Lundyn Waithe graduated from Centralia High School in 2016 he never imagined he would return so quickly, much less in as many roles as he now carries. A former Orphan basketball player under Coach Lee Bennett and an all-conference soccer standout who once held the program’s goal record, Waithe was invited back almost immediately to join Bennett’s staff as an assistant coach. “Pretty quickly out of high school, Coach Bennett asked me to come in,” Waithe said. That invitation launched a cycle of giving back that has only expanded in the years since.

By 2021, he had added assistant coach for boys soccer to his schedule. The following year, he took over as head coach for girls' soccer, creating a juggling act that often requires him to leave one practice and rush across town for a basketball game. “There’ve been times where I’ve gone straight from girls' practice to the gym for a basketball game,” he said. To him, that pace isn’t a burden—it’s part of the responsibility he embraces.

Coaching, he has found, is both different from and deeply connected to playing. “Soccer is kind of a sport where you really have to adapt every year based on your team’s strengths and weaknesses,” he explained. “We’ve not had the same play style any of the years I’ve been here.” Waithe credits mentors like Coach Martin, Travis Sanders, and Coach Marcum with teaching him how to see the game from a leader’s perspective, shaping him into a coach who can build a team identity around whatever roster he inherits.

That adaptability, he admits, is the essence of coaching: recognizing potential before young athletes can see it in themselves, and guiding them toward maturity. “It’s seeing the kids grow up from their freshman year, where they don’t know what they don’t know yet, and then watching them progress into young adults,” Waithe said. “Some show signs earlier than others, but they all grow in different ways.”

The lessons, however, aren’t confined to sports. Waithe also serves on the school’s technology team, keeping classrooms connected, systems secure, and staff supported. Recently, he stepped into a larger role when a colleague left, adding even more to his already full plate. “It’s a lot more than people realize,” he said. “Making sure everybody can access the Internet properly, making sure everything gets unblocked that needs to be unblocked, keeping things blocked that need to be blocked. It’s just making sure everybody can do their job smoothly.”

In that sense, his work in tech mirrors his work in athletics: both require vigilance, problem-solving, and a commitment to making sure others succeed. “You’ve got to fix the problems that occur and then figure out how to keep them from happening next time,” he said.

Despite the long hours and the constant motion, Waithe remains grounded in what makes Centralia special. “Everybody around here looks out for each other,” he said. “The teachers and staff are all inviting. If you ever need help, they’ll lend their hand. It’s that small community lifestyle.” That lifestyle shaped him as a player, and now it sustains him as a coach and colleague.

His admiration for Coach Bennett runs deep. “He’s definitely a great role model for a lot of people here in the school, whether they play for him or not,” Waithe said. “I think his impact is instrumental and kind of what Centralia probably stands for.” It’s no surprise that Waithe describes Bennett as one of the giants on whose shoulders he stands, echoing the influence of others who shaped his journey through soccer as well.

As he looks back, Waithe sees no single moment that defined his return to CHS. Instead, he describes a habit of “rolling with the punches” and doing what needs to be done—whether that’s staying late to help a player with technique or troubleshooting the school’s network for the next day. The payoff, he says, comes in the growth of the students. “These students, they’re not just athletes, they’re people,” he said. “They’re learning how to govern their lives in ways that are going to benefit them down the road.”

From soccer fields to basketball courts, from server rooms to classrooms, Lundyn Waithe has become an integral part of Centralia High School. Not long ago, he was one of the students running these same halls. Today, he’s the steady presence behind the scenes, showing the next generation what commitment to community truly looks like.