Football coach Rod Sherman out at Orange Lutheran after five seasons
After five seasons as football coach at Orange Lutheran, Rod Sherman is leaving. The school announced Monday that “effective today, Rod Sherman has concluded his tenure as head football coach.”
Last week, there was speculation of Sherman’s future after a social media post indicated he was out as coach. In response to a text, Sherman said he was still head coach.
Sherman, who also helped his wife, Kristen, coach flag football at Orange Lutheran, went 3-9 last season, including two forfeit losses. During the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, the Lancers upset No. 1-seeded St. John Bosco.
His team won a Southern Section Division 2 championship in 2021 and went 33-29 overall in five seasons. It was his second stint at Orange Lutheran. He had been an assistant coach and athletic director starting in the 1990s when Jim Kunau was head coach, then left to be a head coach in Colorado. The school indicated it will launch a search for Sherman’s replacement.
His wife is still listed as Orange Lutheran’s flag football coach but that is expected to change, too.
The team’s general manager, Kyla Laulhere, and offensive line coach Chris Ward will run the program until a new head coach is finalized. Ward, a graduate of Mater Dei and UCLA, has no interest in being head coach. Offensive coordinator Austin Pettis, an Orange Lutheran graduate, could be a top candidate.
Coaching in the Trinity League has become similar to a college or NFL team. The expectations are so high that not winning at a top level can result in a coaching change within three to five years. JSerra also made a change this past season. Santa Margarita had a first-year coach this past year, alumnus Carson Palmer, who won a Division 1 and state title.