Ware County Gators
Gator Bait
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jason Strickland’s 2025 edition of the Ware County Gators was a senior led group that rolled into the GHSA playoffs with an 8-2 record in a very tough region and title aspirations.
After a first round dismantling of Flowery Branch the Gators moved on and ran into a juggernaut in the Creekside Seminoles. One of the top high school football programs in the nation took it to the Gators early and often. The result was a 9-3 final record for a great group of seniors at Ware County High School.
Now looking toward the 2026 season, the Gators will be young, very young.
Gone are Ja Mario Rice, DL Walker Hudson, DL Seth Seuss, LB Nick Grant, LB Avontae Ballentine, RB Jamir Boyd, RB Tayshaun Franklin, OL Landon Smallwood, OL Carson Hall, and OL Kyler Matthews.
There are others but needless to say that’s a long list of experience and talent that has moved on. The question is are the Gators gonna reload or rebuild?
Several quality players are back for the ‘26 season and Ware is a talent hotbed so the cupboard is definitely not empty.
Leading the 2026 Gators will be returning Quarterback Isaiah White. He was an All-Region player last year and should be one of the top players in south Georgia this year.
And he will have Ja’Londi O’Hara, and Gunter Fore back at wideout. Both were All-Region last year.
Several other pieces of the puzzle are back also on offense so the Gators should be ok. Replacing those 3 All-Region linemen will be key.
Returning are RT Jaylen Sturdivant and OL Kydarian Bennett. These guys will be the leaders with a bunch of young Gators vying for playing time behind them.
At running back look for Moomoo Mckoy and Jimmy Taylor to step in and fill some big shoes from last year. Coach Strickland thinks both of these guys could be special. Great ability and good speed. Coach called them slashers. The offense will be good and look for White to have an All-State type of year.
The defense will be a work in progress with most of the front 7 graduating. There is talent all over and while these aren’t the biggest group of Gators we’ve seen on defense, they are fast and strong.
Jamarion Keyhay returns at linebacker and is a team leader. Add in Rod Lewis and Jameer Barkley who are coming back from injury and this defense could be good.
Davion Jones returns at corner and will also handle kick returns and punt returns.
One big returning piece to the puzzle is Jeffery Gonzalez. The veteran will handle the kicking and punting for Ware and should be one of, if not, the region’s best.
Landon Smallwood will be missed at snapper and there are three young ones trying to fill those big shoes.
Ware County Gators 2026 Schedule
8/7 vrs Brunswick (scrimmage)
8/21 @ Bainbridge
8/28 @ Coffee
9/11 vrs Richmond Hill
9/18 vrs Groves
9/25 @ Statesboro
10/2 vrs Richmond Academy
10/9 @ Evans
10/23 vrs Jenkins
10/30 @ Wayne County
11/6 vrs Benedictine
The 2026 edition of the Gators will be fun to watch. The backfield could be electric. Add in the returners on the O-line and at wide receiver and Coach Strickland has a lot to work with.
Defensively the Gators will be just as fun. With a good returning group of leaders, the Gators will fly all over the field with stunts and slants, using that speed and power.
Add in very good special teams play and the Gators will be a force in the region and a dangerous group of reptiles come playoff time. The Gators are reloading!
Ware County Gators 2025 Preview
By: Cameron Miller
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2024 football season for the Ware County Gators was one of transition, determination, and flashes of promise for the future.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Jason Strickland, the Gators finished with a 6-6 record overall and a 3-2 mark in the competitive AAAA Region 1.
While the journey wasn’t always smooth, Ware County earned a spot in the postseason, securing a first-round playoff victory before falling in the second round.
Playing one of the tougher schedules in the state, the Gators managed to average 29.8 points per game while allowing just 20.5, a testament to their balanced approach on both sides of the ball.
The Gators enter their 2025 campaign as a season of change and growth, with a major change at quarterback. With former signal-caller Luke Hooks having graduated, the team is turning to junior Demitris “Isaiah” White to take the reins.
White, now in his first year as a starter, last season showed flashes of potential while on the field.
Ware County will open their season at home on August 15 against a tough Appling County squad, followed by a matchup with Coffee on August 22. The team will then travel to Bainbridge on August 29 before enjoying back-to-back bye weeks to regroup and adjust.
The midseason stretch includes matchups against Lincoln, Benedictine, and New Hampstead, setting the stage for a strong finish against Region 1 foes Perry, Warner Robins, and Wayne County.
The offense last season was led by standout running back Jamir Boyd, who averaged 58.7 yards per game and scored 12 total touchdowns. Boyd’s ability to pick up tough yards and break away for explosive plays gave the Gators a steady presence in the backfield.
