Football is poised for a comeback at McNary High School with a new coach and a new league of competitors.
The OSAA on Monday, Feb. 3, approved McNary’s request to drop down one classification in football, from 6A to 5A.
The move comes as the Celts welcome Josh Riddell, a standout player once at McKay High School, as the new coach.
The changes are part of the strategy of Athletic Director Brad Lomax “to recharge the culture” around football.
The Celts haven’t won a game in the past three seasons. Their last win was in November 2021. The junior varsity season was canceled last season.
“When people aren’t winning, they just don’t want to come out. It’s hard work,” Lomax said.
The program had 87 players last year, 97 the year before.
His plan to rejuvenate football in Keizer starts with the elementary schools.
He notes his own 10-year-old son “lives and breathes McNary sports. That’s what he dreams about. What I want is my dream that every kid that grows up in Keizer has that same drive.”
McNary petitioned the OSAA to move down a notch in competition, participating in Special District 2.
The petition said that in the past season, the Celts had “zero wins at any level within the program,” suffered “multiple blowout losses” and the forfeiture of five junior varsity games “due to lack of players.”
The petition concluded: “The McNary football program needs a reset.”
The Celts won state titles in 1997 and 2001.
Lomax played for North Salem during the 1997 season recalls the support for McNary football in the community.
“The whole city was there. You had youth football on the sidelines,” Lomax said. “It was an event.”
“Our goal should be to get all our youth in Celtic sweatshirts at the football games on Friday night dreaming of the opportunity to play for McNary.”
– Brad Lomax, McNary athletic director
He wrote in the petition, “The McNary High School football team needs to drop a classification for a few years to allow us to grow our numbers by placing an emphasis on our youth program, build a culture and community within the football program that aims to find victories in our work and preparation.”
He said the football program suffered by “not dedicating an adequate amount of time to the feeder programs and an absence of a positive football culture within the building.”
Lomax detailed McNary’s plan to change that in the petition to OSAA.
That starts with seven elementary schools that feed into McNary. McNary will dispatch high school players to visit the elementary school, host a flag football tournament and put on a summer camp.
At the middle schools, their coaches will be invited to attend high school camps, attend clinics with McNary coaches and join in team dinners at Friday games.
“Our goal should be to get all our youth in Celtic sweatshirts at the football games on Friday night dreaming of the opportunity to play for McNary,” the petition said.

NEWS TIP? Send your suggestion or tip to [email protected].
KEEP UP – SUBSCRIBE: Get around-the-clock access to news about Keizer with a digital subscription to the Keizertimes. It’s secure and takes just a moment when you go HERE.