Notable California Football Program, Orange Lutheran, Parts Ways With Coach

Orange Lutheran's Rod Sherman is out as football coach after five seasons, according to an email to football families Monday morning.

Rod Sherman is out at Orange Lutheran after five seasons, including a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title in 2021. / Tarek Fattal

The Trinity League will have another new coach this upcoming 2026 season.

In a late developement relative to when most high school football coaching moves are made, Orange Lutheran told its football families Monday that its parted ways with head coach Rod Sherman.

"Effective today, Rod Sherman has concluded his tenure as Head Football Coach at Orange Lutheran High School. We are grateful for his five years of service and the contributions he made to the football program, and we wish him well," the email reads. (Full email at bottom of story)

Sherman served at the helm for five seasons, including a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title in 2021. Sherman was 33-29 in his time at O-Lu.

The move comes as a surprise after Orange Lutheran played the country's toughest schedule in 2025 including trips to Arizona and Florida. The Lancers also stunned St. John Bosco in the opening round of the Division 1 playoffs in November.

JSerra, another Trinity League team, will have a new coach this fall after hiring Hardy Nickerson, who won a CIF State title with Bishop O'Dowd in December.

ORANGE LUTHERAN FORFEITS IN 2025

Despite leading a quality program, and being a well-respected coach among his peers, Sherman did have to deal with eligibility issues this past season which resulted in forfeits of two victories against Miami Northwestern and Rancho Cucamonga.

The infractions were self reported in October which dropped the program to 2-6 instead of 4-4 at the time.

According to the OC Register, the player transferred to Orange Lutheran before the school year and was cleared to play after the school deemed the student-athlete's change of residence valid. However, after more information resurfaced and the school revisited the transfer details, the school found the change of residence was not valid.

Despite already being deemed eligible by the school — and CIF Southern Section — the newfound information can retroactively make a student-athlete ineligible. The punishment: forfeits.

“We were made aware through CIF who presented to us that they received an anonymous tip that we think it is possible that one of (our) athletes is in violation of VCR (valid change of residence) paperwork,” head of school Dr. Jack Preus told the Register. “And we discovered through our investigative process some concerns.”

Orange Lutheran made home visits and met with the student-athlete's family only to conclude the valid change of address never happened.

Falsifying documents and/or information is a violation of Bylaw 202 in the CIF Blue Book. Due to the CIF's 'cracking down' this past season, the bylaw has become more prevalent. Long Beach Millikan, Long Beach Poly, Bellflower, and most notably Bishop Montgomery, which saw 19 players deemed ineligible due to Bylaw 202, headlined the fall season due to ineligible players and forfeits.

EMAIL TO FOOTBALL FAMILIES

Dear Orange Lutheran Football Families,

In all seasons, we trust in God’s guidance as we care for our students, our programs, and our community.

Effective today, Rod Sherman has concluded his tenure as Head Football Coach at Orange Lutheran High School. We are grateful for his five years of service and the contributions he made to the football program, and we wish him well.

We understand that leadership transitions can be challenging, particularly within a program that holds deep meaning for our students, families, and community. As a school, we remain committed to supporting our student-athletes and stewarding the mission of Orange Lutheran High School with faith, wisdom, and a focus on the long-term well-being of our community.

Looking ahead, we will begin a prayerful and intentional national search for our next head football coach who aligns with our Christ-centered mission and our commitment to developing young men of character, faith, and excellence, both on and off the field.

Our priority remains the care, development, and stability of our student-athletes in a Christ-like setting. During this transition, Kyla Laulhere will continue as Football General Manager, leading all football operations, with Chris Ward serving as the program’s on-field lead coach.

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