Hedin steps in as interim football coach

Gary Hedin has been a part of the Outlaws' football program for 15 years and has easily stepped into his new role as the interim varsity football coach for the upcoming season.

Hedin has been both a player and a coach and is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the game. Gary played quarterback and middle linebacker for four years at Gaston High School under Bob Macauley, who was Gaston's head football coach at the time.

Following high school, Hedin was a linebacker for two years at the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT). He went on to earn his degree in Education and Chemistry at NW Nazarene College in Napa, Idaho in 1995.

Hedin began his coaching career in Sisters in 1997 and helped coach the eighth grade boys football team at the middle school. The following year he moved to the high school to help coach and has been there ever since. Over the course of those 15 years, Hedin has coached every position on the field and was part of the 1998 and 1999 state champion teams.

Hedin told The Nugget that there's something special about Outlaws' football, including a tradition of excellence.

"There's always been an expectation of what it means to be an Outlaws football player," said Hedin. "You're expected to play at the best of your ability every time you step on the field. Our opponents have always known that when they face Sisters they're facing one of the top teams in the state and a team who pays attention to the little things."

Gary loves the sport and feels that football teaches a lot of life lessons.

"When you're on the field you learn how to work with others toward a common goal," he said. "You learn how to face adversity and how to overcome it and react to it.'

Hedin is looking forward to the season ahead and hopes to continue the Outlaws' tradition of excellence.

Gary Pepperling, Randy Burdick and Tim Barrier return as part of the coaching staff and Randy Gardner, John Barresse, Kort Horner and John Downs will join them for the first time this season.

Hedin and his wife Stephanie have two children, Annika and Landry.