VALDOSTA — The Valwood Valiants are making the transition to a new football coach, while trying to build on the success they’ve had the past two seasons.

Valwood began spring football practice on Monday. The Valiants will practice Monday through Friday this week and next week at their school.

“It’s been a fun two days,” Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson said. “We’re doing a lot of learning, because it’s different. We’re learning how to practice, we’re learning how to do our drills. All parts of putting in a system.

“There is tremendous growth already, between day one and day two. It was very encouraging. They’re picking it up.”

This is Henderson’s first spring leading the Valiants. Last month, he was hired as Valwood’s new head coach, replacing Brannon Tidwell, who left for a coaching job in Columbia, S.C.

So far, the Valiants have responded well to their new coach.

“The kids have a lot of energy, a lot of life,” Henderson said. “We’ve got some senior leaders this year.”

Henderson inherited a experienced team, one that has made it to the state semifinals each of the past two years. The quarterback (Jake Lastinger) is back. So are running backs Khary Paige and Dashon Day. So are four of the team’s five offensive linemen, including two Division I prospects (Aulden Bynum and Griffin Clyatt). Most of those players are also key members of the Valiants’ defense.

“There’s no doubt there’s some talent,” Henderson said. “We’ve got some kids, we’ve got some pieces. We’ve just got to put them together.”

Since being hired last month, Henderson has been working to teach both the players and the assistant coaches his system.

 “(The players are) a fun group to work with. The coaching staff is a fun group to coach with. They’re learning, too. We’re learning together,” Henderson said. “Right now, we’re learning. So if we’ve got to stop them to teach, that’s what we’re going to do. If we’ve got to run a play again, we’re going to run it again.”

All of Valwood’s assistant coaches are back from last season.

“Those guys know what these kids can do, so that’s been a huge, huge help,” Henderson said.

Henderson wants the Valiants to use a 5-2 base defense, and he has asked longtime Valdosta defensive coordinator Charles Tarpley to help him install it. Valwood defensive coordinator Brad Alligood once played in the Valdosta system, and has some familiarity with the 5-2.

So far, Valwood’s offense has worked exclusively out of the shotgun. Henderson wants to run Valdosta State’s spread offense (Tidwell’s teams ran a pro-style offense). He has already had multiple conversations with Murray State head coach Chris Hatcher (who was Henderson’s coach for two years at VSU).

“We’re going to spread out a little bit,” Henderson said. “(Other teams) are going to have to defend both the run and the pass. If they try to stack the box, we’ll throw it. We’ll throw it when we want to throw it, not when we have to. ... We’re going to be throwing it all over the field. (Defenses) are going to have to be honest. They’re not going to be able to stack the box.”

Henderson is also drawing from his experiences at Valdosta High (where he was an All-State tackle in the 1990s and an assistant coach from 2005-11). He has instituted the same morning workouts that the Wildcats have used for many years. He has taken some plays from Wildcat playbooks. Most of his assistant coaches also played at Valdosta, so some of the things Henderson has brought from VHS are familiar to them.

Valwood’s practices will also be full contact, just like Valdosta’s.

“Every scheme is about blocking and tackling, and that’s what we’re going to specialize in this spring. We’re going to tackle every day,” Henderson said. “We’re going to have a tackling circuit, and take ball carriers down to the ground every day.”

Henderson has also sent the message that the Valiants will be serious about their academics. He has already implemented mandatory study hall after school and before practice.

“We want to put our best foot forward, both on the field and off the field,” he said. “We’re having study hall right after school, until 4:00, and then we start practice at 4:15, and that’s taken some getting used to. They’re not used to study hall right after school. ... (Academics) are first.”

Henderson has been a busy man the past few weeks. He has been working with the Valiants, but he is also still a teacher at Valdosta High. Many days, he has gone to Valwood for morning workouts, then driven to VHS to teach a full load of classes. He said he appreciates the way that both schools have worked with his schedule.