Successful coach aims to rebuild Centennial football. Here’s how he plans to do it
Centennial High announced Keelan McCaffrey as its next football coach Tuesday, tabbing the former Minico coach to turn around its long-struggling program.
McCaffrey comes to Centennial after a decorated five-year stint at Minico. He led his alma mater to a 38-13 (.745) record, won two 4A Great Basin Conference titles and was named the league’s coach of the year four times. The Spartans never missed the playoffs under McCaffrey, and they reached the 4A semifinals last fall.
But he said the potential at Centennial, the school’s administration and the opportunity to coach in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference lured him away from his hometown.
“They haven’t had a lot of success the past couple years,” McCaffrey, 30, said. “But at one point, they were a powerhouse. It’s just trying to align and get back to the old tradition that once was Centennial football.”
His hiring still requires official approval from the West Ada school board, which next meets Feb. 13.
McCaffrey replaces Matt Greene, who went 3-21 in three seasons at Centennial before resigning earlier this month. The Patriots haven’t posted a winning season or made the state playoffs since 2010. Centennial’s 10-year playoff drought stands as the second-longest in the 5A classification behind Boise (20 years).
But McCaffrey said he sees potential at Centennial, the fourth-largest school in Idaho with 1,939 students in last fall’s statewide enrollment count.
“With 2,000 kids in our school, there’s a thousand male athletes,” McCaffrey said. “If you have a thousand male athletes, I hope that I can find 100 dudes to play football. It’s a matter of getting in the halls, getting around these kids and getting them out to play football.
“… We have to increase the numbers and increase getting kids out for football, and then the potential will take its course.”
McCaffrey graduated from Minico in 2010 before walking on and eventually earning a scholarship as a linebacker at Idaho State. He returned to his hometown, spending two years as an assistant before taking over the program when Tim Perrigot resigned after 22 years.
The Spartans remained a perennial contender under McCaffrey and built one of the state’s top running games out of the Wing-T offense. Minico ran for 294 yards per game last fall, the third most at the 4A level.
McCaffrey inherits a Centennial program that installed the Wing-T last year. But he hasn’t committed to running the offense again at Centennial.
“If I get over there and there’s a bunch of tall kids, I’m going to have to probably throw them the football,” McCaffrey said. “But if I get over there and there are tough-minded kids, that will kind of play more to my style.
“Do I want to run the Wing-T? Absolutely. I’ve always been a Wing-T guy. But I also understand in football, it’s whatever you give me. I’m going to adapt so we’re successful.”
Centennial marks the latest coaching change in the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences this offseason. In the past month, Owyhee hired Jason Burton, Skyview promoted longtime assistant David Robinson and Capital tabbed Kevin Hastin as its next coach.
Open positions remain at Bishop Kelly, Caldwell and Nampa.
This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 1:45 PM.
