Philomath High School has a new boys soccer coach and he comes with a deep connection to the Oregon West Conference — and even a memory or two of playing against the Warriors.
Gerardo Garibay, 31, was hired to lead the Philomath program after spending nearly a decade on the coaching staff at Central High School in Independence. He replaces Dave Ellis, who coached the Warriors from 2017 to 2025 and compiled a record of 61-37-12 that included a state championship in 2021.
“I’ve coached at Central for nine years and had the opportunity to coach at every level, starting with JV2, working up to JV and serving as a varsity assistant,” Garibay said during a phone interview this week. “I’m excited to take that next step and be the head coach at Philomath.”
Garibay actually played against the Warriors — he suited up for Central from 2009 to 2013 — back during a time when both schools were in the Oregon West.
“We tied Philomath when they won the state championship in 2012,” he said.
That 2012 championship team, coached by Anton Grube, included players such as Stephen Coskey, Cameron Howard, Jeremy Goodrich, Matt St. Clair, Jack Klipfel, Truman Manning and William Karlsson, among others. Central and Philomath played to a scoreless draw to open OWC play that season, the game Garibay mentioned. The Warriors later beat Central in Independence, 1-0, on a late goal.
The familiarity with the conference and the community was a draw for Garibay.
“Following the area, I know the success that Philomath athletics has with the great support and the community,” he said. “I think what really attracted me is everything you need to build a foundation for long-term success can be found at Philomath.”
He’s also looking forward to a reunion of sorts when the Warriors and Panthers meet on the field this fall. Thanks to the latest realignment by the Oregon School Activities Association, Central is returning to the OWC. The league will include Cascade, Central, Newport, Philomath, Stayton and Taft. Philomath and Central haven’t met in boys soccer since 2013.
The Oregon West was considered the top conference in Class 4A last season — Stayton won the state championship by beating North Marion in the title match, and both Newport and Philomath finished in the top 10. In fact, the Warriors were No. 9 and runner-up North Marion was No. 10 in the final regular-season rankings.
Philomath narrowly missed the playoffs as the fourth-place team in the conference, finishing with an overall record of 8-4-2.
Garibay said that environment is exactly what he’s looking for.
“In my opinion, it’s the toughest conference in 4A and I believe that competition is only going to push us to want to grow, work harder and ultimately elevate the program,” he said.
The Warriors return strong pieces from last year’s squad despite losing nine seniors. For example, first-team all-conference selections from 2025 — brothers Jacob Hernandez and Sammy Hernandez — were underclassmen last season. Other key contributors such as Dreyton Nuño, Esias Sapp and others could also be returning.
Garibay described his overall approach as one focused on culture-building and developing players beyond just the game.
“My philosophy centers on building a program that student athletes are excited to join and want to be a part of,” he said. “I want to create a positive, competitive culture that challenges players to grow, builds strong character and ultimately helps them become better people through soccer.”
In the near term, he’s keeping his goals straightforward.
“I think the short-term goal is to build something that’s fun, that’s exciting, that’s something that they want to be a part of,” Garibay said. “I’ll learn what that looks like with just getting to know the players, getting their input, getting to know the community and building that culture for what we want to see for the program.”
Garibay officially begins the job on June 8 with summer workouts getting underway. He said he’s eager to get started.
“I’m excited to get to meet them,” he said. “We just want to build off success and what worked and make adjustments as needed there.”
