Thibault Comes Home as Centralia’s Football Coach

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Jeremy Thibault’s been talking about the Centralia job for a long time.

For almost two full decades, really — since his college days, when he’d hang around throwing out what-ifs with former Centralia High School classmates and college roommates Duane Bailey and Scott Phillips.

“It’s probably like 18 years we’ve thought about it,” Thibault said.

It’s not just a what-if anymore.

Thibault was officially approved by the Centralia School District’s board of directors on Wednesday night to become the Tigers’ new head football coach.

Thibault, a 1996 Centralia graduate, comes to the Hub City from Toledo, where he’s been the Indians’ head coach for the past five season.

“I think anybody wants to come home and give back to the community and the school and the program that they’ve played in. I think that was, or is, his drive,” Centralia athletic director Scott Chamberlain said. “He just wants to see us be competitive, year in and year out.”

Thibault’s Indians posted a 40-15 record in his five years at Toledo, with three state playoff appearances and trips to the 2B semifinals in 2014 and 2016. This year’s squad lost to Napavine, 31-28, in the semifinals, in the closest game of the year for the eventual state champs — a game played, coincidentally, at Centralia’s Tiger Stadium.

Even with the coming-home aspect, though, the decision wasn’t easy.

“I’m a pretty emotional guy. I like things that are comfortable, and Toledo’s comfortable,” Thibault said. “I think our coaching staff was the most fun time I’ve had, and I’ve been coaching almost 20 years. Those guys are a blast.”

The administration at Toledo was great to work with, he added.

“And then the kids … we’re going to be competitive every year, and that was a tough thing to leave,” he said. “To give that up, to walk into an unknown, was tough.”

Thibault spent eight years as an assistant to Centralia head coach John Schultz, for whom Thibault played in high school, stepping away from the program when Schultz ended his 22-year run with the Tigers after the 2010 season.



Thibault takes over for Matt Whitmire, who led the Tigers to a 14-22 record during a four-year run that started in 2013. Whitmire took over for Steve Amrine, now the head coach at Kelso, whose teams went 5-13 in 2011 and 2012.

Chamberlain listed off Thibault’s success at Toledo, his experience working with Schultz, his familiarity with the district and program, and his alumni status as positives in his application.

“I think all of those were, in their own ways, strengths, that when you put it all together made a really good package,” he said.

The in-game sets and play-calling won’t be much different than what fans have seen in Toledo the last few years — a base Wing-T package on offense that can also spread the field, and a 5-2, slanting, pursuit defense.

The early goal, Thibault said, is just getting kids on the football field.

Centralia graduated 19 seniors, including nine starters, from a team that went 3-6 in 2016. Thibault said he knows only the basics of the personnel off last year’s team: Joseph Pineda can run, Jordan Thomas is an athlete, and Kolby Baird is a standout punter.

“Other than that, I don’t know much about them,” he said. “That could be a wild card, right there, if we get 20 or 30 kids out that just didn’t feel like it. Who knows? I don’t really know much about them. It’s the great unknown.”

Toledo athletic director Grady Fallon said hiring a new football coach is at the top of his list of priorities. The job was officially opened on Monday.

“We think it’ll be open for a week, and see what happens, and try to go from there,” Fallon said. “If we’ve got qualified people, we’ll close it and screen them, and move on.”

There’s already been several phone calls and emails from interested parties, he added.

“He left it in great shape. Everything’s lined up for spring, and next season’s ready to go,” Fallon added. “You can’t ask for somebody to leave on better terms — plus, he’s going to his home town. Why wouldn’t you want that for somebody? I want to keep him, of course, but you can’t blame him at all.”

Note: Chamberlain said the school had 18 applicants for the job, five of whom were interviewed.