Ware named the sole head coach at VCS

Eagles had two head coaches

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Valley Christian’s two-year experiment with co-head coaches for the football team is over.

Monday, Dolph Carroll, Valley Christian’s athletic director, said that Jomont Ware is now the Eagles head coach.

Jeff Hether, who has been co-head coach with Ware for two seasons, now has the title of associate head coach.

“It’s not going to change anything, really,” Ware said. “It’s been working [fine], our relationship is the same, we communicate the same way.”

Ware the decision was Carroll’s.

“We didn’t take this to him,” Ware said.

After the 2016 season, Albert Jennings stepped down after one season as the Valley Christian head coach.

Ware was the assistant head coach to Jennings and Hether an assistant before the school made the unusual move of naming co-head coaches.

Carroll said the school felt that two co-head coaches was needed “at the time to make a difficult situation more amicable.

“It seems to have worked well for us.”

Before their first season, Hether said, “It’s not a bad idea — we already share everything.

Ware concurred.

“We talk a lot, which is great. We get along — there is no ego battle.

“We’re in it for one thing — the kids.”

Hether took charge of the offense and Ware ran the Eagles defense.

In 2017, the Eagles went 5-5 and qualified for the postseason. They were seeded sixth in Division VII Region 25 and lost a first-round playoff game at East Canton, 37-7.

Last fall, history repeated as Valley Christian went 5-5 to qualify for the Region 25 sixth seed. The season ended with a first-round loss to Mapleton, 47-28.

Ware said the Eagles have plenty of work to do to get ready for fall. Altwjuan Beck-Lindsey, who will be a junior, most likely will replace Milan Square at quarterback.

“He reminds me of a miniature Milan,” Ware said of Beck-Lindsey. “We’ve lost a couple of key guys [to graduation].”