White will also be able to lean on a pair of versatile weapons: Tayshaun Franklin, who lined up at both tight end and wide receiver and Jalondi O’Hara, a consistent threat on the outside.
Franklin averaged 56.8 yards per game and tallied 8 touchdowns, while O’Hara contributed 48.5 yards per game and 7 scores. Together, the trio gave the Gators a balanced offensive attack that kept defenses guessing.
Defensively, Ware County will be anchored by dominant defensive lineman Walker Hudson, who turned in one of the best individual performances of the season last year with 9.5 sacks and 44 total tackles. His presence in the trenches created havoc for opposing quarterbacks and helped the Gators maintain pressure throughout games.
Supporting Hudson were linebackers Seth Suess and Jamarion Keyhea, who added 36 and 33 total tackles, respectively.
The defense consistently kept Ware in games, holding opponents to just over 20 points per contest on average.
After a hard-fought regular season, the Gators punched their ticket to the playoffs, where they picked up a solid win in the first round.
Their season ended in the second round, but the experience gained by the younger players bodes well for the future.
Coach Strickland’s squad showed plenty of grit, bouncing back from tough losses and continuing to battle week in and week out.
With core contributors returning and valuable playoff experience under their belts, the Gators appear poised to take the next step in 2025.
With talent across the board and momentum heading into the offseason, Ware County’s future looks bright as they aim to climb back toward state title contention.
Gator Roll
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Ware County Gators finished the 2020 season with a 10-2 record. Those two losses came to Warner Robins and Cartersville each by 3 points. Those teams played for the 5A State Championship last fall.
Head Coach Jason Strickland begins his third season at Ware this fall with an overall record of 18-6 in his first two seasons.
When asked about what he likes about his 2021 football team the Head Gator offered “With the close calls last year against those two teams that beat us that ended up playing for the title showed our kids how close we are to being at that championship level. This team just feels different. I think we are one of the best 4-5 teams out there. Our kids have developed a culture of accountability and that has been a tone setter leading up this this season. Our kids feel like we are good enough to win it.”
On offense it all revolves around QB Thomas Castellanos who his coach calls a “Special, special kid”. “He can do anything on the football field. His best intangible is that he plays QB for us. He calls about 50% of the plays on Friday night, makes all of our protection calls, and he is just a natural leader.” Castellanos will play his college football at Central Florida next year.
Running back Cartevious Norton is set to have a banner senior season. “He is a kid I’m pulling hard for. By the end of the season, I think everyone will know who he is”.
Cameron Gonzalves is the lone returner on the offensive line, but Strickland thinks they will be bigger, stronger and more athletic than last year.
At WR James Daniels is an excellent route runner with great hands. Jarvis Hayes is the guy who can blow the top off a defense.
Malik Mitchell and Demetrius Baldwin will lead a defensive line that will rotate 7 players. “They will have to carry us until our linebacker group gets some game experience”.
Trey Hargrove returns at LB and will move to Mike. LJ Hall and Teshawn Norton will start in the secondary. Strickland says “We have good talent back there but we may need to simplify things to gain experience. I want these kids to play fast”.
Henry Bates a 4.0 student returns at kicker. “He is a great character kid who looks to kick at the next level”.
Strickland says the region is “brutal”. “Warner Robins won state. Coffee was a final four team last year, and Veterans really punched us in the mouth when we played them. Wayne has good talent and an excellent staff and was a team that was really decimated by injuries last year that should be much better this year.”
The schedule is difficult. “They might want to run that guy off around here who set that up” Strickland joked. “It will create some exciting Friday nights for us this fall”
Ware Schedule/My Predictions:
8/20 @ Cook: Gators win big on the road.
8/27 vs Bartram Trail (FL): Higher classification program from Florida comes to the Swamp. Bartram Trail is a good program but they go down to Ware.
9/3 vs Baldwin: Baldwin not physical enough in the trenches, Gators big.
9/10 vs Thomson: Proud program coming in for a beat down. Ware big once again.
9/17 @ Bainbridge: If the Gators drop a non-region game this could be it. I think this one is a classic and Ware wins a huge road game late say 34-30.
9/24 @ Benedictine: Only way Ware drops this is, if the Savannah Zebras are a factor in the game. Ware stays undefeated.
10/8 @ Coffee: Ware lost by two TD’s on their last journey to Jardine Stadium. Ware has Castellanos and Coffee does not. Ware in a war.
10/15 vs Warner Robins: Gators back home after traveling a combined 600 miles over South Georgia highways over the previous 3 weeks. These teams could meet again in the playoffs. Gators get revenge at home.
The Gators finish the regular season undefeated after beating Veterans and Wayne.
Look out for this football team. They are well coached, talented, athletic and most of all hungry. These Gators are dangerous folks.
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