Marist Catholic fires football coach after blowout win over Cottage Grove

Marist Catholic High School opted to part ways with head football coach Zach Loboy this week after a blowout win.

On Oct. 9, Marist Catholic Athletic Director Rick Gardner informed the team’s parents via email that the school “made the decision to remove Zach Loboy from his position as Head Varsity Football Coach, effective immediately.”

The decision was made after Loboy’s Spartans beat visiting Cottage Grove, 63-0, on Oct. 9.

“What happened there is really not reflective of the school’s mission and how we want to treat our opponents,” Gardner told The Register-Guard. “Our athletic program tries to adhere to the mission and the values of Marist Catholic High School. In this particular case, we definitely fell short.”

Gardner declined to elaborate further on the school’s decision.

Loboy did not immediately respond to The Register-Guard after multiple requests for comment.

The Spartans and Lions did not play the second half of the game.

Gardner, Cottage Grove Athletic Director Garrett Bridgens, and Lane County Football Association Commissioner Mike Whitty made a mutual decision that it was in the best interest of all involved that the game did not continue after halftime.

“It wasn’t a forfeit; it wasn’t that our coaches and players did not want to continue,” Bridgens told The Register-Guard. “We were working in the best interest of our kids, our fans — the entire situation — to do what was best for everyone. This was the ADs and the commissioner of officials working together to make that decision.”

In the statement sent to parents, Gardner announced Jake Lowther as Marist Catholic’s interim head football coach.

Lowther, who began the year as the Spartans’ offensive line coach, was previously an assistant coach at Cascade High in Turner.

Marist Catholic, which won the 2024 Class 4A state title, is 3-3 on the season and 2-1 in Sky-Em League play. The Spartans will travel to North Bend on Oct. 16 for their next game.

Jarrid Denney is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. He can be reached at jdenney@registerguard.com or on X @jarrid_denney

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Marist Catholic fires football coach after blowout win over Cottage Grove