Washington County focused on process of ‘growing culture’ in Ware’s first year

It’s been a decent bit since Washington County football was the level of contender that’s the subject of major headlines and widespread conversation. 

But their recent dip in relevance not withstanding, the Golden Hawks very much remain a statewide brand, as evidenced by the name recognition the school carried with Jay Ware – who before this year had spent his entire career working in the northern half of Georgia – when it jumped off of a list of coaching vacancies he was perusing this offseason. 

The program, without the need for a Google search to locate Sandersville or phone call to a colleague to check up on its credentials, commanded instant respect. 

“I knew some people, and had heard good things about WACO, just the reputation of the school and the tradition it had,” Ware said. 

He was named the Golden Hawks’ 14th head coach in early February. And in the time since, the Rome native has had ample opportunity to familiarize himself a good bit more with their well-known traditions and culture – a process that confirmed a lot of what’s said to set this football community apart. 

Ware was perhaps most amazed to discover how much of Washington County High School’s faculty, administrators and coaches are Sandersville born and bred, and by nature folks with a firsthand appreciation of exactly what we’re talking about. But that sentiment extends well beyond campus. 

When it comes down to it, the mark of a blue-blood football school, from the northern tip of Georgia all the way to the deep south, is a town around it that cares. And there’s no question that WACO football matters deeply to people everywhere from the Fall Line Freeway to the Dairylane. 

“There’s a lot of pride in this town and this school,” Ware said. “The community’s very supportive. The main thing I say, and you don’t see this everywhere, is that they love football, and that’s a crucial element.” 

Perhaps an even more important distinction, among tradition-rich powerhouses across the state, is the rare stability the Golden Hawks have enjoyed in their recent history, with this only their third coaching change in a 30-year span of continuity likely rivaled by only the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Soon-to-be GACA hall-of-famer Rick Tomberlin presided over an undisputed golden age stretching from 1992 until 2005 that included nine region championships and three state crowns, then Joel Ingram, who was there even longer, and carried forward much of the momentum in his 16-year tenure that yielded four more region titles, and a near-miss at two more big ones on trips to the dome back-to-back seasons in 2013 and 14. 

But besides a 2016 region title, and dark-horse quarterfinal run in ’18 that produced the program’s only subsequent 10-win season, the past decade has been a regression to the mean, with seasons averaging between 5-6 wins in each of the latter years under Ingram, who would be let go in 2022, and then WACO legend-come-home Robert Edwards, who led the Hawks to a 20-24 combined record with first-round playoff exits all four years ahead of another change at the helm this past offseason. 

Though some applicants with ties were entertained in the search, the school opted for a clean start with an outside candidate they hope will bring a new voice, different approach and fresh vision that helps break up that slump. 

Ware, a product of Coosa High School who played his college ball at Huntington in Montgomery, Ala., comes to Sandersville by way of Cedartown, where he spent the last three years as offensive coordinator and running backs coach under its last two head coaches (Jamie Abrams, followed by Tommy Atha last season), following previous stops as an assistant at Alabama’s Henderson, and Georgia’s Madison County and North Oconee. 

He shares the great sense, as do most in the community, that the tools needed to be successful are built in for this program that has high expectations, and a keen hunger to get back onto the elite tier it’s competed on before. 

Finding a way to do that in the near future goes without saying as a core tenet of the job description. 

Ware is very much a process-oriented head coach, with an overarching emphasis on daily discipline at mastering the small components of excellence. 

“My main focus is just building a good culture,” he said. “It starts in the weight room, just getting kids to buy into that, getting bigger, stronger and faster, making sure that we’re holding each other accountable, working every day, working hard and being consistent as coaches. My main goal is just to put a good product on the field, have kids play fast and play hard, and the rest will take care of itself.” 

Over the spring and summer, buy-in to that mission from all corners of the building was encouragingly high. 

“It’s been a great experience,” Ware said. “There are fine people around here. The players have been awesome. Usually when you get a new coach coming in and there are changes, things shift, you may face a little tension. Our guys, especially our seniors, have really stepped up. They’ve adapted and responded the right way. The coaching staff too, they’ve been great. It’s been very positive.” 

A different look… 

In the film “Hoosiers,” townsfolk attending the barbershop reception for a newly hired Norman Dale got right to the important topics as they grilled Hickory’s new head basketball coach with some hard-hitting questions about Xs and Os. 

Longtime WACO fans, given the same opportunity, are likely to express some similar burning curiosity over Ware’s philosophical plans, which will indeed involve a little bit of wholesale change.

Though the Golden Hawks will continue to base defensively in a familiar three-man front, they’re moving to a fairly traditional version of the Wing-T, with its own unique spin, on offense. 

Though operating from under center in foundational three-back sets, they will go to the shotgun in separate, more pass-friendly packages that give defenses a different look. 

The identity is smashmouth at heart, but will build off of that with bread-and-butter Wing-T passing concepts like the bootleg and waggle, plus some ideas out of the old West Coast playbook that emphasize lateral completions on the perimeter. Ware is also a big proponent of using tempo, and quick-hitting plays to keep defenses on their toes. 

