‘He oozes energy and excitement.’ Former player hired to rebuild this football power
Matt Greene held a front-row seat to the Centennial football program’s decades as a state powerhouse.
He grew up in the high school’s neighborhood, idolized its players and then donned the maroon and silver during its glory days.
Now he’ll try to return the program to the top.
Centennial High announced Greene as the fourth football coach in the school’s 33-year history this week. He replaces David Koch, who resigned in December after four seasons.
Greene still lives in the neighborhood and called the opportunity to take over his old high school a dream job.
“It was a tough decision (to leave Borah),” Greene said. “But it’s a dream come true. Knowing coach Neumann, he’s been a mentor my whole life. So it’s coming full circle.”
Greene’s hire is still pending school board approval.
Greene graduated from Centennial in 2008 and played under legendary coach Lee Neumann. He volunteered for the team’s summer programs for four years, then interned with the Patriots in 2012.
He left the Boise campus to pursue a master’s degree at Idaho. He returned to the Treasure Valley in 2015 and caught on as the defensive backs coach at Borah, where he also led the strength and conditioning program for the athletics department and helped coach the Lions’ high school and American Legion baseball teams.
The 29-year-old said he struggled leaving an up-and-coming program like Borah, which has reached the 5A quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons. But the allure of home was too strong to overcome.
“He’s going to bring energy and youth and a get-after-it approach,” Centennial Athletic Director Jon Watson said. “We were just looking for that boost of energy that comes with a charismatic leader. And he oozes energy and excitement.”
Greene will need that energy to revive his alma mater, which has fallen on hard times since he was a two-time all-conference defensive back.
The Patriots haven’t reached the state playoffs since 2010, the second-longest drought in the 5A classification behind Boise. They also haven’t posted a winning record since 2010, when they finished as the 5A state runner-up.
Centennial once stood as one of the premier programs in Idaho, winning state championships in 1996, 1999 and 2003. It qualified for the playoffs 18 times in 24 years under Neumann, including 10 trips to the semifinals in 11 years between 1996 and 2006.
Greene said that is the tradition he wants to restore.
“Being a part of the alumni committee at Centennial, there’s not a good connection right now,” Greene said. “That’s what I hope to bring back — having that legacy and upholding what Centennial was and is and will be.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 4:08 PM.
