At Southridge High School, football is a family affair. And for several members of the coaching staff, that’s quite literal.
Head coach Matt Johnson shares the sidelines with his father-in-law, wide receivers coach Terry Jones. Linebackers coach Andy Troxel works alongside his son, defensive line coach Josh Troxel. And the family connections don’t end there.
Johnson’s own father previously spent four seasons coaching the offensive line for the Suns, while the Troxel family carries a football coaching legacy spanning three generations.
There is plenty of good-natured teasing that comes with having so many relatives on one coaching staff. But beneath the humor lies something much more meaningful: a shared commitment to building a program where family is more than a last name.
It’s a philosophy that extends to every player who puts on a Southridge uniform, and one that is increasingly reflected in the Suns’ success on Friday nights.
A family tradition
For Andy Troxel, coaching football is practically a family inheritance.
His father, Ed Troxel, spent 13 seasons leading Kennewick High School from 1978 to 1990, compiling a 104–33 record and taking the Lions to the 1983 state championship game.
Andy followed in his father’s footsteps, building a coaching career of his own at Southridge, where he has spent 28 years. Now, his son Josh, a Southridge graduate, is continuing the tradition in his third season on the coaching staff.
“This is my 28th year here at Southridge,” Andy said. “Josh was a Southridge student, and now we get to coach together. It’s an amazing experience.”
For Josh, however, the transition from player to fellow coach has come with a few noticeable differences.
“I would definitely say I’d rather coach with him than be coached by him,” Josh joked.
Across the coaching staff, the family connections are just as evident.
Johnson is married to Mallory, Jones’ daughter and a Southridge graduate. Her sister also attended Southridge, making the school a longstanding part of the family’s history. Jones, who retired in part to spend more time with his family, has found coaching alongside his son-in-law to be a rewarding way to stay involved with the community.
“I’m just glad I had the opportunity to do that, because coaching is not something that everybody can do or get to do,” Jones said.
For a coaching staff with so many shared family ties, those relationships have become a natural extension of the program’s identity.
But the coaches say the real strength of Southridge football isn’t simply that they’re related. It’s how they’ve worked to make every player feel part of something bigger.
Beyond the scoreboard
At the conclusion of Southridge practices, players and coaches break their huddle with a chant of “Family” and a message that might seem unusual for a group of competitive high school football players.
They tell each other they love one another.
Johnson admits the tradition can initially draw a few laughs from teenage boys. But the message is intentional.
“When you love somebody and truly care about them, you want the best for them, and you’re going to give that time and effort to them,” Johnson said.
It’s a simple idea that has become central to the culture Johnson is building in his sixth season leading the Suns.
For the Southridge coaching staff, football provides an opportunity to teach lessons they hope will remain with players long after their final game.
“Football is secondary,” Andy Troxel said, explaining that the program’s creed emphasizes developing young men who will become great husbands, sons and brothers.
Johnson shares that perspective. While wins and losses certainly matter, he says some of the most rewarding moments of his coaching career have come years after players graduate.
“If you ask if I’m a successful coach, look at the kids we coached in 10, 20, 30 years from now and what they’re doing in the world,” he said.
That commitment extends throughout the staff. Josh Troxel, who once experienced Southridge football as a player, says Johnson has helped him develop as a young coach while welcoming him into the program’s broader family.
“Matt’s been so welcoming to me and helping me out as a young coach and giving me all the tips and pointers of how to be a great coach,” Josh said.
Andy credits Johnson with creating an environment where assistant coaches are trusted to bring their own experience and personalities to the program.
“He allows us to be us. He doesn’t restrain us. He lets us coach, and he expects us to coach and do our jobs,” Andy said.
It’s a level of trust that, according to Andy, is essential in a sport that requires so many people working toward one common goal.
From a team to a program
That shared commitment is beginning to pay dividends on the field.
Southridge has steadily climbed from a two-win season in 2023 to five wins in 2024 and six victories and a state playoff appearance in 2025.
Now, the Suns have opened the 2026 season at 5–1 and undefeated in MCC play, with victories over Chiawana, Kamiakin, and Hermiston, followed by a commanding 42–0 shutout of Pasco. It’s a progression that Johnson believes represents something larger than the success of any individual season.
“We talked as coaches in the spring, and it’s starting to feel like it’s a program versus being a team,” Johnson said in a preseason interview. “Our kids know the expectations. We expect to win football games.”
For Johnson, the shift has been years in the making. A veteran senior class, many of whom were thrown into significant playing time as sophomores, has helped establish a new standard of accountability and leadership.
The athletes have put in the work, from offseason training to summer workouts, and Johnson believes the confidence they’ve gained has transformed the way Southridge approaches Friday nights.
But perhaps more importantly, the players have learned to celebrate one another’s success. Johnson points to players who have scored four touchdowns in one game, only to go without a score the following week. Rather than expressing frustration, he says those same athletes are just as excited to see their teammates find the end zone.
“We have a lot of individuals that have had great success on the field,” Johnson said. “But all they care about is winning, and that their teammates and their buddies are doing well.”
It’s the kind of selflessness the coaching staff has worked to develop through its emphasis on relationships.
That doesn’t diminish the individual talent or hard work responsible for Southridge’s turnaround. Instead, Johnson believes the culture has helped bring those efforts together. A program once searching for wins is now taking the field expecting to compete.
And for the coaches, watching players embrace that collective identity has been one of the most rewarding parts of the transformation.
The next generation
For Johnson, the importance of family doesn’t end when practice does.
At home, he and Mallory are preparing to welcome their second child in November, potentially right in the middle of a postseason football run.
Their daughter, Millie, who turns three later this month, is already growing up around the program. She attends practices, proudly cheers for the Suns and has developed a particular interest in her father’s coaching equipment.
“She loves the gorilla and she loves the Suns, and I got her to say ‘Go Suns’ and ‘touchdowns,'” Johnson said. “She comes out to practice and wants to blow my whistle the whole time.”
With another baby on the way, Johnson and Mallory spent much of the summer preparing their home before the demands of football season took over.
“We’ve been trying to get as much done as we can for the baby room and everything this summer because I know once football starts, I don’t have a lot of time,” Johnson said.
He was quick to credit Mallory for managing the demands of their growing family.
“My wife’s been a rock star,” he said.
The timing of the baby’s arrival could make for an especially eventful November, as Johnson hopes the Suns will still be playing postseason football. And while balancing a playoff run with a newborn might make for an interesting challenge, Johnson has no hesitation about his priorities.
“If she’s going into labor and there’s a football game, I’m going to be with my wife,” he said.
For his father-in-law, Jones, watching Millie grow up around the Southridge program is one of the many rewards of coaching alongside family.
“That’s what I’ve wanted to be, is a father, a father-in-law, and a husband, and a grandpa,” Jones said. “That’s my goal.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes the very lessons Johnson, Jones and the Troxels hope to pass on to the next generation of Southridge football players.
Three generations of coaches have carried the Troxel family tradition through the Tri-Cities. Johnson and Jones now share the sidelines while watching another generation grow up in Southridge colors.
And within the program, players are learning that the relationships they build and the values they carry forward may ultimately mean more than any touchdown or championship.
The wins have given Southridge plenty to celebrate, but for the coaches leading the Suns, the bigger measure of success may not be fully realized for decades.
The Southridge Suns (5–1) play their next game on Thursday, October 15, against the Sageview Lobos.
