Each week, we visit with a Georgia high school coach and try to find out much more about the coach, his or her background, and the path that brought them to their current position. This week we are pleased to welcome the head football coach at Veterans High School, Josh Ingram, for our “4 Questions” spotlight.
Coach Ingram is in his second season as the Warhawks head coach, and at the time of this writing, he has his Veterans football team playing well. Despite a tough 49-41 loss to crosstown rival Perry, Veterans and Ingram are 2-1 with consecutive home wins at Freedom Field to start the season. The region portion of the 2023 schedule is coming soon, and I’m sure he will want the Warhawks to fare better this year than last, when they dropped all but one of their region games and missed the state playoffs.
Let’s see what coach Ingram has to say about the season so far, and what he expects from his team the rest of the way.
Q. Coach Ingram, thanks so much for joining us. Before we get into questions about the current season, let me ask you about the path that led to you becoming the head football coach at Veterans. What was that thing that inspired you to want to become a football coach? Where were you before arriving in Kathleen?
A. I grew up in McDonough, Georgia and played for coach Bob Stinchcomb at Eagles Landing High School. My wife and I were high school sweethearts and her father, George Phillips, was also one of my coaches. My parents were divorced and these two men played a huge role in my development. The impact that they had on my life inspired me to get into coaching.
I started my coaching career at Maryville College after I graduated, working with the offensive line. I was then hired by Jarrett Troxler at Lakeside Evans as the offensive coordinator in 2010. After my time at Lakeside, I took a position at Thomson High School working under coach Rob Ridings. We had a pretty good run for the three years I was there, but eventually I wanted to move closer to family. In 2018, Milan Turner had just accepted the head coaching job at Veterans, and after visiting the area and seeing his vision, we made the move to Middle Georgia. Houston County is a special place. Our family has established roots here and we are thankful to serve the community at Veterans High School.
Q. Let me ask you about last season, which was your first year as a head coach. You had taken over from an experienced coach, Milan Turner, who left for the college ranks, going to Georgia Southern. You improved the team from a two-win season in 2021 to a 5-5 record, yet did not make the playoffs. How would you grade your first season?
A. Everyone always told me that you are never ready to be a head coach until you get thrown in the fire. My first year was definitely a learning experience, but I loved every minute of it. I was an offensive coordinator for 13 years, so the change was something I needed to continue to grow as a coach.
I felt like after the dust settled in January, I was able to go back and evaluate our program from a different perspective. While there were things that I thought we did really well, I knew that there would have to be some changes moving into this season. So, to answer your question, I would say I had a passing grade, but the goal is not to be average, and to get into the postseason. I truly believe our program’s best days are ahead of us.
Q. Coach Ingram, as I mentioned in the introduction, you have this year’s Veterans football team off to a good start with a couple of wins. It’s a fairly similar situation as last year’s, when you started off 4-1 and things were looking quite promising until the region part of the schedule kicked in and put your team into a bit of a tailspin, when you dropped four of your final five games. Do you feel like this year’s team is built differently and is poised to produce different results heading into region play?
A. Region 1-6A is one of the toughest in the state. We had a lot of young kids playing for us last season. We are a year stronger and more experienced. Our program is hungry to compete in this region. We know the level of play and what it will take to get the job done. I know we have a better team than we did at this time last year. We are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best programs in the state.
Q. Speaking of results and getting the most out of your team as you head into the second half of the season, who are some of the key leaders you are hoping can rise up and become vocal leaders in the locker room and leaders by example on the field? Who are you expecting to emerge as your coaches on the field?
A. Preston Bird is poised to have a special year. He has been a three-year starter for us and is the one who pushes his teammates to be their best everyday. Our quarterback, Jake Maxwell, has also had a ton of playing experience and has really started to command the offense. We have a lot of guys on this roster with previous experience, but we are constantly talking about player leadership within our program. My expectation is that our seniors will take accountability for this team and help our program continue to climb.
