Familiar face - Jamoski Ward - to take over at Central

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Jamoski Ward has some familiarity with his new job.

          The Bibb County Board of Education approved on Thursday night the former Central assistant as the Chargers latest head coach.

          He coached at Central from 2012-17, with five seasons under current East Laurens head coach Jesse Hicks and one year under Larry Harold, who resigned last month after one season at Irwin County.

          Central went 20-31 under Hicks and 2-7 under Harold.

          Ward spent the next several years on the Baldwin staff under Hicks, who was fired after the 2023 season with a 40-34 record in his second stint with the Braves.

          Ward was named Wilkinson County’s third head coach in three years in May of 2024, and went 10-12 in two years, 8-2 in GHSA Region 5-A/Division II.

          The Albany grad played at Albany State and started his coaching career at Dougherty – under Hicks – in 2010, following Hicks to Central and the Baldwin.

          Central is off consecutive winless seasons, the second one leading to the dismissal last month of Jarrett Laws after three seasons and a 1-29 record.

          The Chargers won the GHSA Class AAA state title in 1975, but have had only 16 winning seasons since then, 11 coming under Tom Simonton (1979-1997).

          Central had six straight losing seasons after he retired, and has been over .500 only four times since then under C.B. Cornett, Anthony Hines, Brent Thornton, Hicks, Harold, Joaquin Sample, and Laws.

          The Chargers are 85-198 since Simonton’s retirement, and 1-5 in five postseason trips.

          Central’s MaxPreps roster for 2025 listed 10 seniors.

          Westside still has a vacancy, and Washington County released Robert Edwards last week.