MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – When the Panthers opened the 2026 season on Aug. 21 at home against Fall River, it marked the beginning of a new era with Maxwell product Zach Urrutia coaching in his first game at the helm of the varsity squad.
A 2007 graduate, Urrutia went on to play football at Southern Oregon University and began coaching the JV squad three years ago.
With the retirement of varsity coach Lane Davis last spring, it was a natural progression for Urrutia to step into the position, but also something he had thought about since returning home to Maxwell.
“I love being around this game and this community. I think something I learned going to school and playing here was the idea about how important it is to build community. Now that I’m starting to coach the kids of people I went to school with, it’s all coming full circle.”
One of the advantages Urrutia feels he has in taking over the team is the familiarity with the players he developed coaching the JV squad.
“I know them and they know me. I learned a lot about them not just based on what they did on the field but also by giving them rides home from practice and things like that. Understanding their personalities is important.”
Urrutia inherits a team that at times lit it up offensively as they rolled up 4026 yards of total offense or 309.7 per game and averaged 30.8 points, although in its four losses were outscored 138-29.
This season the Panthers plan to stick with the spread, but new offensive coordinator Kurt Barrett plans on mixing in some pro-style sets as well.
Stepping in at quarterback this season will be senior Vincent Orozco, who last season logged 7.8 yards per carry average as a running back.
Players to Watch
Despite not throwing a pass in a game in 2025, Orozco says he feels confident due to the reps he got in practice and says he enjoys the position because he is part of every play and can also get his teammates involved.
In other aspects of the offense, Maxwell is looking to junior Lucas Bowen as the primary running back, along with senior Landon Barrett to lead a core of receivers that will also include sophomore speedster Louis Minutti in the slot.
Seniors Colt Montgomery and Tyler Polit will be fixtures for the Panthers’ line on both sides of the ball.
Montgomery, who recorded 87 total tackles or 7.3 per game and 19 for losses in addition to being the center on offense, was a warrior for Maxwell last year, and likes the way the new staff is drawing on the strengths of the team saying, “It’s been great so far. There is a new philosophy but they are building on who we were.”
Defensively, the Panthers under its new coordinator Ryan Travis, who played his high school football down in Arbuckle, before moving on to College of the Siskiyous and Eastern New Mexico University, will employ a 4-2-5 scheme.
At the heart of it will be Barrett, a relentless defender and the team’s leading tackler from a season ago when he made 101 total tackles including 19 for losses.
In assessing the current defense Barrett feels it is up for the challenge stating that, “There is a new perspective, but the fact that we are hard-hitting is not different. We are a smaller team this year, but we’re close knit and that helps when things get tough.”
Those reduced numbers are nothing new in Maxwell where class size can vary greatly year to year, but to deal with the concern Urrutia simply says, “I tell them we can’t get hurt or tired. So, we are focused on becoming the best athletes we can be on the field.”
For the past two years, Maxwell’s season has ended in heartbreak after falling in respective Northern Section CIF Division VI title games to Los Molinos and Redding Christian, but it is something that the team hopes to rectify in 2026.
One important progress check in the pursuit of that goal will be the Sept. 11 game in Palo Cedro when the Panthers take on the reigning champion Lions in a non-conference game, although no matter the outcome Maxwell is assuredly one of the favorites in a wide-open Mid-Valley League.
MAXWELL PANTHERS
Mid-Valley League
2025-26 record: 9-4 Overall, League 5-1
Playoffs: Lost to Redding Christian in NSCIF D5 championship game
Offense: Spread
Defense: 4-2-5
Facility: Maxwell High
Head coach: Zach Urrutia 1st season (0-0)
Assistant coaches: Kurt Barrett, Ryan Travis, Scott Wells, Wyatt Charter, Will Kuska
2026-27 Schedule
Aug. 21 Fall River
Sept. 4 Weed
Sept. 11 @ Redding Christian
Sept. 18 Trinity
Sept. 25 @ Quincy*
Oct. 2 Portola
Oct. 9 Williams*
Oct. 16 @ Hamilton City*
Oct. 23 Bye
Oct. 30 Biggs*
Nov. 6 @ Los Molinos*
*denotes Mid-Valley League game
2025-26 Results
L Rio. Vista 0-26
W Weed 54-0
L Redding Christian 22-30
W Mt. Shasta 72-14
W Biggs* 49-34
W Quincy* 42-7
W Los Molinos* 49-7
W Portola* 38-7
L Hamilton City* 7-56
W Williams* . 49-21
W Quincy** FF
W Biggs** 17-8
L Redding Christian** 0-26
*denotes Mid-Valley League game
** denotes NSCIF D5 playoff game