Former Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson speaks at a Thomas County Board of Education meeting Thursday in Thomasville. The board approved Henderson's hiring as the next Thomas County Central head football coach.

After six years, the Ashley Henderson era at Valwood has come to an end.

Henderson was hired as the Thomas County Central head football coach Thursday following the Thomas County Board of Education’s approval at a morning board meeting.

He will officially begin his duties as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach on Feb. 1.

Valwood represented Henderson’s first head coaching job, and he’s made the most of his six years there — going 66-12 in the GISA with five region titles and three state championships, the most recent coming this past season.

“It’s been six of the, in my professional life, it’s been the best six years of my life,” Henderson said Thursday. “It’s a very, very special place, and it’ll remain that way.”

Former Thomas County head coach Bill Shaver was relieved of coaching duties in November after 10 years at the helm of the team. Henderson was contacted about the opening less than a week after Valwood’s 14-9 victory against Trinity Christian in the GISA Class 3A championship game.

Henderson said it was a difficult decision to make, but he ultimately felt the position at Thomas County was too good to turn down.

“Valwood is a special place, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Henderson said. “The kids we coached and the family we’ve met, it’s become more, it’s become a family. It’s become more than just a job or what not.

“It would have to be a very, very special opportunity to leave a place like that, that you do consider home, and I think Thomas County Central is.”

Thomas County is coming off a trying 3-8 season that saw the team finish with its worst record since 1990.

Although the Yellow Jackets haven’t won a state championship since 1997, Henderson referred to the program as one of the pillars of South Georgia football, referencing the heydays under head coach Ed Pilcher when Thomas County won five state titles in six years.

“Growing up in Valdosta, and playing at Valdosta, you always how good they were doing in the 90s,” Henderson said. “This was the pre-internet era, so I’m kind of dating myself there. We just heard via the newspaper or whatever.”

Henderson played offensive tackle at Valdosta High under Nick Hyder and Mike O’Brien before going on to play at Georgia Tech, where he had several discussions about South Georgia football with teammates, including former Thomas County Central standout Joe Burns.

“While I was at Georgia Tech, me and him had a few spirited debates: Valdosta versus Central, which program was better,” Henderson said. “My claim to fame while I was at Georgia Tech was, I was his ride home. I would drop him off in Thomasville and then come (to Valdosta).

“Just hearing the passion Joe had in his voice about Central, you could tell it’s a special place, and a place I’d like to be a part of.”

Following his college career, Henderson returned home and worked as an assistant coach at both Valdosta State and his alma mater Valdosta High.

It was during his time as an assistant under coaches Chris Hatcher and David Dean that Henderson developed the offensive philosophy that’s served him well at Valwood.

For Thomas County, Henderson’s hiring will signal the end of the classic split-back veer offense the team has run for nearly three decades.

“We’ll be doing the same thing we were doing at Valwood,” Henderson said. “I’ve been a spread guy. The coaching tree I consider myself up under is the Hatcher/Dean coaching tree.

“I believe in the spread offense, I believe in tempo, I believe in multiple personnel groupings. That’s what we’re going to be. We’re going to show a lot of things, but we’re going to change the tempo, the speed of the game, we’re going to throw the ball down field, the same stuff we’ve been doing at Valwood for six years.”

For Valwood, it’ll look to continue the sustained success Henderson has achieved over the past six years. Sources say Justin Henderson, Ashley’s brother, will take over control of the Valiants.

In 28 seasons prior to Henderson’s arrival, the Valwood compiled a 155-144-5 record with four region titles and three state championships.