimick, who will be starting for the third straight season for Tigard.
“He’s the chillest person in the room,” Whitley said. “He just wants to work. That’s all he cares about: working and being the best senior he can for this whole program. He stepped up and helped our younger quarterback, who is going to be a sophomore. He showed him leadership skills and told him things he would’ve done differently as a sophomore on the team.”
Whitley thinks the senior quarterback is in for a big year.
“He’s been the quarterback for the last two years, and we have four wins total,” Whitley said. “On paper, that doesn’t look good. Losing is always hard. He has embraced it, and he wants to be great. He has the offense tailored to him and his strengths now. We’re going to really see what he can do this year.”
Taison Cepeda is a junior, but he’s another player leading the charge for Tigard.
“He’s one of our hardest workers,” Whitley said of the running back. “He leads by example and holds the team accountable. He does it all.”
One thing Whitley wants to do this year is let his leaders step up on the field.
“I call players, not plays,” he said. “We’re getting our guys the ball and letting them make their plays.”
Whitley thinks Tigard has the chance to be an explosive team on both sides of the ball this year.
“We have playmakers,” he said. “I feel like we’re going to get turnovers, and I feel like we’re going to be able to put the ball in the end zone.”
One area where he does want to see improvement this year is playing strong all four quarters.
“Last year, I felt like we were a one-half team,” he said. “We played well in the first half and fell off in the second, or we came out slow and picked things up in the second half. Now we have to be a four-quarter team. That’s about our conditioning and being prepared and in shape.”
Whitley is excited for fans to see the team this year, but it’s not just the players and coaches who are excited for a new season of Tigard football. The new coach added that he can feel the excitement in the community.
“We just had our scrimmage out here, and it felt like a Friday night game,” he said. “People were lined up all over the place. The expectations and energy are kind of high right now. We have to come in and play our best and weather the storm when things aren’t exactly where we want it to be. As long as we do what we’re supposed to and play Tigard football, it’s going to be a successful season in our eyes.”
There hasn’t been much successful football for the Tigers in recent years, especially in the win column.
Last year, Tigard finished 1-8 on the season, including a 0-5 record in Three Rivers League play. The year before, the Tigers went 3-8 but made the playoffs and won their first-round matchup. The last time Tigard finished above .500 was in 2022, when the Tigers went 6-4.
Tigard is always going to have a tough schedule as a member of the Three Rivers League, which includes rival Tualatin, reigning state champ Lake Oswego and perennial powerhouse West Linn.
Whitley thinks he and the Tigers are ready for it.
“It’s a challenge that I would accept any day of the week,” he said. “I would not want to be in any other league right now in the state of Oregon besides the Three Rivers League. I have a lot to prove. These kids have a lot to prove. This community has a lot to prove. Our plan is to bring Tigard back to the top.”
