Chastain taking next career step as new WRHS coach

With strong faith in Christ and knowledge gained from working for a Who’s Who list of football coaches in the state, Mike Chastain was ready to make a bid for a high school head coaching job for the first time. On Tuesday, the Houston County Board of Education approved Chastain, the offensive coordinator for Houston County High’s Bears, as the next head coach and athletic director for Warner Robins High.

Chastain, who grew up in Warner Robins and played for Northside High and West Georgia in college football, will replace Bryan Way, who retired earlier this year after 12 years as WRHS head coach and more than 30 years overall with the school.

Since leaving West Georgia – where he also spent one year coaching – Chastain worked everywhere from his high school alma mater to Peach County High to Lee County High to Veterans High to more than one stint at Houston County.

“My family moved here when I was 1,” said Chastain while speaking from his new work surroundings in Demon Country. “I played under coach (Stan) Gann at Northside. I played under Charlie Fisher at West Georgia. He is now the head coach at Western Illinois; he was the offensive coordinator at Penn Sate two years ago. Also, during that one year I coached at West Georgia, I coached with Glenn Fisher, who is now the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. I coached with Will Muschamp. David Dean (former Valdosta State head coach) was on that staff. He’s the co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

“I played ball with several guys who are head coaches across the state. I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed to have been around several really good head coaches.”

In high school, Chastain first coached at Houston County High under Doug Johnson as a community coach. He then took a teaching position at Byron Middle School, which put him in Peach County High’s football program.

“Everybody was under the same umbrella,” said Chastain about how the feeder system worked for the Trojan varsity team. “I was heavily involved with the high school team as a middle school head football coach. I worked under Alan Rodemaker and Rance Gillespie the two years I was at Peach.”

Rodemaker is now head coach at Valdosta High School replacing Gillespie, who is the other co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

“I coached at Northside for three years under Stan Gann,” said Chastain. “I really believe those two stops at Peach and Northside were huge blessings. In those situations (he coached freshmen teams at Northside) I was able to learn from two great quarterback coaches. I learned a lot about the passing game. I had to learn everything about offense because they wanted their program at (these levels) to reflect what they were doing on the varsity level.”

The other coach he referred to is Conrad Nix, one of Georgia’s winningest head coaches. He said this was a better situation where he had to learn everything about every football position instead of starting out as a position coach and staying with that one position.

As Chastain’s career progressed, he worked for Sam Barrs at Bleckley County High. Then he returned to Peach (under Chad Campbell) as quarterbacks and strength and conditioning coach. Dean Fabrizio then added Chastain to his staff at Lee County High as offensive coordinator.

“I was driving back and forth from Lee County to Warner Robins,” said Chastain. “That was an hour’s drive. After two years, I could not keep doing that. So I took a job at Veterans … working under David Bruce. Great guy, really by the book on everything. Learned a ton from him as well.”

Von Lassiter then added Chastain to his staff at Houston County High. Chastain said Lassiter may be his best friend in the profession, the two working at Northside at the same time. He calls the two of them “accountability partners in Christ” where they hold each other accountable for doing the right things.

“Jake Fromm’s pretty good,” said Chastain about the quarterback of his offense the last two years at Houston County who already owns school records and state Player of the Year awards while still looking towards his senior year. “He’s even a better person. His GPA is through the roof. People gravitate to him. I’m going to miss him his senior year, but I’m going to be pulling for him that they go 14-1 and win the (Class 6A) state championship. I think he’s going to have a great chance to break the career passing yards (record). They have a tough schedule.”

Chastain himself was a center and has been a line coach at his stops, but “somehow” got pulled into working with the skill guys. But aside from football knowledge, Chastain also said his experience helps him build relationships with players such as Fromm.

“I have not been with a coach who did not relate to players,” he said. “That’s not the case all the time. That relationship with players is important. You have to have a relationship with coaches and players; all those guys are key parts of being successful.”

With his strong faith in Christ, Chastain developed a passion for football coaching. Outside of pouring himself into Christ and family, he puts everything into his job.

“I don’t think God placed it in my heart to be a head coach up until now,” said Chastain, who before simply focused on being the best offensive coordinator. “(WRHS) is the first (head) job I ever applied for. This was the first time I thought I was ready to take that step.

“This place is historically rich. 1976 and 1981 national champions. How many people in the state can say they were national champions? How many can say they have two? I firmly believe this is one of the top programs in the state.

“I’ve coached against Warner Robins several times, and not once did I look across the field and not see guys who can play. That’s why they’ve been successful for so many years. My job is to make sure we got those guys in the right spot.”

In all other aspects in establishing his program at WRHS, Chastain said – be it training or conditioning – it will be about pace and tempo. Don’t forget discipline and doing things the right way.

“We are going to be a balanced football team,” said Chastain, adding that even with all of Fromm’s passing records, Houston County was balanced in rushing vs. pass. “I want to be a team that makes the defense defend the whole field. We are going to be spread in identity unless I feel we can just line up and wear people out with a bunch of big guys and great running backs. Where does our personnel fit in?

“I want to be a multiple defense, a defense you can’t look at every week and say, ‘They are 3-3. They are 3-4.’ You can’t give Jake Fromm or other good quarterbacks the comfort of sitting on one thing. You can’t give (offensive coordinators) one front to block. You are going to have to play that chess game when you’re playing us. We are going to run to the football, fly around and have a good time.”

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