In 2022, Josh Gray was a 21-year-old fast food worker in Portland who was looking to break into coaching football.
Four years later, Gray is heading into his first season as the head coach for a 6A high school team.
Gray has taken over at Southridge, replacing Aaron Tanabe. Gray assisted at Cleveland (2022, 2024) and Franklin (2023) before joining the Southridge staff last season as the JV coach and varsity offensive assistant.
“It really hasn't hit me just yet,” Gray said. “There are some days that I'm like, 'Oh, I'm just another assistant,' and I have to remind myself, 'This is my program now.' I'm just trying to do the best I can as someone that's so young and with not a ton of experience.”
Gray graduated in 2019 from Ione, where he played eight-man football. He spent a season on the team at College of the Siskiyous in California, but after an injury, returned to Oregon.
“I really wanted to get into coaching,” he said. “A buddy of mine was like, 'You should probably go the youth route first.'”
But Gray saw an ad for coaches needed at Cleveland. He emailed then-Warriors coach Trevor Smith, interviewed, and landed a spot on the staff as a defensive line coach.
“I just tried high school coaching and fell in love with it,” Gray said.
Gray was the JV head coach at Franklin in 2023 and returned to Cleveland in 2024 as the varsity defensive coordinator. He switched to Southridge last year when Tanabe took over as coach and was promoted after Tanabe left to be the tight ends coach at Linfield University.
Gray inherits a program that has struggled in recent seasons. The Skyhawks have finished 1-8 in each of the last two seasons since returning to the 6A Metro League after a two-year stint in 5A.
Lack of players has stunted Southridge, according to Gray. The program's turnout was in the mid-50s last year and dwindled as injuries piled up. Gray said his JV team finished the year with a little more than a dozen players.
But early signs are positive for Gray. He said attendance has been in the 50s during summer workouts, including a dedicated nucleus of about 20. The program appears to have retained virtually all of its freshman players from last year, and some seniors are back in the fold after missing previous seasons.
“We have kids coming back out and wanting to get involved in what we're trying to build,” said Gray, a para educator at Southridge. “Our numbers are trending upwards, for sure. The target number is to be in the 70s for the year.”
Southridge's youth program has reinstated a grades 7-8 team, which was missing for the past few years. Gray said that 32 players are committed to the team.
On the field, the challenge for Southridge will be matching the physicality of its foes.
“We did a padded spring this year, and it really helped kind of get our kids confident in being physical,” Gray said. “We're just taking it back to fundamentals. We're going through tackling circuits a lot more. We're teaching a lot more of the basics of football.
“I think the physicality is there. And the competitiveness and talent is improving, as well.”
Southridge returns its starting quarterback in senior Connor Harding and has a promising receiving corps with seniors Wyatt Bickler, Cody Harrington and Zach Turner, a baseball player who is turning out for football for the first time in high school.
Bickler, the son of former Southridge coach Kevin Bickler, is the leader of the defense at free safety. Gray believes Bickler, who has filled out to 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, is primed for a big season.
“He put on a lot of muscle. He looks a lot different than last year,” Gray said.
Gray said the depth in the trenches is “impressive,” with as many as 28 linemen participating in practices. It has been bolstered by the addition of senior center Tristan Lulay, who came over from Valley Catholic after the Valiants were unable to field a team this season.
Liam Walsh, who joined the coaching staff from Valley Catholic last year, will be the offensive coordinator. The Skyhawks, who ran the wing-T last season, plan to run a mix of the spread and West Coast offense this year.
Southridge plays Century, South Salem, Gresham and Forest Grove before going into Metro play. Gray said he has seen a prediction of the Skyhawks going winless and is using it as motivation.
“I was a little upset at first, then I was like, 'I love that we're that underdog,'” he said. “I'm hoping we can surprise some people.”
As he prepares for his first season as a head coach, Gray said he has sought advice from Franklin coach Adam Grimes and Horizon Christian coach Keith Bennett.
The learning curve will be steep, but Gray said he is thankful for Southridge athletic director Trisha Shoemaker “and everybody at the school for really believing in me, and taking a chance on me.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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