Purely in terms of predatory attributes and intimidation factor, the fearsome mountain lion certainly trumps the stately beaver. That probably wasn’t Jimmy Joyce’s only reason for moving from the Beaverton Beavers football program to become the new head football coach of the Canby High School Cougars — but who knows? It may have played a factor. (Probably not.)
Canby High School announced Joyce as their choice this week to replace Mike Vaught, who was let go last year following a brutal season in which the Cougs lost every game, and never really seemed to have a chance in most of them.
“Canby football has long been a cornerstone of this great and storied community,” Coach Joyce said in a video released by the Canby School District. “I cannot wait to get to know each and every one of you in the weeks and months ahead, and start the hard work of rebuilding this program to where it should be: contending for league championships and making deep playoff runs each fall.”
Coach Joyce started his coaching career at Sunset High School, which is also in Beaverton, before spending seven years as the offensive coordinator for Beaverton High. The team made the playoffs every year Joyce was there, and had two appearances in the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2016.
They went 4-6 last year, but defense, rather than offense, seemed to be their problem most of the time. They averaged almost 30 points a game.
Canby, which has not made the playoffs in football since 2014, needs help on both sides of the ball, but Coach Joyce’s offensive acumen will surely come in handy. Last season, the Cougs were outscored 331-62 over the course of nine games.
“I cannot wait to bring my knowledge and experience to the blue and gold,” Coach Joyce said. “I want to thank you all for this opportunity and I look forward to making you all proud.”
