Decorated coach hired to rebuild Capital football. ‘He knows how to build a program’
Coming off the worst football season in its history, Capital High hired a man known for rebuilding struggling programs.
Kevin Hastin will become just the seventh coach in the Eagles’ history, the school announced Wednesday. He brings a 62-40 (.608) career record to Capital after stops at Troy in Southern California, and at Newberg and Sherwood high schools outside of Portland.
“I’m just going to come in and run the program like I have in the past, holding a high standard with everything we do in the classroom and around the community,” said Hastin, 42. “That has always carried over into doing great things on the field.
“Establishing that culture of being a cut above the competition in everything we do is paramount.”
Hastin recently led both Newberg and Sherwood to league titles, winning a Pacific Conference coach of the year award at both Oregon schools. In four seasons, he rebuilt a struggling Newberg program into a contender. He then took over a powerhouse at Sherwood in 2021, maintaining its status as a premier program and reaching the Oregon 6A state quarterfinals.
Capital Athletic Director Jason Willer said Hastin’s success in several types of programs, from blue-collar schools to established powers, stood out among the candidates.
“He just comes with a wealth of knowledge,” Willer said. “When we did background checks, he was highly recommended from everyone he worked with, from the coaches around him to the coaches he competed against.
“There’s a tremendous amount of respect for him. He knows how to build a program, and we’re excited about it.”
Hastin replaces Jay Bohner, who resigned in November after one season at Capital. The perennial power struggled to a 2-7 record last fall with a young roster, snapping a streak of 15 straight playoff appearances, then the longest active streak in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference.
Hastin, a former Portland State linebacker, moved to Idaho last year. He started the fall as the head freshman coach at Owyhee before finishing the season as its varsity offensive coordinator. He said he didn’t get to see Capital much last fall, but he added the program’s reputation preceded it.
“Just through word of mouth and people I’ve talked to around the valley who have coached against them, there’s some young talent coming up through the program,” Hastin said.
“They were a young team last year. But I have to get eyeballs on them and start evaluating players in the weight room and in offseason workouts. That’s priority No. 1.”
Hastin plans to run the offense at Capital. He comes with a reputation as a Wing-T coach, but he said he will spread the ball around and run sets out of a shotgun formation if he has the players to do it. He noted that during his one season at Sherwood, the Bowmen had one of the leading receivers in Oregon.
Capital’s hiring continues an offseason of change in the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences, which will see seven new head coaches next fall.
Former Borah coach Jason Burton will take over at Owyhee, and Skyview promoted longtime assistant David Robinson. Bishop Kelly, Caldwell, Centennial and Nampa are all still looking for their next coach.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 6:29 PM.