“We’ve got some athletes out there, and we can get ’em the ball real quick,” he said. “Be quick, get it out of the quarterback’s hand, playing fast. We’re not going to do much checking at the line. Get lined up real fast and run the play. 

“We try to be simple, but make it look complex.” 

Exactly how it’ll look remains to be seen, but the playbook is likely to have a little of everything from old-school power football to some of the exciting, wide-open stuff modern fans have kind of come to expect. 

“We’re going to be in a lot of different formations,” Ware said. “Very multiple, as far as our passing game.” 

Carry-over in experience from 2025 was already minimal, but the transitions in scheme have placed pretty much everyone – old and new – in the same boat of starting together from square 1. 

“I’m proud of all these guys, just because they’re learning a new system on offense and defense, and they’ve all pretty much responded in the right way,” Ware said. 

Rebuilding the ranks… 

The graduation of 22 seniors, plus a transfer or two, left some big gashes in the Golden Hawks’ lineup, which on the offensive side was set to replace all except for a single returning starter on the offensive line, junior Desean Brown (6-1, 240). 

So there probably couldn’t have been a better time for the changes that have taken everything on that side of the ball back to a clean slate. Everyone’s learning new roles and responsibilities. Plenty are changing positions entirely, as is the case for many wide receivers that have been moved from a now overcrowded position room to some new openings in a three-man backfield. 

Ware didn’t reveal much of how the inaugural two-deep is shaping up, but did identify a number of players who have emerged as key leaders this summer. 

Junior Aiden Watts (6-2, 162) has had to deal with a whole lot of that newness as he shifts from receiver to quarterback, and will also pull a two-way role as starting safety. 

“He’s worked every day to learn,” Ware said. “Being a Wing-T quarterback is not easy, especially if you’ve never done it before. He’s been a real bright spot, holding teammates accountable and executing.” 

Kamajae Johnson (5-11, 190), a non-starter but somewhat frequent ball-carrier from last year, will be one to watch out of the backfield.  

“He had some real bright spots his sophomore year,” Ware said. “He’s a really athletic kid. Very gifted, and probably one of our fastest players.”

So too is a first-timer at fullback in Daveion Holmes (5-7, 176), a senior who played exclusively defense last year. 

There’s less turnover on the defensive side, where the Hawks plan to feature two experienced inside ‘backers in Holmes and fellow senior Jakobe Poole (5-10, 200). 

Up front, senior Albert Stone (6-1, 290) is due to anchor the D-line. 

Among the mostly emerging upperclassmen, there will be some younger players carving out an early niche on the field as well. 

A few you might see quickly include sophomore running back and defensive back Greg Gundy (5-8, 155), who’s set a noticeable standard in his work during the spring and summer.  

“He does have a great opportunity to play on Friday,” Ware said. “It’s really hard to find leadership in that young group. A lot of times they’re hesitating. He’s quiet, but he leads by example.” 

A couple of other super sophomores are in the mix for some considerable action, Derrienan Wright as a running back and DB, and Harris Griffin in the lead of candidates to take over placekicking duties. 

 Ware, at this point in the process, is looking for some things in his players other than just football skills. Mastering the mechanics of the game is only a matter of repetition. Winning, though, is often as much about character as anything else. 

Above all, that’s what he wants to see in the guys that will lead the team, and accordingly shape WACO’s identity in this new era.

“I think the main challenge, always with young people, is getting them to respond the right way,” Ware said. “There are ups and downs in the season, but you’ve got to work them through that. When you go through those challenges, having the mental fortitude to get back up and keep playing, that’s a crucial element in building a good football culture.” 

Growing in a positive direction… 

It’s usually tricky trying to predict anything about a team in its first season following a coaching change. 

But recent years’ results for the Golden Hawks will likely set a record in the neighborhood of .500 as a reasonable benchmark, which also projects as the cut line they’ll need to clear in order to extend an 18-year streak of playoff appearances later this fall. 

Doing so has been an accomplishment since the dawn of the power rankings era for WACO teams that each managed to fight their way in with key victories down the stretch. 

The task may be even tougher with a move back up in class to AAA (for the first time in ’15) where stiffer competition and a much smaller concentration of private schools (who free up extra at-large spots among the 32 tournament seeds) will make the window of opportunity a litle smaller. 

But a strong slate (with rematches against ex-region rivals representing three out of four non-region games, then a AAAA pickup in Baldwin) leading into region play (Burke County, Thomson and Westside Augusta are the teams to beat in the new 4-AAA) should put high value on wins. 

Big tests loom in August and early September that should give an idea of where WACO will stand. 

For now, matching and measuring up is the least of Ware’s concerns entering a season that will be all about the long game. 

Much like it was in the spring and summer, his objective remains getting the most possible from every day of the grind. 

Eventually, and maybe sooner than later, the results will begin to match up to what the Hawks are building toward if they continue making that progress. 

“To be honest, I think the main thing is to do what we’ve been doing,” Ware said. “Just continue to work hard. I know that’s a generic answer, but if we continue to work hard, keep lifting weights, keep getting faster, keep learning to do what we’re doing on the field and just keep growing our culture in a positive direction, I think the rest will take care of itself.”