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After inheriting a program on a 23-game losing streak, Lowe -- who said he gets "better at my job" every week -- guided the Broncos to the No. 13 seed in the Class 5A playoff bracket



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By Scott Sepich | scott.sepich@gmail.com

For The Oregonian/OregonLive

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Photos by Ken Waz

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When Keanon Lowe accepted the head coach position at Parkrose High School last winter, he felt like he would be able to turn the struggling program around right away.

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Still, taking a team that was mired in a 23-game losing streak and qualifying for the Class 5A playoffs in his first season is quite an accomplishment for the 26-year-old former Oregon Ducks star.

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With fellow ex-Ducks Mike Garrity and Brian Jackson on his staff, Lowe’s Broncos went 5-4 this season and earned the 13th seed in the 16-team 5A playoffs. Parkrose will play the sixth playoff game in school history Friday at fourth-seeded Silverton.

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Parkrose, which last qualified for the playoffs in 2014, has never won an official postseason game. But last week’s 26-21 win over St. Helens was essentially a playoff game for the Broncos, as a loss would have ended their season.

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“For us, this is our second round,” Lowe said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve been playing for our lives for a while, because even before that we knew it would take a run to get here.”

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The Broncos needed a big defensive stand in the fourth quarter to hold on for the victory last week, something senior RJ Artis said Lowe had predicted.

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“He told us at practice last week that there would be one drive that would be the difference in the game, and he was right,” Artis said.

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Junior Jay Jay Hudson added that the team’s poise in a tight game was a “testament to our strength.”

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“Everyone knew it was win or go home and nobody wanted to go home,” Hudson said. “When everyone is working toward the same goal it’s going to be smooth.”

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Five wins would be a modestly successful season for many teams, but for a program that finished last in the OSAA rankings in 2017 and 30th of 31 teams in 2016, a postseason appearance this year was an unlikely outcome.

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“I’ve been here four years, and coaches in the past didn’t hold players accountable for things, even like being on time for practice,” Artis said. “But the new coaches came in and changed the culture and the mindset.

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“Coach Lowe told us from the beginning to trust the process and good results would come.”

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Hudson said it feels good for the Broncos to put some of Parkrose’s history behind them.

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“Despite what we’ve been through in the past, that doesn’t determine where we’re going,” Hudson said. “This has been about how hard we play and how hard we work rather than what the history is here.”

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Lowe described his first season as a head coach as “emotional for all of us coaches and for the kids.”

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“We basically started from ground zero trying to build this,” Lowe said. “We didn’t even have a lot of kids with football experience, so we had to build these guys up and the first thing was setting a good foundation.”

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That started with a demanding summer workout program that the players had never experienced before.

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“The dedication that our coaches showed and the length of time they put for our workouts, that showed how much they wanted to make a difference in the program,” Hudson said.

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Lowe said a big key for his team’s success was making football “simple and fun” for a group that was learning to play together.

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“Football is what I do and what I know, and I love teaching and mentoring kids and passing the knowledge down that I’ve gained,” said Lowe, who played under Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich at Oregon.

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“Every week I feel like I’ve gotten better at my job. I don’t know how many people thought we could turn things around here, but I knew even back when I applied for the job that we could do it.”

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Lowe said the turning point for his team came after a 23-16 Week 3 loss to Hood River Valley, a game the Broncos led by double digits. They responded to that disappointment by winning three in a row.

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“We could have gone up or down at that moment, and the kids chose to stick together,” said Lowe. “We started coaching better and doing the right things to give the kids a chance to win.”

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With only 10 seniors on the roster, the Broncos should remain competitive and perhaps even improve next year.

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“It’s been great to play with all of these young kids and show them what leadership is,” Artis said. “They know they’ll be able to win games without us seniors in the future.”

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For now, the Broncos have a major opportunity to shock the state again against a Silverton program that’s been a mainstay in the postseason.

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Win or lose, Hudson said the goal is clear for the Broncos:

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“I want to show everyone the resilience of Parkrose, and that we’re here for a reason. We belong in the playoffs.”

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