Redmond did not have to look far to find its new head football coach. The program’s new leader was already on staff the past three seasons.

On Monday, Kyle Lavender, Redmond’s defensive coordinator, was named the Panthers’ head football coach.

“This is a place where I want my family to grow up,” Lavender said. “Being in a family full of athletes and coaches, athletics are important. It just seemed like a perfect fit; being here the last three years, finally getting to make connections with families and kids.”

Lavender takes over the top job from Brent Wasche, who led the program the past three seasons. In eight of its nine games last season (when Redmond went 4-5), the Panthers’ defense surrendered 21 or fewer points.

“(Lavender) is well respected by the players, the assistant coaches, and he has been exceptional to work with to this point,” Redmond athletic director Jesse Eveland told The Bulletin. “I know that he will continue leading a dominant defense as the defensive coordinator while also taking on the head coach role.”

Lavender has coached football since 2012. After playing tight end at Western Oregon University from 2007 through 2012, Lavender immediately jumped into coaching. He coached tight ends at Western Oregon from 2012-14, then coached running backs at Lewis & Clark College in Southwest Portland from 2014-18, returning to Monmouth to coach defensive backs at Western Oregon from 2018-20.

When COVID hit in 2020, Lavender and his family of four moved to Central Oregon and started coaching at Mountain View under Brian Crum. He became defensive coordinator at Redmond in 2021.

He was also the Panthers’ JV basketball coach the past three winters.

Lavender seemed destined to get into high school coaching. His Father, Gary Lavender, coached girls basketball at Lake Oswego from 1978 through 2004. And while Lavender was a student at Lake Oswego, he played for legendary coach Steve Coury, who has led the Lakers’ football program since 1992.

He’s hoping to re-create in Redmond the success his father had coaching basketball, and the program Coury built on the gridiron at Lake Oswego.

“That is something that I wanted to re-create wherever I was at: playing for 48 minutes, a family atmosphere and being the mentor that they were,” Lavender said.