Troy Larsen Takes Over Cardinal Gridders this Fall

WAITSBURG – Troy Larsen knows a thing or two about coaching football. He has been an assistant coach – both volunteer and paid – for the past 15 years for the Waitsburg and WP teams.

Larsen takes over head coaching duties next season, after the resignation of longtime head coach Jeff Bartlow.

"He's been with me since my second year," Bartlow said of Larsen. "Troy is a deep seated Cardinal. He is a community guy and has a love for Waitsburg. He's the right man for the job."

Larsen is a Waitsburg native and a 1987 graduate of WHS. His father, Ed Larsen, was school superintendent here for many years. Larsen raised his family here – his son, Talen, graduated this spring.

During a spring practice session earlier this month, with temperatures in the mid-90s, Waitsburg players were in full pads doing light drills. Between team water breaks, Larsen talked about his team for the coming year.

"We lost a lot of key players to graduation," he said. "But we have a great group of kids coming back."

Last year's starting quarterback, Jacob Dunn, will be a junior in the fall, with lots of experience under his belt.

"We have our whole offensive line back," Larsen added. "So we feel real strong about that part of the offense."

Larsen expects two Jubilee Academy students – brothers Travis and ReSean Crockett – to play big roles at running back next year. He expects to test several players as pass receivers, including the Crocketts.

"We have some big holes to fill there," said Larsen. Dunn's two main targets last year, Devin Acevedo and Owen Lanning, both graduated.

On Defense, Larsen said he will switch to a 4-3 lineup, from the 3-4 that Bartlow has run for the past few years. "That's based on the players we have," he said. "We're returning some excellent experienced linemen, but we graduated our best linebackers."

Larsen has run the offense for the past three years, and ran special teams prior to that. Assistant Coach Alan Wilson, who has been on Bartlow's coaching staff for eight years, will take over the defense.

Bartlow finished his 16th season last fall. He decided to step away from the head coaching role so he could travel to his son, Zach's, games.

Zach Bartlow is starting quarterback for Eastern Oregon University. He will be a redshirt junior next fall.

"With Friday night games and film work on the weekends, there was no way I could go and follow Zach," Bartlow said.

Bartlow is not getting totally out of football at Waitsburg however. Next year he will take over coaching duties for Waitsburg Middle School football.

That position came open after the Waitsburg-Prescott athletic combine was dissolved effective next year. The two schools will each field their own middle school football teams.

Prescott players will continue to play on the Waitsburg High School football team. That team will now be called the Waitsburg Cardinals, however.