Chad Kessler
Head Coach

Coach Kessler attended South Eugene High School, class of ’83. He received an undergraduate degree in Social Science with a minor in English Literature from Linfield College. He received his graduate degree in Education from Pacific University. His hobbies include "anything outdoors." He is a devoted husband to Christi and a loving father to three girls: Sami (Samantha), Tate (Tatum) and ZuZu.

Sean Emrick
Varsity Offensive Coordinator

Coach Emrick played football at Marist High School and received his B.A. from Boston University in 1991. He's coached football for seven years, the last three years at South. Sean and his wife Dani have two sons atttending South, Braeden, a junior, and Keegan, sophomore class president. The Emrick's daughter, Marin, is a seventh grader. Sean says that family, work and football (in that order) take up "110 percent!" of his time. He works at Brown Contracting and does enjoy traveling and skiing at Bachelor in the winter. His philosophy of coaching football is that it is just like life itself: "It's about the process of getting to the end result, and the experiences and little life lessons that are learned along the way."

Ramone Reed
Varsity Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker Coach

Coach Reed has coached South football for four years; he also coaches JV basketball. He previously coached both football and basketball for Marist and is a 2005 graduate of the University of Oregon. He is the parent of a son and daughter, and also is a social/juvenile counselor. In his spare time he enjoys "good food" as well as basketball. Ramone's philosophy is to use sports to teach life skills.

Shannon Sharp
Varsity Receiver and Defensive Back Coach

Coach Sharp played football and coached at South Albany before joining the South Eugene staff this year. He and his wife met while attending Oregon State University, have been married 11 years, and now have a baby son, Beckham. Self-employed in real estate for 10 years, he sees football as "leadership through action." Core principals of life--integrity, cause and effect, accountability and responsibility--are leadership skills learned through the game.

Don Oakerson
Varsity OL & DL, Head JV Coach

Coach Oakerson has coached both Pop Warner and youth soccer teams; this is his second year with South football. He played fullback for Wayne St. College in Nebraska, and Nebraska football continues to be one of his major interests. Don and his wife Jodi have been married nearly 22 years and have two children. Chelsea is the Honors Program at the University of Oregon and Ian is a sophomore at South. The coach says he strives to "teach kids to love the game of football" and "play with high energy and high intelligence."

Ryan Weaver
JV Offensive Coordinator

Coach Weaver, a former South football and basketball player, is in his fifth year of coaching, his second with this JV staff. He attended the University of Oregon and also has experience coaching 7th-9th graders. He and his wife of four years, Robin, welcomed their first daughter (Reagan) in July. He works for Tyree Oil and enjoys sports and outdoor activities as well as spending time with family and friends. He believes the most valuable characteristics that sports promote are "teamwork, commitment and work ethic."

Daryl Hubler
Head Freshman Coach

Coach Hubler has eight years of coaching experience at South. He attended Medford Senior High School and Oregon State University. Outside of his job as Information Technology Project Manager at PeaceHealth, his interests include hunting, camping and sports psychology. He and his wife Darla have two sons, Tyler and Colton, both graduates of South. Daryl believes it's important for a coach to explain terminology, communicate, and emphasize academics, as well as "establish a work ethic and encourage players to finish."

Brett Thornton
Freshman Defensive Coordinator

This is Coach Thornton's second year coaching at South. He's attended Lane Community College and he and his wife Michelle have twin boys, Brandon and Blake. His major interests include other sports, such as basketball and softball, and he especially enjoys Duck football. He believes his job is to listen to and understand his players, and then give them the knowledge they need to help them on and off the field.

Dillon Bennewitz
Freshman Line Coach

Coach Bennewitz comes to South after attending and playing high school football in Southern California. He received numerous college scholarship offers including with the Ducks, but injury forced him to change direction. He now attends Lane Community College and studies sports medicine, interested in becoming a strength and conditioning/football coach, teacher, and even youth minister. Dillon enjoys working out and spending time at his little sister's track and cheerleading events. His philosophy: "Pain is weakness leaving the body, so deal with it!"

Ryan Walsh
Freshman Receiver and Defensive Back Coach

Coach Walsh played football for South for all four years, graduating in 2007, and is now in his first year of coaching. He currently is enrolled his senior year in Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon, and is working on an internship for ELAW, a non-profit environmental law firm. Coach Walsh emphasizes that football builds strength of character, both mentally and physically, that can be utilized after football.

Marlee Hansen
Athletic Trainer

This is Marlee's 12th season here at South. She earned her MS from the University of Oregon in Exercise and Movement Science, with a focus on Sports Medicine. Marlee and her husband Ryan have two small children: six-year-old Braiden and Morgan, who's almost four.