The Glendora football program did not have to look far to find a replacement for Brandon Rohrer, who resigned in January as the team’s head coach after taking the Tartans to the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship game last season.

The school announced Tuesday that Ryan Lawrence has been hired to take over the team.

Lawrence has been an assista nt coach for the Tartans since 2018 and has been a teacher at the school for 20 years.

Glendora principal Jamie Norell announced the hiring of Lawrence as head coach in a press release.

“Rising to the top in a highly competitive selection process, coach Lawrence impressed GHS staff, former and current area coaches,” Norell stated, “and community members with his leadership, expertise and vision for the program’s continued success.

“His deep understanding of the game, combined with his passion for student-athlete development, ensures that the tradition of ‘Be the Best’ will thrive, both on and off the field. We are excited to begin this new era of Tartan football under his leadership.”

Before joining Glendora’s coaching staff, Lawrence spent time coaching at other schools. He worked under legendary coach Greg Gano in 2013, then served as the quarterbacks coach on Rohrer’s staff at Etiwanda in 2014 and 2015. Lawrence was the offensive coordinator at Alta Loma for three years under Mark Pasquerella, who is also a former Glendora head coach.

Lawrence joined Rohrer’s staff at Glendora in 2018 and served as the offensive line coach the past seven seasons.

He says he’s ready for the challenge of being a head coach.

“I’ve seen how other people have done it and I’m kind of excited to make it my own,” Lawrence said of being head coach. “I’m definitely looking forward to the opportunity. Glendora is a storied program with a lot of tradition. I’m going to keep some of the old traditions and bring in some new traditions. I can’t wait to get started.”

Lawrence’s son Sebastian is a freshman at Glendora and was the varsity team’s starting quarterback for most of this past season. He threw for 1,119 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Brandon Coronado also saw time at quarterback, and both played big roles during the Tartans’ playoff run.

“Yes indeed, I’m excited to have him in the program,” Lawrence said of his son. “But it’s not all about him. I want to make sure everyone on our team knows that I care about them. It’s about everybody.”

Lawrence likes what the team has coming back for the 2025 season, though there are some holes to fill. Glendora finished 9-5 this past season, losing to Murrieta Mesa in the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game.

“We’re losing most of our offensive line, we’re going to have to rebuild that,” Lawrence said. “But we have our quarterback coming back, two All-CIF linebackers, an all-league defensive back. So, that’s the goal, to keep it (program) rolling.”

Rohrer finished with a record of 56-23 at Glendora and led the team to the playoffs in six of his seven years. In 2021, Rohrer led the Tartans to a 10-0 regular season before finishing 11-1 overall and reaching the Division 3 semifinals. He resigned at Glendora with 99 career victories, having also coached at La Puente and Etiwanda.