When Bill Stewart stepped down from the Etowah helm to take the position of head football coach and athletic director at James Clemens High School in Madison, Ala., in December, many within the football community thought assistant Josh Shaw would be at the top of the program’s list to take over the reins.
And while Shaw may very well have been Etowah’s eventual choice, the two-time Cherokee Gridiron Club Defensive Coach of the Year (2007, 2010) and three-time Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2010) has made other plans, officially accepting the head coaching position at rival Cherokee High School.
After six seasons at Etowah under Stewart, serving as the defensive backs coach, special teams coordinator, head strength coach and recruiting coordinator, Shaw takes over for long-time Warriors’ Head Coach Brian Dameron, who collected a program-record 57 wins and five state playoff appearances over 11 seasons
“I’m ecstatic. But to be quite honest, it has been such a whirlwind the last few days, and it’s really just now starting to settle in,” said Shaw, the 17th head coach in Cherokee’s 56-year history. “I’m excited about the opportunity to get Cherokee going back in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to developing a first-class program that everybody – the administration, the students, the players and their parents and the community – can be proud of.”
After sifting through more than 80 resumes and working through the interview process since Dameron stepped down in November, Cherokee Principal Debra Murdock and Athletic Director Jack Wallner informed Shaw of the decision early last week.
“Coach Shaw has enjoyed an extensive, diverse coaching background in very successful programs,” Murdock said. “He is extremely well-respected by his players, students, colleagues and the community. Coach Shaw’s combination of leadership, knowledge of the game and great enthusiasm makes him the perfect choice to lead the Cherokee Warriors football program.”
Prior to joining Stewart in Woodstock, the Adairsville-native played defensive back at Moorhead State University in South Moorhead, Minn., from 1992-97, gaining a bachelor’s degree in physical education and coaching. Following his playing career with the Dragons, he remained in South Moorhead as the defensive backs coach (1998-99), before moving on to West Liberty State College (W. Va.) as the running backs coach (1999-2002). Leaving West Liberty in the spring of 2002, Shaw claimed his first position on the high school ranks, accepting the positions of defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla.
But despite being a part of a tremendous amount of success at East Ridge, which included three consecutive unbeaten regular seasons, Shaw jumped at the opportunity for he and his wife, Courtney, who now have a 3-year-old son, Trey, to return to Georgia.
Now, after six seasons at Etowah, Shaw said his decision was not simple.
“It’s always difficult when emotions are involved,” he explained. “Leaving a place that I love and kids that I love is not easy. Just like when I left [East Ridge], you get attached and it’s tough to walk away. But one of the things that Bill told me is when you’re making a job decision, you have to pull your emotions out of it.”
According to Shaw, the advice was just one of the many things he picked up along the way from Stewart.
“The last six years, Bill allowed me to have a lot of head coaching responsibilities,” he said. “Him doing that was like a training experience for me, and I feel blessed that he gave me those opportunities.
“I feel like Cherokee is a lot like where Etowah was at six years ago. We want to compete for region championships and compete in the state playoffs, and I feel like everything is in place here to be able to have that opportunity.
“I spent about five hours interviewing up here, and Mrs. Murdock is a wonderful lady with great vision. They are 100 percent committed to getting this program back on track, and once I had a chance to sit with her and her staff and see how excited they were, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
Shaw, who has been Etowah’s head track coach the past five seasons and coached the Eagles’ weightlifting team, which won area titles from 2009-11 and the state title last winter, spent the morning and afternoon of Jan. 25 meeting with the Cherokee administration, faculty and some of its coaches. He then met with his new players on Friday morning and will have a parent meeting this Thursday.
“I want to let everybody know what my expectations are,” he said. “I’m a hard worker, and I expect our kids to work hard. We’re going to have to out-prepare and out-work everybody we play, and part of that is going to be getting these kids onboard with the strength and conditioning program and our off-season workouts.”
As for Warriors’ future on the field, Shaw knows the direction is plans on taking the team.
“We’re not going to be an option team. We’re going to spread things out,” he said. “We’re going to find our athletes and get them the ball. This spring, I’ll sit down with my coaches and we’ll identify our athletes and our playmakers, then we’ll figure out how to get those kids the ball as many times as we can.”
